Beautifully Different: Autism: Viewing the World Through a Different Lens

Beautifully Different is a photographic book about remarkable children with high-functioning autism who attended a programme run by Dr Rebecca Landa at the renowned Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) in Maryland, U.S.A., which offers some of the best early intervention therapy in the world. As the number of diagnosed cases of autism increases exponentially, media coverage of the disorder grows more prevalent. However, the cases most often highlighted are those that are the most severe. The focus on these children may help to sound the alarm to the public, but it leaves a certain group on the sidelines. Those with high-functioning autism are rarely profiled in the media. Highly verbal, remarkably intelligent and often phenomenally gifted, they represent the 'bright' side of the disorder. They can show us that an autism diagnosis need not be a dead end, but rather a diversion. This book hopes to shed light on the bright side of autism.

MAKIKO has been collaborating with Dr Rebecca Landa, a professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the founder and director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) at KKI. Dr Landa introduces the book, which contains an interview with an autism activist who reveals his experience of growing up with the diagnosis, and stories and information from contributing parents. The photos in the book are all candid and have been taken at the children's eye level, enabling readers to see from their point of view. All of the children in the book have been treated by Dr Landa, and have improved their deficits remarkably over the years, making the book an inspirational read. The children mark their milestones during their early years throughout the book, giving a rarely-seen insight into the effects of autism. Beautifully Different will be of interest to those in the autism community, including teachers, academics, clinical staff and speech pathologists.