Bright Splinters of the Mind

Bright Splinters of the Mind PDF Author: Beate Hermelin
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 9781853029318
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
Drawing on 20 years of research, Hermelin describes not just what autistic savants do, but how they do it. In her fascinating and highly informative book she describes her investigations into the nature of the talents of savants who are gifted at poetry, foreign language acquisition, the visual arts, music, and calendar and numerical calculations.

Bright Splinters of the Mind

Bright Splinters of the Mind PDF Author: Beate Hermelin
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 9781853029318
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
Drawing on 20 years of research, Hermelin describes not just what autistic savants do, but how they do it. In her fascinating and highly informative book she describes her investigations into the nature of the talents of savants who are gifted at poetry, foreign language acquisition, the visual arts, music, and calendar and numerical calculations.

An Exact Mind

An Exact Mind PDF Author: Peter Myers
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 1843100320
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
Peter Myers' intricate and ornately patterned drawings are brought together for the first time in this volume, which is the fascinating result of the collaboration of an artist and two scientists. The beautiful, complex images serve as a rare window into the precision and exacting creativity of the Asperger mind at work.

The Disordered Mind

The Disordered Mind PDF Author: Eric R. Kandel
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374716102
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
A Nobel Prize–winning neuroscientist’s probing investigation of what brain disorders can tell us about human nature Eric R. Kandel, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his foundational research into memory storage in the brain, is one of the pioneers of modern brain science. His work continues to shape our understanding of how learning and memory work and to break down age-old barriers between the sciences and the arts. In his seminal new book, The Disordered Mind, Kandel draws on a lifetime of pathbreaking research and the work of many other leading neuroscientists to take us on an unusual tour of the brain. He confronts one of the most difficult questions we face: How does our mind, our individual sense of self, emerge from the physical matter of the brain? The brain’s 86 billion neurons communicate with one another through very precise connections. But sometimes those connections are disrupted. The brain processes that give rise to our mind can become disordered, resulting in diseases such as autism, depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder. While these disruptions bring great suffering, they can also reveal the mysteries of how the brain produces our most fundamental experiences and capabilities—the very nature of what it means to be human. Studies of autism illuminate the neurological foundations of our social instincts; research into depression offers important insights on emotions and the integrity of the self; and paradigm-shifting work on addiction has led to a new understanding of the relationship between pleasure and willpower. By studying disruptions to typical brain functioning and exploring their potential treatments, we will deepen our understanding of thought, feeling, behavior, memory, and creativity. Only then can we grapple with the big question of how billions of neurons generate consciousness itself.

The Mind of the Mathematician

The Mind of the Mathematician PDF Author: Michael Fitzgerald
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801885876
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
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Theory of Mind and the Triad of Perspectives on Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Theory of Mind and the Triad of Perspectives on Autism and Asperger Syndrome PDF Author: Olga Bogdashina
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 1846422515
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Inspired by the often uncomfortable interplay between autistic individuals, parents and professionals in understanding autistic spectrum conditions, Olga Bogdashina uses the concept of Theory of Mind (ToM) to consider these groups' different (and often conflicting) perspectives. ToM is the ability to imagine and make judgements about what others feel and think; its absence in autistic individuals is called 'mindblindness'. This book addresses the 'mindblindness' of people united in their interest in autism but divided by their different angles and perspectives. Divided into four parts, the book first defines autism, then the views of the three main groups working with it - autistic individuals, parents and professionals - under the headings of classifications, diagnosis, causes, development, theories and treatment. By comparing and reconciling the different perspectives in this way, the book helps each group to understand and predict each other's responses and behaviours. This enlightening and innovative book offers a unique way of 'stepping in each other's shoes' and is a valuable resource for all people living or working with autism.

The Passionate Mind

The Passionate Mind PDF Author: Wendy Lawson
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 0857003135
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
In her new book, Wendy Lawson examines traditional theories about the autism spectrum (AS) and reveals their gaps and shortcomings. Showing that a completely different way of thinking about AS is needed, she sets forward the theory of Single Attention and Associated Cognition in Autism (SAACA), an approach that explains autism in terms of the unique learning style of AS individuals. The SAACA approach suggests that whereas neurotypical people can easily shift their attention from one task to another, those on the autism spectrum tend to use just one sense at a time, leading to a deep, intense attention. From the perspective of this new approach, Wendy describes practical outcomes for individuals, families, and places of education and employment, and shows that when the unique learning style of AS is understood, valued, and accommodated, AS individuals can be empowered to achieve their fullest potential. This is a fascinating read for anyone with a personal or professional interest in the autism spectrum, including clinical practitioners, educators, researchers, individuals on the spectrum and their families, teachers, occupational therapists, and other professionals.

