Author of bestselling book on autism to speak

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Sept. 8, 2016) California Lutheran University will celebrate the opening of its Autism and Communication Center with a free public presentation by the author of an award-winning book on the history of autism.

Steve Silberman, author of the 2015 book “NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity,” will speak at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, in Lundring Events Center on the Thousand Oaks campus.

“NeuroTribes,” a widely praised bestseller in the United States and the United Kingdom, won the 2015 Samuel Johnson prize for nonfiction, a California Book Award, and a Books for a Better Life award. The New York Times, The Economist, The Financial Times, The Boston Globe, The Independent and many other publications named it one of the best books of 2015. Going back to the earliest days of autism research and chronicling the journeys of people on the autism spectrum, Silberman offers solutions to the autism puzzle and maps out a path toward a world in which people with learning differences have access to the resources they need.

In April, Silberman gave the keynote speech at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day. He has given talks on the history of autism at Yale, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Imperial College London and many other institutions. His TED talk, “The Forgotten History of Autism,” has been viewed more than a million times and translated into 25 languages. 

The San Francisco resident is an award-winning science writer whose articles have appeared in Wired, The New York Times, the New Yorker, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon, Shambhala Sun and many other publications. His writing on science, culture and literature has been collected in anthologies including The Best American Science Writing of the Year. Silberman’s Twitter account, @stevesilberman, made Time magazine’s list of the best Twitter feeds for 2011.

The event marks the official launch of Cal Lutheran’s Autism and Communication Center. The center’s primary goal is to provide information on various augmentative and alternative communication strategies including keyboards, letter boards and brain/computer interface systems so that children and young adults with autism who struggle to speak can have their voices heard and connect to their communities. The center will also promote practices that support inclusive communities and schools, from preschool through college. Cal Lutheran faculty members from several disciplines will conduct research, present workshops and conferences, and provide information and support to individuals with autism and their teachers, families, caregivers and school administrators.

Refreshments will be served at the event.

Registration is required. Go to CalLutheran.edu/autism to RSVP. For more information, visit the website or email autismcenter@callutheran.edu.