I've been avoiding Temple Grandin's books for years, all because of the title of her book, Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism. With that book, I thought, "All autistic people can't think in pictures. Autistic people have to be like regular people, and be divided into visual, auditory, and kinesthetic people." Plus, I thought, "Even though I'm extremely visual, I couldn't hold a picture in my brain if my life depended on it. I'm not like those artists who can see pictures of what they draw before they draw it." But, I bought the book anyway, because so many people seem to have liked Temple's books.
And then, in the introduction, page 3, Temple had written this: "When I wrote Thinking in Pictures in 1995, I mistakenly thought that everybody on the autism spectrum was a photorealistic visual thinker like me. When I started interviewing other people about how they recalled information, I realized I was wrong."
Wow. Temple became my hero for life, and she did it by page 3. Not only did she completely address my every issue that I ever had with her writing, but she explained it in a way that I totally understood where she was coming from when she guessed that all autistic people think in pictures over a decade ago. And, later in the book, she gives an explanation for someone who thinks visually like me, but who can't hold a picture in their head. It's "pattern thinker," and I really like that term, because it really describes me. And it takes a lot of courage to say, "I was wrong." Most people can't even utter those three words, so it gave me a lot of respect for Temple Grandin. I still think that eventually Temple will find some autistic kinesthetic thinkers, too, but that's not in this book.
And, this book is awesome. Temple is obsessed about finding out what about her brain and her personality differs from other people. She has offered herself up to many brain scans, and she's read thousands of technical articles about autism as research. Because of this unique combination, this book provides a unique take on autism that you won't find anywhere else, and it also explains boring, overly critical university research on autism in a friendly and uplifting way.
I liked how this book recommends that we match autistic kids' abilities with activities. A lot of autistic kids are really underutilized in their strengths. Here's one way the book expresses it: "I've seen these cases--kids who are considered to have severe behavior problems at school until you give them math lessons that meet them where their brains are. Then their behavior normalizes, and they become productive and engaged--maybe even model students."
It gives a lot of techniques that I've never heard of too. One was blinking fast, so that you get a bunch of pictures in your head, instead of a steady stream of information. That can help with sensitivities. Another was wearing different shades of glasses, using different colored lights, or setting the background on your computer screen to different colors, until you find the colors or the shades that best complement your brain.
This is the first book that I've read from Temple, but it definitely won't be my last. I loved this book, and heartily recommend it to everyone.
Pros:
+A great first read on autism, or even a great twentieth book
+Takes antiseptic, critical research on autism and presents it in a non-depressing way
+A great narrative about Temple GRandin's life
+Has good information on what you can try to help with autism sensitivies
Cons:
-Like all books currently on autism, this is probably incomplete
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About the author
First class account of life on the spectrum
When I began reading this book I wasn't sure it would have much application to me as an educator of children with autism, but boy was I wrong! This book is a must-read for those who have loved ones on the spectrum or who are, themselves, on the spectrum. Temple opened my mind to new ways to teach my kiddos by focusing on their individual strengths. I even had the honor of meeting her at a book signing in my city recently.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2025
- Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2025
- Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2013
Top reviews from other countries
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- Sandra K. SedgbeerReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2013
all her books are wonderful
- SparksReviewed in Canada on February 17, 2014
Greatest current book on autism out there
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