My Books

Living Through The Haze ~ My First Book

Review of My First 4 Books

"The autism community is absolutely awash with writings. There are books upon books which range from pragmatic to theoretical. Some are autobiographical in nature while others are practical "Tips, Tricks and How-to" books. What sets the writing of Paul Isaacs apart is the nature of the man himself. In his books, Paul's humble heart becomes evident as he shares, with vivid detail, his struggles, lessons, triumphs and shining abilities as an autistic adult."

"Through his affiliation with Autism Brainstorm (www.autismbrainstorm.org), I have come to know Paul as a wonderful autism presenter, a skilful writer and a man of great integrity. It is a privilege to recommend any book through which Paul shares his gifts of advocacy with the community. Pick up Living Through the Haze to gain appreciation of Paul's long path to his ultimate purpose. Read Life Through a Kaleidoscope to gain understanding of his experiences of scotopic sensitivity syndrome. In The Autistic Spectrum you will find a pocket guide to use in real life situations and in Paul's latest book:Understanding and Supporting Autistic Students in Specialized Schools you will find examples of how to assist loved ones on the spectrum in specialized learning environments."

Kathleen Tehrani

VP-Tehrani Group LLC

CEO-Autism Brainstorm

Review of Book "Living Through the Haze"

"From the first time I met Paul at a conference I could deeply connect with. I saw so many things in me and all the Donna Williams' fruit salad analogy used to describe each part of autism."

"I saw that Paul Isaacs had a book from the day we connected I downloaded his book 'living through the haze'. I would not put down and stop reading. I was emotional for what he had been through and how far he came whilst reading his book. So many things he been through I could relate. I recommend Paul's books."

Kirsty Seager

Autistic Advocate, Speaker, Singer, Poet & Author

Paul Isaacs: Living Through the Haze

"During my Christmas vacation I had the opportunity to catch up on my reading. One of the books that I wanted to read was “Living Through the Haze” by Paul Isaacs. I have heard many nice things about Paul through a mutual friend Dr. Olga Bogdashina. Paul has been an inspirational speaker at autism related events in the United Kingdom using his own life events as a way as teaching others about autism spectrum disorders.It was the logical next step to put his experiences in book format and reach a larger audience.

Given Paul's problems with sensory perception and integration, the title is quite appropriate. "Living through the Haze" captures the feeling of confusion he had in not being able to fully understand the world around him. Temple Grandin has stated that if given money she would invest the same in sensory related research. This is the aspect of autism (possibly along with mood disorders) that has incapacitated her and Paul the most.

The book itself reminds me a little bit of “Through the Eyes of Aliens” by Jasmine O’Neill. Both Jasmine and Paul provide a no holds barred account of autism on a first person basis emphasizing the cruel treatment they received in a public school setting and the liberating experience they felt when receiving a diagnosis. The book itself, also like “Through the Eyes of Aliens”, seems written completely by Paul. There is no professional editing or embellishments of storylines resulting in a succinct account a little over 100 pages long. Interspersed along many paragraphs are humorous quips, which reflect on the author’s optimism in the midst of negative events transpiring in his surroundings.

Paul’s family history is similar to that of Jack Robison (Raising Cubby) as multiple people seemingly exhibit peculiarities of the autism spectrum across numerous generations. John Robison has suggested that the personality quirks of ASD are best accepted by other individuals within the spectrum. This may lead to couples with ASD getting married, a concept that may have been foreign to many people a couple of decades ago.

Paul’s father received his diagnosis at the age of 49, and his mother received hers at the age of 47. The late diagnoses reminds us of how little was know about the condition in the 1960’s. Given all of the publicity in the layman press on autism spectrum disorders we expect more from today’s physicians and from our ongoing public school screenings. It is therefore surprising to me that Paul had a clear understanding that he was different at age 16, but received his diagnosis, amidst a classic history of autism, at the age of 24.

Paul was the product of a premature delivery and was considered a very small baby when born. Some physicians would consider the fact that he is left handed a possible sign of brain damage from his premature delivery. As other autistic individuals, Paul had delayed language acquisition, an atrocious handwriting, and a possible learning deficit. The commonality of all of his signs and symptoms is what both Paul and Donna Williams call a “fruit salad”.

Paul’s experiences with sensory integration closely relate to the thoughts expressed by Dr. Olga Bogdashina. In this regard Olga has described the fragmented vision of autistic individuals as “seeing in bits”. In research circles this may be due to abnormalities in how the brain “binds” together information. Paul uses this concept as an explanation as to how he finds it difficult to connect different sensory aspects of an experience together. The idea is similar to the concept of monotropism (an attention tunnel) espoused by Murray, Lesser and Lawson. The severity of monotropism may vary according to the particular environment at any given instant. As Paul eloquently states, “Social and communication skills impairment in autism impact on the individual’s ability to remain focused work in the light of the emotional “background noise” present in the daily life of neurotypical adolescents”.

