Thinking in Pictures: and Other Reports From My Life with Autism, by Temple Grandin. (Please note, I'm reviewing an older, non-expanded version from 1996. I'm sure the expanded version I linked is just as good, and probably more up-to-date in the research.)
Wow, this book was a headful and a half. I first read this book of essays shortly after I'd gotten my diagnosis. I don't recall having nearly so much trouble understanding it and digesting the contents. Hopefully that's not a sign of atrophying brain cells...
My knowledge of psychology says no. I suspect the problem is more that Dr. Grandin writes like the scientist she is; that is, densely, with lots of references. The book is not riddled with scientific citations on every page, but she makes numerous and varied references to others' work, including a lot of people I've not yet read. Lacking that breadth of knowledge, I think I found myself a little bewildered.
Meanwhile, Past Me, reading this book, also didn't have that knowledge but was presently in college, meaning I had to read lots of textbooks and articles in a similar style of writing. I probably didn't pick up the entire gist of the book that time either, but I don't recall it leaving me bewildered so much as full of new information and ideas.
Either way, then, as now, Temple Grandin's titular style of thinking (pictures) is not my style of thinking. I read through that particular essay with interest, but with the knowledge that sadly none of the descriptions of the thought process would help me. My thoughts are not solely in pictures or videos, as Temple Grandin's are, but in music and flavors and emotions and... something else that I can't quantify. I do have some capacity of visual thinking, but the main of my thought processes aren't visual.
Dr. Grandin and I do share a strong appreciation for animals, and a desire for their wellbeing. Several of her essays talked about her work improving slaughterhouses and other animal processing areas, to make them more humane and more efficient simultaneously. She's been enormously successful, and I'm duly impressed. She's leveraged her autism and visual thinking into seeing how animals think and feel. I don't have quite the connection to animals that she does. But the little meat I do eat, I buy with a certification on it that tells me the animals were cared for, fed properly, had lots of open space, and generally were allowed to have lives before they came to my plate. Such meat and animal products tend to be quite expensive, unfortunately.
One of the essays in the book focuses on the autism spectrum, so to speak. Dr. Grandin, having defined a "autism continuum" years before the DSM 5 came out, chose to define her spectrum on the amount of sensory complications a person has. For example, a person whose brain scrambles incoming sound may have normal intelligence, but may never learn to speak due to the inability to hear the words and sounds. Dr. Grandin would put that person on the "more disabled" end of the spectrum, and someone autistic without much sensory complications at the other end.
The DSM 5, instead, chooses to define autism based on how well the person blends in with neurotypical society, with people on the low end being "low functioning" and on the other end, "high functioning." I find those terms rather insulting, as they're essentially saying, "oh, you're not very human" and "oh, you're almost human."
I much prefer Dr. Grandin's continuum, though it, too, has problems. Autism is not, to my knowledge, defined by having sensory problems. And there are certainly lots of autistic people without sensory oddities but who still definitely struggle with societal niceties. I tend to use the words "blends poorly" or "well-blended" in reference to how well a person blends in with neurotypical society, when I'm thinking. Those words conform to the DSM 5's viewpoint, not Dr. Grandin's.
Speaking of the DSM 5... autism is defined as a disorder, and as such, a bad thing. I noted, with some sadness, that this book carries that same viewpoint. Dr. Grandin has of course used her autism to great effect, and shows no issues with saying so and giving examples. But underneath all that, and despite her comments on genetic variances and the value of diversity, I still saw the tendency to call everything abnormal and problematic "autism."
I see that mentality in parents, in professionals, in books, and in people on the spectrum... but I don't think it's right. I think a number of disorders and difficulties often come with the autism, but I don't think autism includes the many and varied digestive issues, sensory issues, seizures, anxiety, depression, headaches... Given that not all people on the autism spectrum suffer the same issues, I'd tend to say that those issues are separate. But mine is the minority view.
In any case, Dr. Grandin has varied and many pieces of advice and commentary to offer on being autistic. Topics include special interests, medication, dating, faith, and emotions. While I don't have a whole lot in common with her particular way of thinking about things and doing things, I highly recommend reading all of this book, just to broaden your understanding.
