Having read this book and a number of the if-you-like-this suggestions, I'd have to say that this has a scope rather more limited that one would desire. This does demonstrate affect, and there's even more detailed photos that the only other book that does this correctly, the 1970's edition of "Unmasking the Face". If you want to study the science of affect, this is a good book to grab.
This is a good idea for children that are marginally on the spectrum, but for those of us right in the middle of classic diagnosis, I doubt it would do much good. Aspies simply don't have the processing power to put this into use in real-time. As evidence, consider the fact that most NTs turn their head to the left of a conversation target's face for a second when asked a brain teaser. (This is due to their need to use the object-recognition processing power of their neo-cortex, that turns on automatically when looking at a face.) Since Aspies don't have this processing power, no amount of heuristic association will help us.
So, for what it is, this book is great. Just don't expect miracles.
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Dum vita est, spes est.
02 Aug 2010, 8:34 am
