Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism
by Temple Grandin
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Read in February, 2004
This book is both an autobiography and a study of autism in general, discussing the different symptoms & effects, as well as possible treatments for this condition. Grandin discusses how her visual thinking caused social and emotional difficulties while growing up, but later became of immense benefit in her career. She compares her thought processes to a computer - taking in information visually and gradually building up a schema. Nouns come easily, while spatial and abstract words are much ...more
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Read in January, 2005
temple grandin designs cattle chutes. she wants cows to not be frightened as they are sent to their slaughter. and as an autistic person who interprets the world visually she discusses how this enables her to understand how animals interpret the world. aside from teaching me a lot about autism (who cannot be fascinated by a totally different mode of perception? and who couldn't stand some info on the obstacles autistic people face?), this book had such moving and beautifully poetics moments for ...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Natalie by:
a wise personrecommends it for: everyone
What an amazing portrayal of her life! I do have to say she is way more passionate about live stock than the rest of us. However, I wish I could invent and view blueprints in my head. How can Aspergers be labeled a disorder? It really amounts to a different way of behaving and living due to a different and in my view, far superior way of thinking. Grandin of course remains lucky that she had the support system of her well financed parents to give her the kind of education she needed. She still s...more
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Read in July, 2008
Temple Grandin's way with words is really wonderful. I love her books and her ability to let me peek inside how the mind of a person with autism works--not just hers, but people all along the spectrum. She makes it very clear that there are a wide range of abilities and challenges to people with autism and gives examples of and advice for many of them, which is infinitely useful for an educator like myself.
I expected this to be more of a memoir with stories of how she grew up and came to...more
I expected this to be more of a memoir with stories of how she grew up and came to...more
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recommends it for:
teachers, parents, loved ones of someone with autism
With two autisic family members, I was drawn to Temple Grandin's story in an attempt to better understand autism. Her account of her childhood, education, and social interactions combined with a unique understanding of animals (due to her autism) is fascinating. This book is a rare glimpse into the mind of an autistic who actually has the ability (somewhat rare among autistics) to communicate her experience. What is especially interesting is her perspective of the rest of us. Her unemotional...more
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This was a very interesting book to me because I realized my thought process is almost completely opposite of hers. Perhaps that is why I never can seem to understand how animals and babies can think without words, why I struggled with my mechanical engineering drawing class and have no artistic ability.
My one criticism is that the purpose of the book was muddled. Is this an autobiography, a description of how autistic people think or thoughts on how to treat people with austism? I think if sh...more
My one criticism is that the purpose of the book was muddled. Is this an autobiography, a description of how autistic people think or thoughts on how to treat people with austism? I think if sh...more
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Read in January, 2004
recommends it for:
Anyone working with persons with autism. Anyone seeking understanding.
This book could get a bit slow at times because Temple tends to go off on rants about cows HOWEVER,.........she offers beautiful insight to a person's (especially a child's) with autism mind- what they are thinking, what they are looking at, how they nagivate and attempt to understand their world. After reading this book, I realized that I could attempt to think like a person with autism- well, I could make my best attempt. I have a greater understanding now when I work with my students. A gr...more
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Read in July, 2006
Temple Grandin does an excellent job of helping the reader to understand what life with Asperger's Syndrome is like. It was fascinating to read about how well she relates to animals but not people. The success of her career as an animal scientist is due largely in part to the fact that she has Asperger's syndrome, and I loved how she was able to create blueprints in her mind. She has contributed greatly to more humane treatment of animals in slaughterhouses, although they're still being slaug...more
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Read in November, 2006
recommends it for:
special educators, anyone with a family member or friend with Autism
Temple Grandin's autobiographical account,Thinking in Pictures, gives readers a glimpse into the extraordinary life as a person with high-functioning Autism. Grandin's passion for the field of Animal Science has revolutionized the meat-packing industry, making it more humane with the invention of her "squeeze machine". You have to read about it to believe how Grandin's unique characteristics as an adult with Autism has enabled her to accomplish what no one else could. Such an...more
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Read in February, 2008
Excellent, very personal book. Fascinating perspective on thought processes (both human and animal), from the mind of someone who does not think the way most people do. Grandin also gives a excellent overview of the many forms of autism and how attitudes and understanding have changed over time. You can't be in the animal field without hearing Grandin's name thrown around fairly regularly and I'm glad I finally read one of her books.
