Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism (2015) is a non-fiction work by Barry M. Prizant, writing with Tom Fields-Mayer. Based on his many years as a clinician and researcher (including the development of the SCERTS model for teaching social communication to autistic children), Prizant argues that conventional approaches to children with autism are not only ineffective but harmful. Rather than attempting to suppress the “symptoms” of autism, Prizant proposes that clinicians, parents and teachers alike instead investigate these behaviors to discover their underlying emotional causes. Ultimately, Prizant argues for an about-face in the way autism is viewed: “Autism isn’t an illness, it’s a different way of being human.” Uniquely Human has been hailed by reviewers as a “truly impactful, necessary book” (Kirkus Reviews).

The book is divided into two parts. The first part, “Understanding Autism,” critiques existing models of autism and “autistic behavior,” and in their place offers a series of insights about the experience of people with autism, drawing on case studies of children, the commentary of adults with autism, and neurology.

Part 2, “Living with Autism,” provides practical strategies for parents and other carers for children with autism, based on the insights set out in Part 1.



Prizant begins with an account of the state of play in the education of children with autism. He argues that there is a severe lack of regulation in the field: while psychologists and behavioral analysts must meet licensing requirements, there is no professional body checking up on these professionals in their work with children with autism or making sure that professionals’ knowledge is updated as new understandings of the spectrum emerge.

Due to this situation, Prizant suggests, there are many professionals unknowingly harming the very people they are trying to help. The traditional way of understanding and addressing autism, he argues, may actually be detrimental to the welfare of people with autism.

In this traditional view, autism is understood as a checklist of “deficits,” typically including problems with social communication, difficulties with sensory stimulation and patterns of repetitive behavior. From this understanding, a clinical approach has emerged which involves attempting to rid children with autism of their “symptoms,” in order to “normalize” them.



However, in Prizant’s view, most of these “symptoms” are in fact coping strategies, designed to address the difficulties caused by autism. Denying children these strategies may only cause them further distress. Furthermore, many of these “symptoms” can become effective tools for education, if they are properly understood. Prizant argues that instead of trying to curb these behaviors, parents and educators should play detective, seeking the causes of “autistic” behavior to remove sources of distress. At the same time, parents and educators should focus on enhancing the strengths and natural abilities of a child with autism, rather than focusing on perceived challenges. Prizant offers a range of case studies from his own work to suggest that this approach yields excellent results, enabling children with autism to become adults who work, socialize and enjoy their lives.

Prizant proceeds to offer analyses of the underlying causes of some of the more common behaviors of autistic children, overturning traditional approaches. He argues that where autism has been seen as an intellectual disability, resulting in reduced comprehension, he argues that it is more accurately described as a “disability of trust.” It is not, he argues, that children with autism cannot understand what is said to them: rather, they are mystified by statements that incorporate untruths or that omit information which seems vital. This is a neurological difference, and “misunderstandings” arise when adults fail to recognize it.

Similarly, the “underlying neurology” of autism is responsible for “dysregulation,” the much-studied difficulty faced by people with autism in regulating their emotional responses. People with autism, Prizant argues, are “unusually vulnerable” to emotional challenges, and many of the behaviors seen as “symptomatic” of autism are in reality attempts on the part of children with autism to manage challenges such as sensory overstimulation or frustration at an inability to communicate. Rather than trying to control these behaviors, parents and educators should embrace them as tools to help children with autism regulate their feelings.



For example, Prizant argues that talking obsessively—often seen as a symptom to be managed—should instead be welcomed as an attempt to communicate and used as the basis for educational approaches. He outlines several case studies in which a child with autism’s obsessive topics were used to structure their learning.

On the question of social communication, Prizant again offers a new perspective, arguing that social language to children with autism is something like a foreign language. Neurotypical people are first-language fluent in social communication, but that fluency comes with much more difficulty to children with autism.

Prizant concludes that the key to helping children live with autism is deceptively simple: ask questions; listen closely; and above all, empathize.