
The Boy Who Felt Too Much
How a Renowned Neuroscientist and His Son Changed Our View of Autism Forever
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $13.22
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
David DeVries
-
By:
-
Lorenz Wagner
About this listen
An International Bestseller, the Story behind Henry Markram’s Breakthrough Theory about Autism, and How a Family’s Unconditional Love Led to a Scientific Paradigm Shift
Henry Markram is the Elon Musk of neuroscience, the man behind the billion-dollar Blue Brain Project to build a supercomputer model of the brain. He has set the goal of decoding all disturbances of the mind within a generation. This quest is personal for him. The driving force behind his grand ambition has been his son Kai, who has autism. Raising Kai made Henry Markram question all that he thought he knew about neuroscience, and then inspired his groundbreaking research that would upend the conventional wisdom about autism, expressed in his now-famous theory of Intense World Syndrome.
When Kai was first diagnosed, his father consulted studies and experts. He knew as much about the human brain as almost anyone but still felt as helpless as any parent confronted with this condition in his child. What’s more, the scientific consensus that autism was a deficit of empathy didn’t mesh with Markram’s experience of his son. He became convinced that the disorder, which has seen a 657 percent increase in diagnoses over the past decade, was fundamentally misunderstood. Bringing his world-class research to bear on the problem, he devised a radical new theory of the disorder: People like Kai don’t feel too little; they feel too much. Their senses are too delicate for this world.
©2022 Lorenz Wagner (P)2022 Library IdeasListeners also enjoyed...
-
Autism Relationships Handbook
- How to Thrive in Friendships, Dating, and Love
- By: Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN, Joe Biel
- Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since he came out as autistic, Joe Biel has been contacted by people wanting to share their stories and ask questions. The most common question by far is: How do I find a romantic partner? Autistic listeners will find valuable answers and perspectives in this book, whether they are just getting ready to jump into dating, are seeking to forge closer friendships, or are looking to improve an existing partnership or marriage.
-
-
such a helpful book
- By Anonymous User on 07-18-21
By: Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN, and others
-
Little Panic
- Dispatches from an Anxious Life
- By: Amanda Stern
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world never made any sense to Amanda Stern - how could she trust time to keep flowing, the sun to rise or gravity to hold her feet to the ground? Deep down, she knows that there's something horribly wrong with her. Growing up in the 1970s and '80s in New York, Amanda experiences the magic and madness of life through the filter of unrelenting panic. Plagued with fear that her friends and family will be taken from her if she's not watching - that her mother will die, or forget she has children and just move away - Amanda treats every parting as her last.
-
-
A must-read for parents raising anxious kids!
- By Natasha on 04-23-19
By: Amanda Stern
-
Empty
- A Memoir
- By: Susan Burton
- Narrated by: Susan Burton
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For almost 30 years, Susan Burton hid her obsession with food and the secret life of compulsive eating and starving that dominated her adolescence. This is the relentlessly honest, fiercely intelligent story of living with both anorexia and binge-eating disorder, moving past her shame, and learning to tell her secret.
-
-
Pick another book
- By A. I. Keller on 07-18-20
By: Susan Burton
-
What Happened to You?
- Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
- By: Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry
- Narrated by: Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question. Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
-
-
I waited more than 30 years for this book.
- By Gary S. on 04-28-21
By: Oprah Winfrey, and others
-
Unmasking Autism
- Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
- By: Devon Price PhD
- Narrated by: Devon Price PhD
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price shares their personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in. For Dr. Price and many others, Autism is a deep source of uniqueness and beauty. Unfortunately, living in a neurotypical world means it can also be a source of incredible alienation and pain.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Debra M. Givin on 11-12-22
By: Devon Price PhD
-
Look Me in the Eye
- My Life with Asperger's
- By: John Elder Robison
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits, an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes, had earned him the label "social deviant". No guidance came from his mother or his father. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.
-
-
Interesting autobiography; not autism-informative
- By Steener on 03-13-15
-
Autism Relationships Handbook
- How to Thrive in Friendships, Dating, and Love
- By: Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN, Joe Biel
- Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since he came out as autistic, Joe Biel has been contacted by people wanting to share their stories and ask questions. The most common question by far is: How do I find a romantic partner? Autistic listeners will find valuable answers and perspectives in this book, whether they are just getting ready to jump into dating, are seeking to forge closer friendships, or are looking to improve an existing partnership or marriage.
