Reviews for Emergence: Labeled Autistic

The average rating for Emergence: Labeled Autistic based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-01-03 00:00:00 Leonard E. Knight This was an amazing book written by an amazing woman. I admire her so much. I wish I could have achieved in my life at least half of what she has. Her advice and message in this book stand true. My experience with working with those afflicted with autism has led me to the same conclusions as what she presents in her book. I recommend this book highly to everyone. It is a window to the inner-workings of the mind.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-10-10 00:00:00 M. De Nooij Temple Grandin has autism. This - her first autobiography - is more complex a work than I expected from someone with autism, and also a more simple work than anything written by most people who study it. That Grandin is able to write a narrative of her life is an incredible achievement, due in no small part to her mother's diligence in finding great teachers for her daughter. It's also indicative of the fact that autism can "improve" over time - or at least an individual with autism adds to their store of knowledge across the span of their lifetime, and that gives them a better chance at anticipating the correct behavior in a social setting, or hitting commonly accepted markers in the act of telling a story. As Grandin would put it, every day of her life sees her adding to the visual index in her brain - more video of more social situations with more people acting in more varied ways. The more entries in her personal library, the more choices Grandin has. Grandin intellectually decides, after consulting her index, how to react to situations that individuals without autism would react to without a thought. It's in learning how Grandin makes sense out of her world that autism becomes something more than a collection of studies into psychology, neurology, and biology, and instead becomes an experience of life as valid and meaningful as any other. There's a general simplicity to Grandin's storytelling that makes this a quick read -- there are also numerous repetitions of phrasing and story which would, in another book, be endlessly frustrating and easy to describe as 'bad writing.' Here, however, they serve a different function - they make it possible to see, in the way Grandin writes, the act of her searching her mental index for a story that demonstrates X, and in accessing it, needing to tell the story exactly the same way every time. The limits, challenges, and gifts of her condition are illustrated in her prose, not just by it. It's a fascinating introduction to autism as lived, not simply autism as observed.