Dr. Szatmari shares the stories of over a dozen children and families with whom he has worked. He reveals that people with autism and AS live in a world without metaphors; a visual landscape, built of images, not language. It's a place where friendly small talk may sound like a foreign tongue, where tree branches are more intriguing than people, where hairbrush bristles can feel like nails on the scalp or a hug like the clamp of a vise. Drawing on decades of influential research and clinical experience, Dr. Szatmari combines "big picture" information - the nuances of diagnosis, what is known about possible causes, and what the future holds for children with these disorders - with finely wrought observations that let you see the world through your child's eyes." "Of crucial importance, Dr. Szatmari also illustrates ways parents can "break through" to help kids start to navigate the wider world. An intense interest in the patterns on wasp wings may be mystifying, but such visual perceptiveness also can be channeled into artwork of math. A child fixated on death may be less afraid of loss than of change in general - a common form of anxiety that parents can help soothe. Hating to be touched doesn't mean your child doesn't feel affection, but that he is physically hypersensitive - and you can find other ways to encourage closeness and offer comfort.