Steve Silberman

New York Times bestseller Steve Silberman is here from California to present NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and how to Think Smarter about People who Think Differently. Recent winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction, Silberman’s is the first science book to be awarded the prize in its 17-year history and has also just been shortlisted for the 2016 Wellcome Prize.

The study of autism has dominated medical news as rates of diagnosis soared in recent years. But what is autism? Is it a developmental condition, a lifelong disability, a form of cognitive difference akin to genius – or is it all of the above?

Silberman takes us on the secret journey of autism through history and provides the long-sought answers to the enigma of autism, which has inspired generations of researchers to probe the mysteries of human development. He also suggests the ways and means by which society might provide the resources to offer those on the autistic spectrum the right to self-determination and happier, more fulfilled lives.