The Creative Brain

The Creative Brain PDF Author: Anna Abraham
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262548003
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
A nuanced, science-based understanding of the creative mind that dispels the pervasive myths we hold about the human brain—but also uncovers the truth at their cores. What is the relationship between creativity and madness? Creativity and intelligence? Do psychedelics truly enhance creativity? How should we understand the left and right hemispheres of the brain? Is the left brain, in fact, the seat of reasoning and the right brain the seat of creativity? These are just some of the questions Anna Abraham, a renowned expert of human creativity and the imagination, explores in The Creative Brain, a fascinating deep dive into the origins of the seven most common beliefs about the human brain. Rather than endorse or debunk these myths, Abraham traces them back to their origins to explain just how they started and why they spread—and what at their core is the truth. Drawing on theoretical and empirical work in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, Abraham offers an examination of human creativity that reveals the true complexity underlying our conventional beliefs about the brain. The chapters in the book explore the myth of the right brain as the hemisphere responsible for creativity; the relationship between madness and creativity, psychedelics and creativity, atypical brains and creativity, and intelligence and creativity; the various functions of dopamine; and lastly, the default mode revolution, which theorized that the brain regions most likely to be involved in the creative process are those areas of the brain that are most active during rest or mind-wandering. An accessible and engaging read, The Creative Brain gets to the heart of how our creative minds work and why some people are more creative than others, offering illuminating insights into what on its surface seems to be an endlessly magical phenomenon.

The Autism of Gxd

The Autism of Gxd PDF Author: Ruth M. Dunster
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725268345
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
The Autism of Gxd: An Atheological Love Story is truly a love story--the story of Ruth Dunster's autistic search for an authentic, personal, and theological "Gxd." In this, it resembles Augustine's Confessions, as a theological autobiography. It becomes atheological, however, as Dunster reckons with what Denys Turner terms "The Darkness of God." This awareness leads her through the poetry of Medieval mystics to the mythic "death of God" theology of Thomas J. J. Altizer. The search for faith is nonetheless very real in this strange territory. Dunster hears her autistic Gxd speaking in art, poetry, novels, and music; and this further leads her into the territory of Literature, Theology, and the Arts, where, in Blanchot's words, "the answer is the poem's absence." Indeed, Dunster calls the book "a strange poem, or even a hymn." Weaving an autistic mythology out of a rigorous survey of clinical autism, this book abounds in challenge and paradox. It offers a fascinating view into how an autistic poet becomes a theologian; and what more mainstream theologies might learn from this "disabled Gxd."

Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology

Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology PDF Author: Paul H. Blaney Ph.D.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199811849
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 873

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Book Description
While most abnormal psychology texts seem to aim solely for breadth, the acclaimed Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology aims for depth, with a focus on adult disorders and special attention given to the personality disorders. Now in its third edition, it has established itself as an unparalleled guide for professionals and graduate students alike. Esteemed editors Paul H. Blaney, Robert F. Krueger, and the late Theodore Millon selected the most eminent researchers in abnormal psychology to cover all the major mental disorders, allowing them to discuss notable issues in the various pathologies which are their expertise. This third edition of the Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology is fully updated according to the DSM-5 and also reflects alternative, emerging perspectives in the field (e.g., the NIMH's Research Domain Criteria Initiative; RDoC). The Textbook exposes readers to exceptional scholarship, a history of psychopathology, the logic of the best approaches to current disorders, and an expert outlook on what researchers and mental health professionals will be facing in the years to come. With extensive coverage of personality disorders and issues related to classification and differential diagnosis, this volume will be exceptionally useful for all mental health workers, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, and as a textbook focused on understanding psychopathology in depth, as well as a valuable guide for graduate psychology students and psychiatric residents.

Embracing the Wide Sky

Embracing the Wide Sky PDF Author: Daniel Tammet
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416570136
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Owner of "the most remarkable mind on the planet," (according to Entertainment Weekly) Daniel Tammet captivated readers and won worldwide critical acclaim with the 2007 New York Times bestselling memoir, Born On A Blue Day, and its vivid depiction of a life with autistic savant syndrome. In his fascinating new book, he writes with characteristic clarity and personal awareness as he sheds light on the mysteries of savants' incredible mental abilities, and our own. Tammet explains that the differences between savant and non-savant minds have been exaggerated; his astonishing capacities in memory, math and language are neither due to a cerebral supercomputer nor any genetic quirk, but are rather the results of a highly rich and complex associative form of thinking and imagination. Autistic thought, he argues, is an extreme variation of a kind that we all do, from daydreaming to the use of puns and metaphors. Embracing the Wide Sky combines meticulous scientific research with Tammet's detailed descriptions of how his mind works to demonstrate the immense potential within us all. He explains how our natural intuitions can help us to learn a foreign language, why his memories are like symphonies, and what numbers and giraffes have in common. We also discover why there is more to intelligence than IQ, how optical illusions fool our brains, and why too much information can make you dumb. Many readers will be particularly intrigued by Tammet's original ideas concerning the genesis of genius and exceptional creativity. He illustrates his arguments with examples as diverse as the private languages of twins, the compositions of poets with autism, and the breakthroughs, and breakdowns, of some of history's greatest minds. Embracing the Wide Sky is a unique and brilliantly imaginative portrait of how we think, learn, remember and create, brimming with personal insights and anecdotes, and explanations of the most up-to-date, mind-bending discoveries from fields ranging from neuroscience to psychology and linguistics. This is a profound and provocative book that will transform our understanding and respect for every kind of mind.