This book advances theories of autistic thinking that look good on paper, primarily looking good to non-autistic readers, but that do not truly explain our experiences. Things that do not fit these theories are sidelined as unimportant, thereby allowing a researcher to force-fit our experiences to her mold. There are some interesting descriptions in this book, but the theories drawing them all together are lacking.

Unfortunately, the same could be said about most books by 'experts' in the field of autism, and this review might be interchangeable with several other books I've read which advance flawed descriptions of how autistic people think. ( )

The first edition of Autism: Explaining the Enigma quickly became a classic It provides an account of what happens in the mind of a person with autism. The book proposed that the key problems were an inability to recognise and think about thoughts (theory of mind), and an inability to integrate pieces of information into coherent wholes (central coherence). It suggested that from this beginning, problems of communication, social interaction and flexibility follow as the complex interactions of human development unfold.

This updated edition reports on how this explanation has stood the test of time. A new chapter outlines developments in neuropsychological research that have taken place since the book was first published and reviews the growing body of work on the neurological basis of autism. The accessible style and structure of the original edition have been retained, with information and references updated throughout.

Unfortunately, the book is heavily based on medical model thinking and completely neglects other areas of discourse, such as psychoanalytic theories.