Behind the Mirror: The Story of a Pioneer in Autism Treatment and Her Work with Children on the Spectrum

This is a biography of Jeanne Simons, an educator and social worker that devoted much of her life’s efforts to understanding autism by promoting studies and developing treatment, as well as advocating for better and more ethical treatments of neurodiverse children. As irony has it, she did this advocacy before being diagnosed with autism herself. This is her story in her own words through conversations with her friend and researcher Sabine Oishi. Together, they share her life and look at the evolving landscape of autism treatment and education—as well as the development of Linwood Children’s Center, the school Simons founded for autistic kids, which has served as a model for many other institutions and programs. There is a photo gallery and a compelling forward from an acclaimed autism researcher.