Story
These quotes are listed alphabetically by author and then date published. They are included here because, in my opinion, they can spark important reflection. Click on a quote image for further discussion.
Alex Gillespie Enrico Gnaulati Temple Grandin Stanley I. Greenspan Paul E. McGhee Barry M. Prizant
Stuart G. Shanker Steve Silberman
BARRY M. PRIZANT - Continued...
”For a person with autism, social interactions can provoke anxiety and confusion because they have no fixed structure and one can't always predict what another person will say. So a person with autism will try to create predictability by limiting the conversation to an area in which he has mastery.”
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 69.
”Though they come with challenges, enthusiasms often represent the greatest potential for people with autism. What begins as a strong interest or passion can become a way to connect with others with similar interests, a life long hobby, or, in many cases, a career.”
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 70.
”Because of their neurological challenges, people with autism face tremendous obstacles of three kinds: trusting their body, trusting the world around them, and--most challenging of all--trusting other people.”
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 73.
"The most significant trust-related challenge for people with autism is trusting other people. Most of us are neurologically hardwired with the ability to predict the behavior of others--to read body language intuitively and make subconscious judgments based on how relaxed a person's body is, on how a person looks at other people, or by the social context. But that is often more difficult for people with autism."
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 78.
"Not knowing whom to trust or what a person might do next means living in a constant state of vigilance, like the soldiers who work on bomb-disposal teams."
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 78.
"What I have learned from my years of experience, and from valued friends on the spectrum, is that rather than demanding or pressuring the person with autism to change, we must change first. When we change, the person with autism changes too."
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 90.
"By persistently giving the message "You must change," we are inadvertently communicating "You're not getting it right. You're screwing up." Thus we quash self-esteem and, ultimately, trust. The child cannot trust other people to offer understanding and support. The child cannot trust that the world is a safe place. As a result, anxiety mounts."
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 90.
"It's a perfect storm: a child has a powerful ability to remember the past, and because of neurological challenges, she also has accumulated more stressful experiences than typical peers because of the confusion, social misunderstandings, and sensory issues that come with autism."
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 96.
"Of course that's the most helpful strategy of all: helping to create a life full of positive memories. As parents and professionals, we help to do that whenever we offer choices instead of exerting control; whenever we foster the child's interests and honor the child's strengths rather than redirecting; whenever we make learning, work, and life fun and joyful."
Prizant, B. M. (2015) Uniquely Human. Simon & Schuster: New York, New York. p. 107.
