First edition published: New York : Doubleday, 1995. Previous edition published: New York : Vintage Books, 2006

Thinking in pictures: autism and visual thought -- The great continuum: diagnosing autism -- The squeeze machine: sensory problems in autism -- Learning empathy: emotion and autism -- The ways of the world: developing autistic talent -- Believer in biochemistry: medications and new treatments -- Dating data: autism and relationships -- A cow's eye view: connecting with animals -- Artists and accountants: an understanding of animal thought -- Einstein's second cousin: the link between autism and genius -- Stairway to heaven: religion and belief

The author -- an animal scientist who has designed one-third of all the livestock-handling facilities in the United States -- describes her life with autism and how she has used her strong visual sensibility to cope with it. Writing from the dual perspectives of a scientist and an autistic person, Grandin tells us how that country is experienced by its inhabitants and how she managed to breach its boundaries to function in the outside world. What emerges in this volume is a document of an extraordinary human being, who bridges the gulf between her condition and our own, shedding light on the riddle of our common identity. For this edition, Grandin has written a new afterword addressing recent developments in the study of autism, including new diagnostic criteria, advancements in genetic research, updated tips, insights into working with children and young people with autism, and more. --Adapted from publisher description

25th Anniversary edition statement from cover

1120L