April is National Autism Awareness Month in the U.S.

Every April, I start a thread for Autism Awareness month, to discuss Autism-related reading. I don't have a lot of time to tend the thread this year, or even read for it, but I'd feel remiss if I didn't keep up the tradition.

So here is a place to discuss all kinds of reading related to the Autism Spectrum, both nonfiction and fiction.

I'm currently listening to The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum by Temple Grandin. (Well, not literally listening this second, as both my phone and my bluetooth headphones are charging their batteries . . . ;)

I don't have a book picked yet, Terri, but I will. Thanks for setting up the thread.

>4 tymfos: Hi, Mamie. Thanks for stopping by! I look forward to seeing what you choose to read!

I'm enjoying the Grandin. The beginning of it was pretty basic stuff that I knew (Autism 101), but further in it gets to the newer research, and it's fascinating!

The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin

The beginning of this book felt a little like Autism 101, but it quickly became more interesting as Grandin describes some of the amazing research that is being done on the subject of autism. From innovative brain scanning techniques to unraveling the human genome, scientists are finding out more about the biological processes that are involved in autism.

Grandin also goes beyond the hard science to explore a theory of three different types of autistic minds, and the implications for finding meaningful work for people on the spectrum. I was most disappointed that the most practical specifics of this were relegated to practically the final paragraphs of the book -- short lists of jobs that each of the three kinds of autistic minds would be best at. I'd like a little more on that subject, please. Maybe a future book . . .?