Friday, April 13, 2012

OBSERVING AUTISM AWARENESS

Several of my friends have children or grandchildren who are autistic. One member of my extended family is severely autistic. Since this blog is about books, I want to discuss books helpful in understanding autism. List the subject on Amazon, and you’ll bring up numerous books. There's even a movie I'll mention later.

According to my cousin, the most helpful book she’s read to help her unlock her brother’s severe autism is by Temple Grandin, who is herself autistic. Nowa  high-funtioning autistic, Dr. Grandin has learned to speak in public and actually look at the audience--an amazing accomplishment! My cousin said this book was most helpful because it discusses HOW IT FEELS TO BE autistic and how the autistic individual sees and responds to the world as opposed to so-called normal people. (My elderly Opal friend tells me the only normal is a setting on the clothes dryer.) My cousin expressed that the book was a key to helping her brother who, in addition to being severely autistic, has also been blind from birth. There are numerous titles about and by Dr. Grandin. The following and other books on and by Dr. Grandin may be found at

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_7?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=temple+grandin&sprefix=Temple+%2Cstripbooks%2C240

THINKING IN PICTURES: AND OTHER REPORTS FROM MY LIFE WITH AUTISM, by Temple Grandin, PhD was published 1996. This is her first book about autism, although she has published many papers on autism and also books and papers relating tolivestock handling in the beef industry.


The book above was expanded and updated in THINKING IN PICTURES: MY LIFE WITH AUTISM, by Temple Grandin was published in 2010.

This month, a biography of Ms Grandin was released, TEMPLE GRANDIN: HOW THE GIRL WHO LOVED COWS EMBRACED AUTISM AND CHANGED THE WORLD is by Sy Montgomery.

For you visual learners (a joke, people, lighten up), the 2010 movie "Temple Grandin" starred Clare Dane as Temple and was filmed in Austin, Texas. It received very good reviews.

If you, someone in your family, or a friend has a child with autism, please help yourself understand how the autistic view life by reading one of these books. Here’s a video from YouTube of Temple Grandin, PhD, speaking at the Distinguished Lecture Series of the Mind Institute in 2007. Response was so great, the lecture series had to be moved to the University of California auditorium.



Yes, this is a giveaway hop. Autism is such an important subject, that I saved the giveaway until last, so check the list of participants at http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com To qualify for my giveaway, simply leave a comment. If you're a follower, that counts as a second entry, so please mention in your comment that you're a follower. Be certain to leave your email in your comment. My giveaway is winner's choice of a download of one of my books.

Thanks for stopping by!

2 comments:

Darlene said...

Thanks for promoting autism awareness and for the giveaway!

darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

Darlene said...

+1 following on GFC (Darlene)

darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com