Brittney Adler

“Her moment of restraint was emblematic of an important idea: Instead of trying to change how a person with autism reacts to us, we need to pay close attention to how we react to the person.”
― Barry M. Prizant, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

“Aware adults with autism and their parents are often angry about autism. They may ask why nature or God created such horrible conditions as autism, manic depression, and schizophrenia. However, if the genes that caused these conditions were eliminated there might be a terrible price to pay. It is possible that persons with bits of these traits are more creative, or possibly even geniuses. If science eliminated these genes, maybe the whole world would be taken over by accountants.”
― Steve Silberman, NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity

“Still, some parents and professionals view these interests as yet another undesirable symptom of autism, one that makes it even more difficult for the child to fit in. Often their instinct is to discourage the child, to redirect his attention and suggest interests that are more socially acceptable and conventional. But discouraging an enthusiasm can be just another way of dismantling a strategy that helps a child with autism feel better regulated—or, worse, removing a source of interest and joy. A more helpful approach is to do as Jessy Park’s parents did and use the enthusiasm as a way to expand the child’s outlook and improve the child’s life.”
― Barry M. Prizant, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

“Not all the features of atypical human operating systems are bugs.”
― Steve Silberman, NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity