In "Elijah's Cup", mother Valerie Paradiz writes regarding the "official" definitions of autism and Asperger's syndrome. "In the DSM-IV there are words that I cannot bring myself to say about (her son) Elijah. Words like "lack," deficiency," "impairment," and "failure." Condescension litters the DSM-IV and betrays a burdensome psychiatric history. Elijah, by definition, has "marked impairment" in his "use of nonverbal behaviors." It's true, he doesn't point, he makes little eye contact, and he rocks ... back and forth repeatedly. He also "fail(s) to develop peer relationships." He leaves the room whenever other children come over to play, and he doesn't approach a fellow toddler to snatch a toy away as most "healthy" three-year-olds might. He "lack(s) spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment." He engages in "restricted patterns of interest." This the DSM-IV emphasizes is "abnormal"... The professional literature on autism.. is impossible to embrace wholeheartedly. Elijah fits the diagnostic picture, yet he is being framed by a language that cannot shake its negativities and technicalities... It's normalist.