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Autism and The God Connection

About.com Rating 4

By , About.com Guide

Created: June 03, 2006

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William Stillman Autism and the God Connection

The Bottom Line

William Stillman is an interesting thinker -- and this book is a unique addition to the literature about autism and the autism spectrum. Focused largely on experiences of autism and apparently unexplainable events, the book postulates the idea that people on the autism spectrum have a particularly close relationship to the paranormal and the divine.
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Pros

  • Intriguing topic for a book.
  • Filled with interesting stories.
  • Written from a uique perspective: that of an adult on the autism spectrum.

Cons

  • Tough to follow in spots.
  • Based largely on first-person evidence and anecdotes.
  • Mixes mysticism with the paranormal, which may disturb some readers.

Description

  • Written by an adult with Asperger Syndrome.
  • A unique perspective on autism and the unexplained world.
  • Well worth reading for those with a special interest in the topic.

Guide Review - Autism and The God Connection

I found Autism and the God Connection to be easy to pick up, intriguing in spots, but hard to follow. Instead of following a clear structure, it tells a wide range of (presumably) true stories in which individuals with autism have extraordinary knowledge of things they have no way to know, paranormal powers, or other unexplainable abilities. The author suggests that this special knowledge and ability comes from a unique openness to the unseen -- and from a special relationship to God or the divine.

There are many apparently authenticated stories of clairvoyance and telepathy -- and I would never deny the possibility that some individuals have a special relationship to the divine. What's difficult for me to acknowledge is that the individuals in this particular book -- that is, children and adults with autism -- are MORE likely to be clairvoyants, telepaths or mystics than anyone else.

I also found myself a little confused about what seemed to me to be a confusion between the paranormal and the divine. Can telepathy or clairvoyance really be equated with a mystical relationship to God?

Despite my own caveats, I would recommend this book to anyone who has seen a surprising capacity for knowing or understanding in a loved one on the autism spectrum. It's a fascinating perspective -- and I should say that virtually all of the reviews I found on Amazon were five star raves!

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