-
-
such a helpful book
- By Anonymous User on 07-18-21
By: Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN, and others
-
Little Panic
- Dispatches from an Anxious Life
- By: Amanda Stern
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world never made any sense to Amanda Stern - how could she trust time to keep flowing, the sun to rise or gravity to hold her feet to the ground? Deep down, she knows that there's something horribly wrong with her. Growing up in the 1970s and '80s in New York, Amanda experiences the magic and madness of life through the filter of unrelenting panic. Plagued with fear that her friends and family will be taken from her if she's not watching - that her mother will die, or forget she has children and just move away - Amanda treats every parting as her last.
-
-
A must-read for parents raising anxious kids!
- By Natasha on 04-23-19
By: Amanda Stern
-
Empty
- A Memoir
- By: Susan Burton
- Narrated by: Susan Burton
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For almost 30 years, Susan Burton hid her obsession with food and the secret life of compulsive eating and starving that dominated her adolescence. This is the relentlessly honest, fiercely intelligent story of living with both anorexia and binge-eating disorder, moving past her shame, and learning to tell her secret.
-
-
Pick another book
- By A. I. Keller on 07-18-20
By: Susan Burton
-
What Happened to You?
- Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
- By: Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry
- Narrated by: Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question. Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
-
-
I waited more than 30 years for this book.
- By Gary S. on 04-28-21
By: Oprah Winfrey, and others
-
Unmasking Autism
- Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
- By: Devon Price PhD
- Narrated by: Devon Price PhD
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price shares their personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in. For Dr. Price and many others, Autism is a deep source of uniqueness and beauty. Unfortunately, living in a neurotypical world means it can also be a source of incredible alienation and pain.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Debra M. Givin on 11-12-22
By: Devon Price PhD
-
Look Me in the Eye
- My Life with Asperger's
- By: John Elder Robison
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits, an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes, had earned him the label "social deviant". No guidance came from his mother or his father. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.
-
-
Interesting autobiography; not autism-informative
- By Steener on 03-13-15
-
NeuroTribes
- The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
- By: Steve Silberman
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What is autism: a lifelong disability or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is both of these things and more - and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years.
-
-
The long hard road to proper identity on the Autistic spectrum.
- By Lorijorn on 10-29-15
By: Steve Silberman
-
Uniquely Human: Updated and Expanded
- A Different Way of Seeing Autism
- By: Barry M. Prizant PhD, Tom Fields-Meyer - contributor
- Narrated by: Barry M. Prizant
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Autism therapy typically focuses on ridding individuals of “autistic” symptoms such as difficulties interacting socially, problems in communicating, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. Now Dr. Barry M. Prizant offers a new and compelling paradigm: The most successful approaches to autism don’t aim at fixing a person by eliminating symptoms, but rather seeking to understand the individual’s experience and what underlies the behavior. Rather than curb these behaviors, it’s better to enhance abilities, build on strengths, and offer supports.
-
-
great Read
- By Mitzi on 05-30-24
By: Barry M. Prizant PhD, and others
-
Sincerely, Your Autistic Child
- What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew About Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity
- By: Emily Paige Ballou, Sharon daVanport, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, and others
- Narrated by: Stephanie Mounce
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A diverse collection of autistic voices that highlights how parents can avoid common mistakes and misconceptions, and make their child feel truly accepted, valued, and celebrated for who they are. Most resources available for parents come from psychologists, educators, and doctors, offering parents a narrow and technical approach to autism. Sincerely, Your Autistic Child represents an authentic resource for parents written by autistic people themselves.
-
-
Excludes cis-gendered boys
- By Alyssa Snider on 11-30-22
By: Emily Paige Ballou, and others
-
Autism in Heels
- The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum
- By: Jennifer Cook O'Toole
- Narrated by: Jennifer O'Toole
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This intimate memoir reveals the woman inside one of autism’s most prominent figures, Jennifer O'Toole. At the age of 35, Jennifer was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and for the first time in her life, things made sense. Now, she exposes the constant struggle between carefully crafted persona and authentic existence, editing the autism script with wit, candor, passion, and power. Her journey is one of reverse-self-discovery not only as an Aspie but - more importantly - as a thoroughly modern woman.
