"When it comes to autism in particular and society at large, people have two perceptions. On the one extreme, it's 'Rain Man.' On the other, it's the kid sitting in the corner banging his head. The reality is that the group of people with autism is as diverse as any other group."
--Psychologist Peter F. Gerhardt, EdD, executive director of Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism in New York, in an article discussing "full-spectrum" rights being sought by parents of children with autism. Connecticut Post, Jan. 22.
"Women go right from 'I have a lump' to 'I'm going to die.'...Doctors could do a big service by promoting a much clearer education."
--Psychologist Leslie Jacobson, psychosocial director of Bellingham Breast Center in Washington state, on a panel discussing facts behind breast tissue lumps. The Argus [Calif.], Feb. 3.
"I think [Leo] Tolstoy was totally wrong. Unhappy families are really similar to one another--there's much more variability among happy families."
--John M. Gottman, PhD, author of "The Mathematics of Marriage" (MIT Press, 2002) and professor of psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle, responding to the Russian novelist's assertion that "happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," in an article about the manifestations of happiness in happy marriages. The Washington Post, Feb. 11.
"We will look at wrinkles the way we look at cracked or discolored teeth--remnants of the past, just something to be fixed. You still see young women smoking and sitting in the sun, and they can just get rid of the wrinkles. It's very much about having your cake and eating it too. It is as though we have given up on authenticity."
--Nancy Etcoff, PhD, psychologist at Harvard Medical School and author of "Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty" (Anchor Books, 2000) in an article discussing the approaching approval of the injectable drug, Botox, by the Food and Drug Administration for cosmetic, wrinkle-eradication use. The New York Times Feb. 7.
--K. HEWLETT
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