Who doesn't like Tony Attwood?

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I am currently gathering and processing as much informations as I can about AS, and I have of course read some books and works by Tony Attwood, who seems to be the most famous and quoted expert on the subject. I have found reading him interesting and insightful (and his writing style is very fluid, clear and pleasant), so basically I can say I like what he does.

However I have learnt, as Aquinas said, to beware the man of one book, so when I find myself to strongly agree with someone's work (especially if he is some kind of mediatised and famous "expert") my first reflex is to read some things by people who don't agree with him, reject his theories and propose something else. I tried to do that for Attwood, and to my surprise I could not find anything interesting. Most of the other well-known experts are roughly part of the same research group as he is, comments on his work is almost unambiguously positive, and I could not find anyone constructively criticizing him (all I found was some general heinous comments by people who hate and question asperger and autism in general). It surprised me because when you have that kind of highly successful person you can almost always find someone disagreeing with him, even if it is just some frustrated and jealous outsiders.

So if anyone could either give me some constructed arguments against Dr. Attwood's points or tell me who did just that, my scientific objectivity would be grateful. Otherwise, I will just have to accept that nobody has ever (publicly) expressed interesting criticism of Attwood's work yet.

Tony Attwood has written what could be termed a "bible" for sphycologists and specialists on the subject of Aspergers. As an introductory manual, I think it's very good. But it's a long way being complete.

Many other authers identify many other features which the T.A. book completely misses.

Maxine Aston's book Aspergers in Love, is an excelent book talking about relationship difficulties.
Nick Dubin's book Anxiety, not great, but is a good read.
Olga Bogdahina's books, are excelent and cover many topics that Tony completely misses.

I don't disagreeing with what Tony says. I'm just saying they are not complete. More of an introductory manual.

OK, that's how I took the TA books anyway. You can usually not be exhaustive with only one book, and anyway science and knowledge goes on ; in any scientific field a reference book is always slightly.obsolete as soon as it is published.

I will check out Aspergers in love since I am deep into those issues ; there are lots of books on relationships and I was wondering which was best. I will also have a look at the other references. Thanks.

I am also looking for books useful for people diagnosed as adults. Growing up without diagnosis means you come up with coping strategies on your own in a half-unconscious way, and mine are far from perfect. (I believe my depression happened mostly because my social and relationship environment suddenly become much more complex and demanding and completely overrun what my coping skills could cope with.) I am looking for useful information to help me dismantle inappropriate strategies and replae them by some which are more respectful of both myself and the persons around me ; if someone has a book to suggest I would be really grateful.

When Thomas Aquinas said, hominem unius libri timeo he was referring to the man who has only read one book, not of the man who had written it.

Dr. Attwood is to Asperger's what Francis Crick is to DNA. He's the preeminent authority. There are many other fine authors out there. I recently bought a fine book by Valerie Gaus, "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adult Asperger Syndrome," which is very helpful, although more geared to the therapist. But we must give credit where credit is due, and we owe a world of thanks to Dr. Attwood.

I'm rather indifferent to Tony Attwood, don't dislike him or his books, don't particularly like either.

Yes, and I don't want to be that man, for any topic or any book. (And anyway, Attwood wrote a few books, not just one.) It is just that I constantly run into people who read one book (good or bad) about something, liked it, and try to fit and explain everything with whatever they read in it. I hate that ; It is especially bad for subjects like psychology and politics.



Mmh. Pardon me if I'm hair-splitting, but Crick discovered the structure of DNA. When I tried to have an understanding of the history of AS research, here is the picture I got: Hans Asperger wrote his papers in German in the 40s and nobody cared^W^W they were not widely noticed. In the 80s, Lorna Wing published some English papers on Asperger's work and popularized it, as well as the term "Asperger's syndrome". Then in the 90s Uta Frith translated Asperger's original work, did much for the recognition of AS as a diagnosis, and had students such as Tony Attwood and Simon Baron-Cohen, who in turn became top Asperger and ASDs specialists. I agree Attwood can be considered the current preeminent authority, but as far as I know he did not make the kind of breakthrough Watson and Crick did ; if someone has that honor in AS research it seems to me that it would more be Hans Asperger himself or maybe Lorna Wing. (Besides, Crick is dead and I don't think he was the preeminent authority on DNA any more just before that. Some younger scientist were probably more knowledgeable about the latest theories. Inventing or discovering something, or making a breakthrough, doesn't mean you automatically remain the unquestioned expert on it forever.)



I would never disagree with that Even with my incomplete knowledge I can see what he did and still does both to help people and to educate the general public and the health professionals towards a progressive view of AS.

There is plenty online about Tony Attwoods mockery of autistic people as part of his presentations.

Quite right about Crick : DNA :: Atwood : Asperger's. I got carried away there.

Mockery?

Mockery?

Attwoods book about aspergers for parents and professionals sheds some extra light on what he has written in the Complete Guide to Aspergers.

http://karalianne.tumblr.com/post/34301 ... -apologist

http://www.disabilityandrepresentation. ... isability/

I think people think too highly of him. As an autism "expert", he's average. That's about it. I'd call him "qualified" or "competent", but not exceptional. There are many people on Wrong Planet who, without a psychology degree, know more about autism than Attwood does. Then again, we have an advantage--we've got the inside story, plus autistic obsessiveness.

But on the other hand, he's a decent communicator, and he's helped teach NTs the basics, so I can't hate him.

The whole "Aspies are funny" so-called humor routine, though--he needs to drop that. He's not an Aspie, and he doesn't have n-word privileges.

He views us as less than human. There is a certain level of contempt or superiority that comes across in his writing. I don't like him.

"Congratulations you have Aspergers" ticks me off.

I heard a talk Tony Attwood gave on YouTube, which was very good. Of course, it's full of his usual jokes, such as, "If you have Asperger's, ultimately you become British." Haha. It gets a laugh and so on.

But something touched me at the very end of the talk. He spoke of his own son, who has Asperger's, who has been in rehab at least seven times for drug addiction. Attwood did not show emotion when saying this. Yet I don't think it's because he doesn't care.

I cannot speak to Attwood's own parenting skills with regard to his son.

What I do sense is that Attwood wants to stay positive about Asperger's and wants the world to see it as a gift; I have a sense that he understands Asperger's even far better than he lets on because of his own son.

Addiction is not even listed in the appendix of his book, The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome. Many Aspies use alcohol and drugs as a means to escape from the NT world and the find relief from their sufferings and lack of success.

Last edited by JSBACHlover on 23 Dec 2013, 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.