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Copy/paste the text below into your blog. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/103408.Thinking_In_Pictures_and_Other_Reports_from_My_Life_with_Autism?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Thinking In Pictures: and Other Reports from My Life with Autism" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1171496323m/103408.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/103408.Thinking_In_Pictures_and_Other_Reports_from_My_Life_with_Autism?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Thinking In Pictures: and Other Reports from My Life with Autism</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1567.Temple_Grandin">Temple Grandin</a><br/><br/> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10697090?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a> rating: 4 of 5 stars<br/>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 difficult to comprehend. She realizes that her emotional life isn't the same as those she works with, and has a sense of the spiritual that I found quite moving: <br/> <br/><i> "People will still have a need for religion. Religion survived when we learned that earth was not the center of the universe. No matter how much we learn, there will always be unanswerable questions." </i> -- Chapter 11 "Stairway to Heaven" <br/> <br/>Grandin became involved in the cattle industry, feeling a type of kinship to the animals and wishing to see them treated humanely at every stage of life. Grandin eventually got a Ph. D. in animal science and has had input on the design of over 1/3 of the animal handling facilities in the United States. She is able to put herself into the mind of the animal, see what it sees & deduce its reactions to a given situation. Her visual memory allows her to design equipment and plant layouts seemingly with ease - as she puts together the elements as if they were a jigsaw puzzle. <br/> <br/>Grandin also writes about the techniques she has used to cope with her condition, including visualizing the progression of her education as a series of doors. She developed a "squeeze machine" that she uses to apply pressure to her body in order to provide a calming stimulus; it is based on the squeeze chutes used to immobilize cattle during vet exams & immunizations. There are chapters devoted to the different manifestations of autism, behaviour-based treatment, as well as pharmacological options. She stresses at every turn that what works for one individual may not work for another. She includes references and selected readings, grouped by chapter, at the end of the book. <br/> <br/>The writing is quite clear and flows fairly well, considering her visual orientation and associational thought patterns. I don't have any direct experience with autistic individuals, but feel I have a better understanding of their world, thanks to this book. <br/> <br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/349264?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>