Demystifying the Autistic Experience
A Humanistic Introduction for Parents, Caregivers and Educators
by William StillmanPeople with autism are humans. Their feelings are just as valid as those of anyone else. They should be helped to communicate as fully as possible, in a manner that will work in as many situations as possible. Their special interests should be encouraged and used to educate them about the whole world, rather than stifled. People with autism are also vulnerable to the same mental illnesses that other people are; in fact, they appear to be
more vulnerable. These problems should not be attributed to autism.
William Stillman is an autism consultant with self-diagnosed Asperger Syndrome. His special interest is
The Wizard of Oz, which has worked for him; he has been hired to work on Oz projects which use his vast knowledge on the subject. He believes in person-first language(that means saying person with autism instead of autist, person with Asperger's instead of Aspie). Stillman has a unique humanistic approach. He accepts almost all parts of autism; strangely, he sees stimming as demeaning.
Happy reading.
