Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism

Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism (1995) is a scientific memoir by author Temple Grandin. Grandin is a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, where she fomented her specialized career as one of only a handful of livestock-handling equipment designers in the world. Thinking in Pictures narrates Grandin’s experiences as a world-renowned cattle handler, a professor, and a woman living with autism. Grandin fills each chapter with anecdotal stories and empirical research.

Thinking in Pictures addresses the hurdles Grandin faced before better understanding autism. As a child, she struggled with delayed speech, social ostracism and ridicule, and anxiety. Her tendency toward intellect and science, however, later turned problems into learning opportunities.

Autistic individuals share common traits, such as an inclination toward visual thinking, social difficulties, and fixations. The author cautions, however, that one brush cannot paint the full picture of autism—variations exist. Moreover, though many people view autism as problematic, Grandin affirms both the aptitudes and difficulties inherent in living with autism. She credits her visual library and memory, for instance, for her success in creating livestock equipment and empathizing with animals. She is also particularly skilled at observation and attention to detail.