Press Release

March 30, 2016 | By Cole Hatcher

Steve Silberman will discuss autism April 18 at Ohio Wesleyan University. (Photo courtesy of Keith Karraker)

‘NeuroTribes’ Author To Discuss Legacy Of Autism

Science Writer Steve Silberman to Speak April 18 at Ohio Wesleyan

DELAWARE, Ohio – Steve Silberman, author of “NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity,” will share research that “upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently” when he speaks April 18 at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Silberman, an award-winning science writer and New York Times best-selling author, will speak at 7:30 p.m. April 18 in Benes Rooms A and B of Ohio Wesleyan’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. His presentation is free and open to the public.

“NeuroTribes” earned Silberman the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction and has been hailed by critics.

According to Kirkus Reviews, the book is “a well-researched, readable report on the treatment of autism that explores its history and proposes significant changes for its future. … In the foreword, Oliver Sacks writes that this ‘sweeping and penetrating history … is fascinating reading’ that ‘will change how you think of autism.’ No argument with that assessment.”

The book also was chosen as one of the Best Books of 2015 by The New York Times, The Economist, The Financial Times, The Boston Globe, The Independent, and many other publications.

In addition, Silberman’s TED talk, “The Forgotten History of Autism,” has been viewed more than a million times and translated into 25 languages. His article “The Placebo Problem” won the 2010 Science Journalism Award for Magazine Writing from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Kavli Foundation.

Silberman’s articles also have appeared in Wired, The New Yorker, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon, and many other publications. Learn more at http://stevesilberman.com.

His upcoming presentation is sponsored by Ohio Wesleyan’s Arneson Institute for Practical Politics and Public Affairs. Founded in 1947, the institute helps students learn more about political life and civic responsibility. It supports internships, apprenticeships, and independent study, including the “Wesleyan in Washington” program, and brings prominent speakers to campus to share their expertise. Learn more at www.owu.edu/arneson.


Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 87 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,675 students represent 43 U.S. states and territories and 33 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.