Constructing autism

"In Constructing Autism, Majia Holmer Nadesan, herself the mother of an autistic child, argues that although there is without doubt a biogenetic component to the condition we call autism, it is the social factors involved in its identification, interpretation and remediation that determine what it means to be autistic. This book explores the social practices and institutions that reflect and shape the way we think about autism and what effects these have on autistic people and their families. She unravels what appears to be the 'truth' about autism, stepping behind the history of its emergence as a modern disorder to see how it has become a crisis of twenty first century child development."

"This innovative text provides a welcome counter-balance to the predominantly medical and scientific literature on autism, and will be invaluable for anyone studying autistic disorders, child development and child health, modern public health issues and other areas of medical sociology, psychology and health studies."--Jacket.