Wow, this book was a headful and a half. I first read this book of essays shortly after I'd gotten my diagnosis. I don't recall having nearly so much trouble understanding it and digesting the contents. Hopefully that's not a sign of atrophying brain cells...
My knowledge of psychology says no. I suspect the problem is more that Dr. Grandin writes like the scientist she is; that is, densely, with lots of references. The book is not riddled with scientific citations on every page, but she makes numerous and varied references to others' work, including a lot of people I've not yet read. Lacking that breadth of knowledge, I think I found myself a little bewildered.
Meanwhile, Past Me, reading this book, also didn't have that knowledge but was presently in college, meaning I had to read lots of textbooks and articles in a similar style of writing. I probably didn't pick up the entire gist of the book that time either, but I don't recall it leaving me bewildered so much as full of new information and ideas.
Either way, then, as now, Temple Grandin's titular style of thinking (pictures) is not my style of thinking. I read through that particular essay with interest, but with the knowledge that sadly none of the descriptions of the thought process would help me. My thoughts are not solely in pictures or videos, as Temple Grandin's are, but in music and flavors and emotions and... something else that I can't quantify. I do have some capacity of visual thinking, but the main of my thought processes aren't visual.
Dr. Grandin and I do share a strong appreciation for animals, and a desire for their wellbeing. Several of her essays talked about her work improving slaughterhouses and other animal processing areas, to make them more humane and more efficient simultaneously. She's been enormously successful, and I'm duly impressed. She's leveraged her autism and visual thinking into seeing how animals think and feel. I don't have quite the connection to animals that she does. But the little meat I do eat, I buy with a certification on it that tells me the animals were cared for, fed properly, had lots of open space, and generally were allowed to have lives before they came to my plate. Such meat and animal products tend to be quite expensive, unfortunately.
One of the essays in the book focuses on the autism spectrum, so to speak. Dr. Grandin, having defined a "autism continuum" years before the DSM 5 came out, chose to define her spectrum on the amount of sensory complications a person has. For example, a person whose brain scrambles incoming sound may have normal intelligence, but may never learn to speak due to the inability to hear the words and sounds. Dr. Grandin would put that person on the "more disabled" end of the spectrum, and someone autistic without much sensory complications at the other end.
The DSM 5, instead, chooses to define autism based on how well the person blends in with neurotypical society, with people on the low end being "low functioning" and on the other end, "high functioning." I find those terms rather insulting, as they're essentially saying, "oh, you're not very human" and "oh, you're almost human."
I much prefer Dr. Grandin's continuum, though it, too, has problems. Autism is not, to my knowledge, defined by having sensory problems. And there are certainly lots of autistic people without sensory oddities but who still definitely struggle with societal niceties. I tend to use the words "blends poorly" or "well-blended" in reference to how well a person blends in with neurotypical society, when I'm thinking. Those words conform to the DSM 5's viewpoint, not Dr. Grandin's.
Speaking of the DSM 5... autism is defined as a disorder, and as such, a bad thing. I noted, with some sadness, that this book carries that same viewpoint. Dr. Grandin has of course used her autism to great effect, and shows no issues with saying so and giving examples. But underneath all that, and despite her comments on genetic variances and the value of diversity, I still saw the tendency to call everything abnormal and problematic "autism."
I see that mentality in parents, in professionals, in books, and in people on the spectrum... but I don't think it's right. I think a number of disorders and difficulties often come with the autism, but I don't think autism includes the many and varied digestive issues, sensory issues, seizures, anxiety, depression, headaches... Given that not all people on the autism spectrum suffer the same issues, I'd tend to say that those issues are separate. But mine is the minority view.
In any case, Dr. Grandin has varied and many pieces of advice and commentary to offer on being autistic. Topics include special interests, medication, dating, faith, and emotions. While I don't have a whole lot in common with her particular way of thinking about things and doing things, I highly recommend reading all of this book, just to broaden your understanding.
Read This Book If:
You want to get inside the brain of someone on the autism spectrum. Dr. Grandin is excellent at describing her mode of thought, which is sometimes shared by others on the spectrum, too. She covers her life, her various mechanisms of surviving the high anxiety she suffered, how she got her first job, and her thoughts on various subjects of importance. She is a singular individual, and if you haven't already read this book, you're doing yourself a disservice. This book is likely in most library systems in the country. Look it up!
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