The Autistic Brain

Thinking Across the Spectrum

Temple Grandin, Richard Panek

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780544227736
• eBook ISBN: 9780547858180
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Biological Sciences

In The Autistic Brain, New York Times bestselling author Temple Grandin "has reached a stunning level of sophistication about herself and the science of autism" (The New York Review of Books).

Winner of a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Nonfiction Book

Temple Grandin may be the most famous person with autism, a condition that affects 1 in 88 children. Since her birth in 1947, our understanding of it has undergone a great transformation, leading to more hope than ever before that we may finally learn the causes of and treatments for autism.

Weaving her own experience with remarkable new discoveries, Grandin introduces the advances in neuroimaging and genetic research that link brain science to behavior, even sharing her own brain scan to show which anomalies might explain common symptoms like challenges with sensory processing. Most excitingly, she argues that raising and educating kids on the autism spectrum requires a strengths-based approach, focusing on their long-overlooked talents to foster their unique contributions.

The Autistic Brain brings Grandin's singular perspective to the heart of the neurodiversity revolution.

In this essential guide for parents, educators, and individuals on the spectrum, Grandin explores:

• Thinking in Pictures: How different types of thinking—visual, pattern, and word-based—shape the abilities and challenges of individuals with autism.
• The Autistic Brain: A tour inside Grandin's own mind, using her personal brain scans to connect the latest in brain science to real-world experiences.
• Beyond the Label: Why we must move past the limitations of DSM labels and focus on the unique talents and contributions of every individual.
• Parenting and Education: Practical, actionable advice for helping children and adults on the spectrum thrive by building on their long-overlooked strengths.

Index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

“acting self,” 78–82, 85

AGP. See Autism Genome Project (AGP)

American Psychiatric Association (APA), 9, 14, 108, 109–10. See also Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

AMMT. See auditory-motor mapping training (AMMT)

amygdalae, 53

autism and, 33, 34

emotions and, 32, 33, 38

TG’s brain and, 31–32

Anderson, Jeffrey S., 20, 39

antidepressants

anxiety and, 32, 38, 85–86

link between autism and, 63–64

APA. See American Psychiatric Association (APA)

AQ (Autism-Spectrum Quotient) test, 104–5, 207–16

art

object vs. spatial imagery and, 168–70

pattern thinking and, 143–45

ASD. See autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Asperger, Hans, 15

Asperger syndrome (DSM category), 15, 77, 109–11, 112

employment and, 191–92, 200

pattern thinking and, 142–43

Aspiritech (company), 200

associative thinking abilities, 125–28

attention-shifting problems, 90

atypical autism (DSM category), 111

auditory-motor mapping training (AMMT), 92–93

auditory-processing problems, 89–93

identification of, 96–97

TG and, 69–70

tips for people with, 97

autism, history of, 3–20. See also autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

changing psychiatric diagnoses and, 9–20

focus on symptoms and, 11–19, 113

phases in, 113–14

psychoanalytic approach and, 6–9

search for biological causes and, 6, 114

autism, neuroanatomy of. See also genetics of autism; neuroimaging; strengths of autistic brain

asymmetries and, 29–32, 31

behavioral heterogeneity and, 37

causal heterogeneity and, 37

developmental abnormalities and, 27

diagnosis and, 37–38

directions for research on, 38–47

research challenges and, 34–38

size and, 30–31, 33

structural homogeneity and, 34–36

Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, 19

Autism Center of Excellence (U...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Prologue
• The Autistic Brain
• The Meanings of Autism
• Lighting Up the Autistic Brain
• Sequencing the Autistic Brain
• Hiding and Seeking
• Rethinking the Autistic Brain
• Looking Past the Labels
• Knowing Your Own Strengths
• Rethinking in Pictures
• From the Margins to the Mainstream
• Appendix: The AQ Test
• Notes
• Acknowledgments
• Index
• Sample Chapter from ANIMALS MAKE US HUMAN
• Buy the Book
• About the Authors
• Connect with HMH
• Footnotes