Thinking in pictures: Temple Grandin's life with autism

¶ … Pictures: My Life Autism Temple Grandin. For a special education teacher/Class. Double spaced 1in margins times roman font size 12 Order ID

Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin.

Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism is the autobiography of Temple Grandin, an extraordinary woman with autism. Grandin's accomplishments are so impressive her achievements would be noteworthy even if she had not been born with autism. However, when Grandin was born, autism was seldom diagnosed in infants, and her failure to talk, relate to others, and otherwise develop normally was seen as a sign of mental retardation. Her mother was advised to institutionalize her, but Grandin's mother persevered and sought special services for her daughter to enable her to talk, obtain an education, and eventually go on to graduate school in the field of animal science.

One of the most unusual aspects of Grandin's book is the fact that she credits her autism, at least in part, for her success. Grandin designs cruelty-free slaughterhouses for livestock, and she states that her ability to think in a concrete and physical manner to be the root of her gift in understanding the way animals think and having an acute sense of spatial relations. At first, said Grandin, "I had no idea that my thought processes were different. In fact, I did not realize the full extent of the differences until very recently. At meetings and at work I started asking other people detailed questions about how they accessed information from their memories. From their answers I learned that my visualization skills far exceeded those of most other people" (Grandin 20).

However, although she does not express a desire to have been 'born differently' Grandin does note that she did need additional assistance from her teachers to truly thrive as a student. Certain subjects, such as French and algebra, she found almost impossible because of her deficits in language and abstract reasoning. Autism produces highly focused abilities and Grandin was brilliant in some subjects and quite poor in others. She also had to struggle to learn basic social skills such as hygiene, making eye contact with others, and basic social pleasantries. However, in retrospect she says she is grateful that her teachers were so directive with her, and forced her out of her stereotyped behaviors, such as rocking, while giving her additional attention in the subjects that excited her.

Grandin stresses a dual need when teachers are interacting with individuals with autism. On one hand, they must gently but firmly move children out of their comfort zones, and encourage them to develop new neural connections. Children with autism often find it very difficult to formulate new categories for objects. Encouraging students to see the world differently and using their fixated interests to excite them about new subjects (such as creating math word problems about racing for a student fascinated by cars) is essential. However, teachers must also reinforce the unique skills that autistic students exhibit, to give the children confidence. Autistic students may have great abilities in understanding systems, like computer programs, and by allowing them to focus their strengths, teachers can help students achieve a bright future in the field that excites them.