I would say that the most prominent lesson to learn from Paul’s life are the deleterious effects of bullying which happens in the community, school and/or workplace. Bullying leads to low self-esteem, and avoidance of social interactions. It procreates self-recrimination: why is this happening, am I a bad person? In Paul’s case bullying was at the heart of a disabling mixed mood disorder (both anxiety and depression) with somatization (stomach pains). Bullying is a major problem in ASD which appears exacerbated by the individual’s inability to convey what is happening to the responsible authorities. Bullying is not only physical but also psychological. Snide remarks about a person’s capacity, mental prowess, or future potential should be considered as bullying.

Paul is now a productive member of society. His main focus has been on helping others within the spectrum. Over the years he has become a polished autism speaker, trainer and author working at Autism Oxford. His major message for autistic individuals and their parents is that mental health is just as important as physical health. Among other distinctions Paul is a founding member of the International Autism institute."

Dr Manuel F. Casanova

Gottfried and Gisela Kolb Endowed Chair in Outpatient Psychiatry and a Professor of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology at the University of Louisville

"Hi Paul, I have finished your book , ‘Living Through the Haze’. What strikes me about it, (as in a number of recent autobiographical accounts of life lived with autism), is that it’s not only the sensory difficulties that children on the spectrum have to struggle with but also the appalling misunderstanding by society of consequent behaviours. Bullying seems to be a common theme. But also it is a fascinating account of how your real self emerges in spite of the difficulties you encountered. Congratulations. Phoebe."

Phoebe Caldwell

Practitioner In Intensive Interaction

"A truly inspirational, real life journey in one book. As a parent with a child with severe high functioning autism; non verbal and experiencing the world in a multi sensory way, I had yet to hear anything of real emotion or hope. No professional can come close to describing the world through the eyes of someone on the spectrum. I felt like I was the only person in the room when attending a recent event at which Paul was a guest speaker, which spurred me on to buy his book and find out more. I just couldn't put it down. Thank you for being so honest and open, Paul. I have no doubt that I'm not the only parent you've inspired. Perhaps my son will be able to express to me one day how life is for him, the way that you have to the world. That would truly mean the world to me."

Christina

Parent of a son on the Autism Spectrum

"I admire Paul Isaacs courage to write about many of the horrible things that he had to endure as a young boy. School can be a stressful experience for some, but it is even more stressful for any child under the autism spectrum disorder. The fact that he had autism and none of these children, or parents had the heart to realize he had a disorder, which he was not at fault, nor did he know about it, since he was born that way makes it all worse, where was the empathy from the people? I am saddened for what he went through and no one came forth to help or guide him, specially as his own parents were under the spectrum and didn’t see anything wrong with Paul, until problems started flaring, what I did see wrong was the treatment he got from his own teachers, the lack of respect is a big issue!! I’m happy to learn he overcame many issues he had growing up. He’s an excellent grown man, I value him as a friend even if it is online, yet hope to meet him one day and get some expert advice in person for many other children I know who are in the autism spectrum disorder."

XOXOX

Pamela Cecilia Eden

Parent of a Son on the Autism Spectrum

Life Through A Kaleidoscope ~ My Second Book

Life Through A Kaleidoscope Facebook Page

A Pocket Size Practical Guide for Parents, Professionals and People on the Autistic Spectrum - My Third Book

Foreword By Prof. Tony Attwood

Pocket Size Facebook Page

Understanding & Supporting Autistic Students in Specialised Schools ~ My Fourth Book

Understanding Facebook Page

Autism: Inside Perceptions of Communication, Interaction, Thoughts & Feelings ~ My Fifth Book

Autism Facebook Page

Other Books

Endorsed Jennifer Cook O'Toole's -The Asperkid's Not-Your-Average Coloring Book

Chapter Contribution In - The Gifts of Autism and Alzheimer's & Chapter Contribution In - Been There, Done That, Try This!

© Living Through The Haze, Life Through A Kaleidoscope, A Pocket Size Practical Guide ,Understanding & Autism Paperback Sleeves Chipmunka 2012/13/14

© The Asperkid's Not-Your-Average Coloring Book Sleeve Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2013

© The Gifts Of Autism & Alzheimer's Book Sleeve Tulip Press Publishers 2013

© Been There, Done, Try This! Sleeve Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2014