Switched On

A moving first-hand account of a major breakthrough in the understanding and treatment of autistic conditions

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In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation. Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world’s foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy in a major effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism and Asperger’s? This is the extraordinary story of what happened next.



Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading other’s emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings new problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships.