Temple Grandin (author) - Different Not Less: Inspiring Stories of Achievement and Successful Employment from Adults with Autism, Aspergers, and ADHD (Revised & Updated)

DIFFERENTNOT LESS, Revised and Updated 2ND Edition:
Inspiring Stories of Achievement and Successful Employment from Adults with Autism, Aspergers, and ADHD

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2020 Temple Grandin

Cover design by John Yacio III & interior design by Cindy Williams

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ISBN: 9781949177473

eBook Designed by Acepub

A s a child, Temple Grandin could not speak. She lived a silent existence, broken only by rhythmic rocking and occasional fits of screaming and thrashing. Temples mother, caregivers, and teachers eventually helped her grow to become one of the autism communitys most beloved success stories. Temple is a popular international lecturer on autism and the author of Emergence: Labeled Autistic , Thinking in Pictures , Animals in Translation (which spent many weeks on The New York Times Best Seller List), Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships , co-authored with Sean Barron, The Way I See It , The Autistic Brain , and The Loving Push , co-authored with Debra Moore, Ph.D.

One of the worlds leading experts in livestock facility design, more than half of the cattle in North America are handled in facilities Temple designed. She credits her visual thinking and her systematic mind, which are both characteristics of autism, as giving her the ability to be the woman who thinks like a cow.

The subject of the award-winning 2010 HBO movie Temple Grandin , which is based on her life story, Temple continues to be an inspiration and role model to millions. She was recently named a hero and selected as one of TIME s top 100 most influential people.

DIFFERENT
...Not Less

Inspiring Stories of Achievement and Successful Employment from Adults with Autism, Aspergers, and ADHD

To every individual on the spectrum who believes in finding a sense of fulfillment and success in life, sometimes against all odds

May you find valuable information, inspiration, and hope in the pages of this book.

The contributors to this book must be acknowledged, not only for their courage, but also for their candor. I thank them profoundly for their willingness to welcome readers into their lives and tell their storiesthe ups and downs, the good times and bad. I absolutely believe their life experiences and wealth of knowledge will help countless others on the spectrum. They are living proof that individuals with autism can achieve great thingseven when life seems like an uphill climb.

F irst and foremost, this book is the marvelous brainchild of Dr. Temple Grandin. It is and has always been very important to Temple that people with autism and Aspergers syndrome find their niche in life. As she famously emphasizes during conferences, Collecting Social Security is not a job description!

It is imperative that these outstanding folks use their unique and special skills to help themselves and the rest of the world. Temple came up with the concept for this book last year and has been relentless about her ideas coming to fruition. We applaud her passion.

Many readers will already be familiar with Temples story from watching the award-winning HBO biopic, Temple Grandin , starring Claire Danes. Those of us in the autism world were surprised and delighted by the overwhelming number of people who were touched and inspired by Temples story. Here you will find fourteen similar stories, each a singular source of inspiration.

One of Temples early livestock plans is depicted on the cover of the book. Not only does it illustrate her obvious talent, but we believe it offers a glimpse into what greatness lies in the minds of so many people with autism and Aspergers syndrome. These folks have extra burdens to overcome to be able to share their light with the world, and it is so important that they figure out a way to do so. The stories in this book relate the dierent paths the contributors have taken to find successfrom dealing with the challenges of being dierent to ultimately discovering that they are not less. Indeed, people on the autism spectrum have more than their share of talent to oer the rest of the world.

It was important to us, and to Temple, that each contributors point of view be expressed in his or her own voice. As such, you will notice a variety of writing and communication styles throughout the book, which are unique to each individual. Also, as this is a book that delves into the early years of each contributor, there are some instances of mild sexual content. If you are a parent and will be giving this book to a young teen, please peruse it first to be sure the content is appropriate. Please note that some of the names in this book have been changed.

There are words used in this book that may be new to someone who is unfamiliar with the world of autism and Aspergers syndrome. An Aspie is someone with Aspergers syndrome. Aspies use this term proudly, and rightfully so. A neurotypical person, sometimes called NT, is someone who develops and functions in a usual way (i.e., neurologically typical). If you have never heard these terms before, it is likely you are a neurotypical person.

A few thanks are in order. First, thank you to the illustrious Teresa Corey, who helped Temple find, gather, and filter all of the original contributions. As there were many interesting submissions from talented individuals, this was no small feat. Also, thanks to Heather Babiar, who edited the submissions and brought them together into a readable and cohesive format. Thank you to Cynthia Williams, who generated the initial interior design, and to John Yacio, who designed the cover and completed the final layout.

A special thank you to Dr. Tony Attwood, who wrote such a wonderful foreword, and to the many exceptional contributors.

And, of course, we must thank Dr. Temple Grandin, who put her heart and soul into this very important project.

Jennifer Gilpin Yacio