Exploring the world of autism, finding answers right at home

By David Flood
Special to The Seattle Times

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At 3 years old, Morgan Collins could spell, read and do arithmetic, yet he could not say, "Daddy." Morgan was found to be autistic and considered "disabled."

Driven to understand his son, in "Not Even Wrong," author Paul Collins weaves stories of influential autists, such as Peter the Wild Boy in the 18th century, with a memoir of his son to illuminate the enigmatic world of autism. Is it truly a disability? Is it an evolutionary step? What is normal? Collins travels the world in search of answers, returning him to the ultimate realization, the love between a father and a son.

Collins, author of "Sixpence House" and "Banvard's Folly," edits the Collins Library imprint of Dave Egger's McSweeney's Books.

Author reading Paul Collins will read from "Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism," at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Elliott Bay Book Co., 101 S. Main St., Seattle. Free (206-624-6600; www.elliottbaybook.com).

Collins is a thinker's writer, who distills extensive research to its essence and then allows the reader to connect the dots. For example, his research into the use of talking robots to assist an autist's social ability (so they aren't confused by facial movements) ties nicely into Morgan's battery-wasting love of a talking Big Bird doll.

"Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism" by Paul Collins Bloomsbury, 245 pp., $24.95

He challenges the premise that autism is a "disability," because, although an autist's characteristic is to withdraw into one's own world, some light up with an ability to do abstract and advanced work in math, physics, fine art and the sciences.

My largest criticism of his work is that it goes down easily. I wanted more theory about autism's connection to evolution, but Collins steers clear of pat answers and turns back to the relationship between him and his son.

Ultimately, Collins' struggle to gain insight into his son's own autism successfully builds to an emotional pitch in the final paragraph, allowing us to consider the flaws and flashes of genius in every family.

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