-
-
Somewhat relatable but not really.
- By M Bond on 02-26-23
-
Wellness
- A Novel
- By: Nathan Hill
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 18 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the gritty '90s Chicago art scene, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in the thriving underground scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to suburban married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter the often-baffling pursuits of health and happiness from polyamorous would-be suitors to home-renovation hysteria.
-
-
you have to believe it'll work
- By Alex halladay on 09-22-23
By: Nathan Hill
-
Divergent Mind
- Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You
- By: Jenara Nerenberg
- Narrated by: Tegan Ashton Cohan
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A paradigm-shifting study of neurodivergent women - those with ADHD, autism, synesthesia, high sensitivity, and sensory processing disorder - exploring why these traits are overlooked in women and how society benefits from allowing their unique strengths to flourish.
-
-
Provided no insight
- By Somebody on 06-24-20
By: Jenara Nerenberg
-
Navigating Autism
- 9 Mindsets for Helping Kids on the Spectrum
- By: Temple Grandin PhD, Debra Moore PhD
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Empowering strategies for anyone who works with children and teens on the spectrum. Internationally best-selling writer and autist Temple Grandin joins psychologist Debra Moore in presenting nine strengths-based mindsets necessary to successfully work with young people on the autism spectrum. Examples and stories bring the approaches to life, and detailed suggestions help listeners put them to practical use.
-
-
rich content. challenging narration.
- By Kindle Customer on 12-06-21
By: Temple Grandin PhD, and others
-
Hidden Valley Road
- Inside the Mind of an American Family
- By: Robert Kolker
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don's work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their 12 children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins—aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the 10 Galvin boys, one after another, were diagnosed as schizophrenic.
-
-
A story you've never heard before
- By Kelley Cox on 04-19-20
By: Robert Kolker
-
I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust
- A Memoir of Autism and Hope
- By: Valerie Gilpeer, Emily Grodin
- Narrated by: Sara Morsey
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust is a remarkable memoir by a mother and her autistic daughter who’d long been unable to communicate - until a miraculous breakthrough revealed a young woman with a rich and creative interior life, a poet, who’d been trapped inside for more than two decades.
-
-
Powerful!
- By MissyKuss on 10-29-23
By: Valerie Gilpeer, and others
-
Bewilderment
- A Novel
- By: Richard Powers
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Theo Byrne is a promising young astrobiologist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away. He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old. His son, Robin, is funny, loving, and filled with plans. He thinks and feels deeply, adores animals, and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures. He is also on the verge of being expelled from third grade for smashing his friend's face with a metal thermos.
-
-
Not Usually a Richard Powers Fan
- By Billy on 09-28-21
By: Richard Powers
-
The Social Animal
- The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement
- By: David Brooks
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With unequaled insight and brio, David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and bestselling author of Bobos in Paradise, has long explored and explained the way we live. Now, with the intellectual curiosity and emotional wisdom that make his columns among the most read in the nation, Brooks turns to the building blocks of human flourishing in a multilayered, profoundly illuminating work grounded in everyday life.
-
-
Finally!
- By Pamela Harvey on 03-13-11
By: David Brooks
-
The Steps: 12 Secrets to Raising Happy and Successful Kids
- By: Andrew Watson, Charles Watson
- Narrated by: Luis Bermudez
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Steps: 12 Secrets to Raising Happy and Successful Kids is the ultimate parenting guide, all based on the most recent scientific discoveries but with a twist: It is narrated in a fictional format and is, thus, easier to understand and much more fun. This thinly veiled story will give you a first-row seat to 12 game-changing parenting lessons.
-
-
YOU WILL LOVE TO HEAR THIS BOOK!
- By Jaynne on 09-03-19
By: Andrew Watson, and others
What listeners say about The Boy Who Felt Too Much
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Black Autistic Polymath
- 05-21-23
I felt very seen by this story.
Loved it. I recommend this book to anyone who questions their childhood. you need to check this out!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful