Emergence: Labeled Autistic

By learning to cope with and overcome many aspects of her autism, Temple Grandin provides an amazing look into the thought patterns and struggles of her autism. One of the major ideas I took from this book is her recommendation to encourage your child to channel their fixations (on often very strange objects or subjects) in a positive way, as she channeled her obsession with cattle-handling equipment into a productive and meaningful career. Her career achievements also shine a light ahead for we parents who wonder about the future of our children with autistic spectrum disorders. My own son has a mild PDD-NOS diagnosis and is not nearly as severe as Grandin's case. However, her journey through autism can benefit families going through any disorder on the autism spectrum.

There is no doubt that Temple Grandin has the mind of a scientist and engineer. Her writing style is informative, methodical, well sequenced and it is clear how she has been able to have the mental and cognitive organisation to go on to an inspiring, successful academic career as someone with a PhD mastering her special interest of cattle management. By stark contrast to Donna Williams' chaotic, fragmented and sensorily rich writing style of a clearly challenged cognition and mind, Temple has the style of sitting in a lecture with Mr Spock. The two backgrounds couldn't be more different. Temple was the child of highly academic able parents driven by love and caring in staunch pursuit of treatment, help and progress of their child. Donna at the other pole was born into equally highly uneducated and challenged parents in an environment of alcoholism, violence, neglect and threat. To read the works of these two people is like looking at autism through the eyes of Einstein on the one hand and Van Gogh on the other. Emergence Labelled Autistic was the first published autobiography of a person diagnosed with autism in the English language and came out over a decade before Williams' Nobody Nowhere became a bestseller in the mainstream publishing world. But it was Nobody Nowhere which brought autism out into the mainsteam and had the world find Temple's valueable book which was till then on the academic shelves only. Now both books are in languages all around the world and provide a kind of bookend perspective of the Autistic Spectrum from one extreme to the other, the scientific mind, and the artistic one.

Since I began working with individuals with autism, I have been interested in reading works by adults with autism. I believe books such as this one offer a valuable insight into the world of an individual with autism. One of the main ideas I got out of this book was the idea that many individuals with autism experience sensory input differently than other individuals. This is an idea that I have heard from physical and occupational therapists for years, but Temple Grandin explains it so vividly, it is hard to forget. She talks about her simultaneous need for deep pressure and her intense desire not to be held by anyone. She explains that while she needs the sensory input, she needs to be in control of it. I have seen this in my work with small children with autism. I have been taught by physical and occupational therapists several ways to provide this much needed stimulation (such as wrapping the child in a blanket and rolling a ball over them). However, I have noticed that this only sometimes has a claming effect. Other times it makes the child more anxious. Since reading this book, I have worked with one preschooler and taught her words such as "hard", "scratch", "rub", and "tight". She is quite verbal and learns words quickly, but she did not know how to ask for the type of stimulation she needed. Before, the only control she had was to say "peanut" (the shape of the ball we roll over her) or "stop". Now, she can control not only when she gets stimulation, but also the type of stimulation. This is why I believe this type of book is so important. Temple had a very frustrating childhood because she could not adequately express what was in her mind. Many of my students experience similar frustrations, but I believe I can get a better understanding of what is going on in their minds by reading books such as this one.

There are not enough words or good enough words to describe this book, or the person who wrote this book. I have been aware of the presence of Temple Grandin for some years now. I have read about her in Oliver Sack's books. I have seen journalistic shows concerning her on television. I have known that she is considered autistic (been diagnosed as that)and that she had a Ph.D. and works with animals, primarily livestock. All of this information predisposed me to be interested in her life, and ready to admire her for everything that she has accomplished.However, it was not until my own nephew was diagnosed as having a developmental delay problem of his own, Asperger's, that I actually sought out more information about Temple Grandin and autism. In studying neuroscience, we just barely scratched the surface of this disability, and I remember thinking that this was an area of great dissent and of great need. Above all, there is an obvious need to hear from those who have autism. There are many books out there by parents, by physicians and scientists, by educators and psychiatrists. But there are few books by those who live the life of someone with autism. As a deaf person I know that those who would understand what it is like to be deaf in a hearing world cannot possibly imagine the problems, the obstacles, and even the joys which come with my differences. So I am also aware that I cannot understand other disabilities and differences unless they are told to me by someone who has actually been through it themselves. Grandin does a great service to those with autism and those who have loved ones with autism or developmental delay disabilities. By allowing us access into her world, and explaining why she 'behaved' certain ways in certain circumstances, it allows others to comprehend the absolutely mind-boggling over-stimulation that these persons are exposed to. Not only does it aid in understanding and allow us to reserve judgement (rather than condemning these children as uncontrollable), it may help those who are exploring the neuroscience accounting for autism as well as lead to the development of educational and behavioral methodologies which can assist these children to meet their potentials and fulfill their lives. It also helps all of us to realize that differences do not necessarily have to be negative. Temple Grandin and her mother are examples of what can be accomplished through love and education. Grandin was helped on her path by her mother and good teachers, but she also helped herself by educating herself on all possible fronts as to why she reacted and behaved (and how to control those reactions and behaviors). I can only begin to imagine the difficulties that both she and her mother faced in overcoming her problems, and making the most of her abilities. This book is necessary reading for all parents of children with these disabilities, for those who work with them in education and in psychiatry. I have now added Ms. Grandin to my list o

During the first year after my son's diagnosis, I read thirty-four books on autism (I catagorized them according to personal account, family account, clinical study, education & intervention method). Four years later, this one stills ranks among the best in terms of personal accounts & has helped immensely in learning to understand my son, his behavior & how to get through to him so he'll understand me. An excellent account for parents who desire insight on what their children with autism are experiencing.