Autism: A spectrum of possibilities

Handbook for people living with Autism in India

Preface

This guide deals with autism and various aspects of living with it.

We start with an overview of autism outlining the entire autism lifecycle as a precursor. Then we discuss how to identify autism, how common it is, what causes and what does not cause autism.

In the next section, we outline a history of autism, starting from early definitions and trace the path down to various developments in understanding and dealing with autism.

We then present perspectives of people living with autism, including people on the spectrum, families living with autism, medical professionals, and social workers. We attempot to cover the lifecycle of autism by including perspectives from different age groups.

In the next section, we address the diagnosis process starting from the need to diagnosis to the actual process of getting a diagnosis. We also include diagnosis for older people.

In the next two sections, we outline the immediate steps a family can take when they receive a diagnosis and proceed to explore various approaches to early intervention.

We then strike a cautionary note as we talk about alternative approaches to autism that are consider ineffective and sometimes, dangerous. This is done to ensure we provide all the necessary information.

We then proceed to education and schooling where we examine the goals and approaches to education and schooling in the Indian context.

The next section covers employment where we outline how people on the spectrum can train for work. We also provide some resources that can help them find and keep work.

The final section deals with being an adult on the spectrum.