Steve Silberman, author of “NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity,” will share research that “upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently” when he speaks April 18 at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Silberman, an award-winning science writer and New York Times best-selling author, will speak at 7 p.m. April 18 in Benes Rooms A and B of Ohio Wesleyan’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave. His presentation is free to the public.

“NeuroTribes” earned Silberman the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction and has been hailed by critics.

The book also was chosen as one of the Best Books of 2015 by The New York Times, The Economist, The Financial Times, The Boston Globe, The Independent and other publications.

In addition, Silberman’s TED talk, “The Forgotten History of Autism,” has been viewed more than a million times and translated into 25 languages. His article “The Placebo Problem” won the 2010 Science Journalism Award for Magazine Writing from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Kavli Foundation.

Silberman’s articles also have appeared in Wired, The New Yorker, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon and other publications.

His upcoming presentation is sponsored by Ohio Wesleyan’s Arneson Institute for Practical Politics and Public Affairs. Founded in 1947, the institute helps students learn more about political life and civic responsibility. It supports internships, apprenticeships and independent study, including the “Wesleyan in Washington” program, and brings prominent speakers to campus to share their expertise.