Like Colour To The Blind

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Like Colour to the Blind
Author	Donna Willams
Genre(s)	Autobiography
Publisher	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date	1998
Pages	340
ISBN	ISBN 978-1-85302-720-8
Preceded by	Somebody Somewhere
Followed by	Everyday Heaven

Like Colour To The Blind (1998) is the third in a series of four autobiographical works by internationally bestselling autistic author Donna Williams^[1] ^[2]. Once published in the US using the American spelling 'color' it is now published worldwide by Jessica Kingsley Publishers using the UK spelling 'colour'. It has been published in several languages worldwide.

Like Colour To The Blind covers Williams' relationship and 'accidental marriage' to 'Ian', a man on the autistic spectrum as she exorcises the vast array of stored behaviours, responses, actions and phrases from her repertoire to discover what is left that is 'self'. The pair also develop a system called 'checking' which they use to tap into true wants and likes, as the only means of differentiating these from stored or learned responses.

The book is most significant for Williams' diagnosis with Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome and her writing how tinted lenses helped her with visual perceptual disorders including visual fragmentation, context blindness, face blindness, loss of depth perception, ^[3] ^[4]^[5] ^[6] . This led to a wide social awakening to visual perceptual disorders in people on the autistic spectrum^[7] ^[8] ^[9].

Williams also writes about facilitated communication, covering the story of 'Alex' and quoting his first letters, as he develops communication for the first time through assisted typing, enabling his movement from special education towards a future as a college graduate.

[edit] References

[1] Amazon entry for Like Colour To the Blind
[2] JKP entry for Like Colour To The Blind
[3] Google books entry with write up re Like Colour To The Blind and tinted lenses.
[4] Autism information site re Like Colour To The Blind and tinted lenses.
[5]Google books entry with write up re Like Colour To The Blind and tinted lenses.
[6] Autism information site re Like Colour To The Blind and tinted lenses.
[7] Autism research site re Like Colour To The Blind and tinted lenses.
[8] Autism related site re Like Colour To The Blind and tinted lenses.