Temple Grandin Quotes

Autism's a very big spectrum. At one end of the spectrum, Einstein would probably be labeled autistic, Steve Jobs, half of Silicon Valley, you know, Van Gogh. And at the other end of the spectrum, you got much more severe handicaps where they never learn to speak.

My brother was diagnosed with autism at age 2. At the time, I was young, so I didn't really understand what it all meant. The doctors thought there was a possibility my brother wouldn't be able to speak - he was diagnosed on the severe end of the spectrum.

I've worked with tons of people that I know who are on the spectrum - but now I think severe autism has really increased.

Autism doesn't seem to have a seasonal component, unlike some forms of depression.

By looking at autistic kids, you can't tell when you're working with them who you're going to pull out, who is going to become verbal and who's not. And there seem to be certain kids who, as they learn more and more, they get less autistic acting, and they learn social skills enough so that they can turn out socially normal.

A woman told me her child was autistic, and I thought she said artistic. So I said, 'Oh great. I'd like to see some of the things he's done.

I was nonverbal until I was four years old. Back in the 50s, I was the kind of kid they used to just put away in an institution. But then you get the milder autism where there's no speech delay, but they're socially awkward. Those kids were around when I was a child. They were just called geeks and nerds.

If by some magic, autism had been eradicated from the face of the Earth, then men would still be socializing in front of a wood fire at the entrance to a cave.

The majority of autists - as well as their parents - seem to be genuine victims of environmental stress.

One big question that's come up is: Has autism increased on the mild side of things? I don't think so - they've always been here. Some of this is increased detection.

Autism is a very serious condition.

I think I had a mild case of Asperger's as a younger guy, but that typically just wears off after a while.

What makes autism different is the history of neglect into the disorder. It's remained such a mystery that science has been very slow to address it.

I think that the definition of autism is too broad. You got to remember, autism definition is a behavioral profiling.

Some autistic people have savant skills. All autistic people do not have savant skills. Autism is a very variable disorder varying all the way from Einstein, emollient scientist, just a little bit of the trait, many scientist and engineers, down to somebody that's going to remain nonverbal.

Relatively many autists are first-born children. There is also a pretty widespread conviction that the parents of autists are somehow different - for instance, many of them are very serious people or people who are themselves under some sort of strain.

I have a condition called Aspergers Syndrome, which is like a mild form of autism It means I don't interact properly in certain social situations.

Certainly not everybody that is different is necessarily autistic, but there are a lot of undiagnosed people, and it's not necessarily something that needs to have attention to it, unless that person is feeling uncomfortable in the world or they need extra help or something.

My autism is a very mild form. It was diagnosed at the age of 25, partly because it wasn't diagnosable as a teenager (this is Asperger's syndrome, specifically). But there were certainly traits within that condition, within the autism spectrum in general, especially at the high functioning end, that I think are best looked at as pluses.

My little brother is autistic, so I would love to be involved in a charity for autism, but I haven't found the right one yet.

Autism is an extremely variable disorder.

My two little twin brothers have autism, so I grew up around it and misunderstood it for a long time.

I've been interested in autism since I've known about it, which is more or less since I've been writing.

I did want to acknowledge and confirm the fact that my son does, indeed, have an autism diagnosis.

I think I had a mild case of Asperger's as a younger guy, but that typically just wears off after a while. For some people, anyway.