Barbara Donville is a psychotherapist who specializes in treating Autistic children in family settings. She is the author of Vaincre l’autisme (Odile Jacob, 2007): a pioneering work in which she details a method based on empathy and dedication, where parents learn to observe symptoms in their children and provide support themselves.

Autistic children are misunderstood because they think and act in ways that are unfamiliar to the rest of us. But even when parents are feeling at their most helpless, there are ways to turn incomprehension into communication. In her bestseller Vaincre l’autisme, Barbara Donville explained how to observe actively, gather clues and use unconventional means of communication to overcome the sometimes daunting obstacles that autism can create.
In her latest book, Donville goes into even greater depth for readers seeking a better understanding of autism. She rejects a pathologizing approach, instead pairing her first-hand observations with a limpid and joyful reading of the philosophy of science: from Bachelard to Husserl, Bohr and Dehaene. Donville leaves the realm of cliché behind and invites readers to consider a fascinating question that applies to us all: How do we gain knowledge?