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The Speed of Dark
by Elizabeth Moon

For Michael, whose courage and joy are a constant delight, and for
Richard, without whose love and support the job would have been 200 percent
harder. And for other parents of autistic children, in the hope that they
also find that delight in difference.


Acknowledgements

Among the people who had helped most in research for this book were
the autistic children and adults and the families of autists who over the
years have communicated with me-by their writings, in person, on the
Internet. In the planning stages of this book, I distanced myself from most
of these sources (unsubscribing from mailing lists and news groups, et
cetera) to protect the privacy of those individuals; a normally spotty
memory made it unlikely that any identifiable details would survive several
years of noncontact. One of those individuals chose to stay in e-mail
contact; for her generosity in discussing issues related to disability,
inclusion, and the perception of nonautistic persons I am always in her
debt. However, she has not read this book (yet) and is not responsible for
anything in it.
Of the writers in this field, I am most indebted to Oliver Sacks,
whose many books on neurology are informed with humanity as well as
knowledge, and Temple Grandin, whose inside view of autism was invaluable
(and especially accessible to me since my lifelong interest in animal
behavior overlaps her expertise). Readers who are particularly interested
in autism might want to look at the reading list on my Web site.
J. Ferris Duhon, an attorney with extensive experience in employment
law, helped me design a plausible near-future business and legal climate as
it related to employment of persons labeled disabled; any remaining legal
pratfalls are my fault, not his. J.B., J.H., J.K., and K.S. contributed
insights into the corporate structure and the internal politics of large
multinational corporations and research institutions; for obvious reasons
they preferred not to be identified more fully. David Watson provided
expert advice on fencing, historical re-creation organizations, and the
protocol of tournaments. Again, any errors in any of this are my fault, not
theirs.
My editor, Shelly Shapiro, provided exactly the right blend of freedom
and guidance, and my agent, Joshua Bilmes, sustained the effort with his
belief that I could actually do this.


Chapter One

Q uestions, always questions. They didn't wait for the answers,
either. They rushed on, piling questions on questions, covering every