Challenging existing approaches to autism that limit, and sometimes damage, the individuals who attract and receive the label, this book questions the lazy prejudices and assumptions that can surround autism as a diagnosis in the 21st Century. Arguing that autism can only be understood through examining 'it' as a socially or culturally produced phenomenon, the authors offer a critique of the medical model that has produced a perpetually marginalising approach to autism, and explain the contradictions and difficulties inherent in existing attitudes. They examine and dispute the scientific validity of diagnosis and 'treatment', asking whether autism actually exists at the biological level, and question the value of diagnosis in the lives of those labelled with autism. The book recognises that there are no easy answers but encourages engagement with these essential questions, and looks towards service provision and practice that moves beyond a reliance on all-encompassing labels. This unique contribution to the growing field of critical autism studies brings together authors from clinical psychiatry, clinical and community psychology, social sciences, disability studies, education and cultural studies, as well as those with personal experiences of autism. It is essential and challenging reading for anyone with a personal, professional or academic interest in 'autism'.

Regional Conflict and Cooperation: A Framework for Understanding Global Geography is an invaluable tool for comprehending the complexity of the world in clear, simple terms. The book helps students to understand the influences that shape world regions. It employs conventional approaches to the study of world regions, then highlights important moments, events, and trends that either fostered conflict or led to regional cooperation. Ten regions are discussed: Europe; Russia and Central Asia; North Africa and Southeast Asia; Sub-Saharan Africa; North America; Central and South America; the Indian Sub-continent; Southeast Asia and the Island Realms: East Asia; and Pacifica. The material neatly sidesteps the possibility of becoming outdated by creating frameworks of understanding that enable students to process and analyze events as they happen. Each unit includes a regional overview, key terms, case studies, and classroom discussion activities. While written for beginning courses in global or world regional geography, Regional Conflict and Cooperation is also an excellent text for interdisciplinary social science classes, classes in anthropology and political science, or programs in peace and conflict studies.

As Ireland begins her difficult, troubled journey towards independence, the Berford and McNeill families find themselves struggling with upheavals of their own. These two families are brought together by marriage and then torn apart by death, war and loss. The Stoney Road chronicles a city in turmoil as a country tries to find itself. Crowds line up to welcome the king to Dublin, but rumblings of rebellion can already be felt in the dark alleys and smokey pubs. Soon people will have to decide whether to be loyal to their past or embrace an uncertain, dangerous future. The Berford and McNeill families are no strangers to rebellion. They've already seen uprisings and suppression. They know the prices that must be paid. But when Mary Berford dies soon after marrying James McNeill, the families begin a much more painful struggle, one where heartache and sacrifice can wound just as deeply as a revolver bullet. Mary's son is born into a city that will soon be convulsed by the tempestuous tides of history. The Berford and McNeill families travel a hard road as Dublin experiences lockouts, wars, risings and, most tragically of all, a civil war. They will face many hardships on their journey. They will find fleeting consolation in love and friendship. They will enjoy the warm comfort of a joke shared over a pint. And they will find the strength to meet the challenges on each uncertain turn in the road. Between 1900 and 1922, the very idea of Irishness was redefined. A new nation emerged from the rubble of war. And two families had to find their own roads out of the ruins. In 2002, an extract from The Stoney Road won first prize in a literary competition in Dubliner Magazine, judged by David Marcus.