Emergence: Labeled Autistc by Temple Grandin

★★★

I was inspired to read this book after watching the HBO movie Temple Grandin, which I highly recommend. The movie takes some artistic license, but overall, it really seems to portray Temple Grandin well.

This book is written mostly as a memoir, with information about autism studies, and Temple's own opinions about autism-related matters, interspersed in relevant places. Though Temple Grandin is neither a doctor nor a researcher, she writes with authority on a wide range of topics related to autism.

It was interesting, too, to read about Temple's mother's perspective, which was provided through the inclusion of a couple letters that she (Temple's mother) wrote to Temple's doctors.

Having no formal training in autism, I learned quite a bit from reading this book. More notably, I was surprised at the language (particularly in the book's forward) that referred to Temple Grandin as a "recovered" autistic person. I know that early invention is considered key in treating autistic children, and that the goal is to help the chidren "overcome" their symptoms, but I guess I never realized that autistic people could "recover" from autism.

I also learned about how wide the autism spectrum is, how each autistic person may suffer from their own unique combination of symptoms, and how each person responds differently to different kinds of treatments (much like Parkinson's Disease, with which I am more familiar). Included as an appendix was a copy of a diagnostic survey that Temple's mother filled out, and the questions listed there really shed light on the many symptoms of autism.

I don't know how much help or editing Temple Grandin got in writing this book, but the writing was good enough that it surprised me, because there was a level of self-awareness that I thought autistic people lacked by definition. Even as a young adult, she seemed to understand the importance of self-motivation and responsibility, realizations that would be mature lessons for any teenager, let alone one with autism. In describing how she, as an autistic person, was able to cope with life's stresses, she provides keen insight that would be useful for any person - with or without autism - to know.