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Heather by:
it was discussed briefly in my psychopathology classrecommends it for: social workers, friends/family of children with autism
I learned a LOT about diseases along the autism spectrum by reading this, but toward the end I started to get really sick of the way Temple Grandin repeats herself throughout the book. I get that some of it may be part of her disability, but I found myself reading entire sections again - meaning that so many very specific sentences and paragraphs were repeated verbatim that I began to wonder if anyone had edited the book.
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Temple Grandin gives a fascinating account of what it's like to grow up coping with autism, from her early sense of isolation to her efforts to interpret the subtle social cues of others ( a difficult hurdle). Her inherent intelligence is clear, as is her cut and dry manner. She touches briefly on her relationship with animals and how she developed the squeeze machine after seeing a similar mechanism used on cattle.
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Read in February, 2008
Fascinating look from inside autism. Temple Grandin thinks totally in pictures, and has to translate them into words. She aims a lot of her book at those who are dealing with autism in some way, and it at times reads like a textbook. But her thoughts on religion, how she thinks related to animal thoughts, and famous people in history who had many autistic tendencies were very thought-provoking.
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Read in March, 2007
If you come into regular contact with someone who has autism, or if you're just curious like me, this is an incredible book to read. The author succinctly describes the sensory "jumbling" that is characteristic of autism and by so doing allows those of us who are not autistic to understand them. I particularly recommend for anyone the last chapter on her perception of God.
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Read in February, 1997
A very elucidating view into autism, from the grande dame of autistics, as it were. I completely respect her and hope that I can one day hear her speak. I'm in awe of all she accomplished. She shattered the bullet-proof plexiglass ceiling of autism, opened herself to the world and her world to us. I'm simply astounded. I wish I was one iota that smart. Pure genius.
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Great book. Temple Grandin gives us a new perspective on how our mode of thinking (in words or in pictures) might drastically affect our outlook on life. Also interesting insight into autism, though sometimes Grandin seems to be such a high-functioning individual that you wonder how much her perspective translates to other autistic individuals.
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Read in November, 2006
recommends it for:
everyone.
A fascinating, enlightening, and beautiful book from Dr. Grandin.
As more people are being diagnosed with autism, it's important for everyone - not just those who are related to an autistic person - to learn more about how autistic minds work so that we might be more accepting and accomodating to their needs and desires.
As more people are being diagnosed with autism, it's important for everyone - not just those who are related to an autistic person - to learn more about how autistic minds work so that we might be more accepting and accomodating to their needs and desires.
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Interesting to read about someone's perspective who is so different from mine. I found it difficult to be totally absorbed because I couldn't relate to a lot, but thought it was valuable to push myself to relate. After all, relating is the business of teaching, and we will all teach children who are either autistic or different. :)
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Read in June, 2007
A really interesting book. Grandin is an autistic woman and paints a clear picture with many fascinating examples of how her life and thought processes differ from others. There is also an interesting discussion at the end of the book relating animals to humans and our similar thought patterns. An easy, very informative read.
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This is one of the first books I read on Autism, and it remains one of my favorites. Temple Grandin's story is fascinating to read, and she gives such clear insights into what it is like to be a person living with Autism.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.08 (412 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.93 (74 ratings) number of reviews: 69popular shelves
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quote
"In an ideal world the scientist should find a method to prevent the most severe forms of autism but allow the milder forms to survive. After all, the really social people did not invent the first stone spear. It was probably invented by an Aspie who chipped away at rocks while the other people socialized around the campfire. Without autism traits we might still be living in caves."
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