Temple Grandin - Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets For Helping Kids on the Spectrum

ADVANCE PRAISE

In Navigating Autism , Drs. Temple Grandin and Debra Moore provide a circle of guidelines that documents practical, strength-based information for supporting autistic children and adults. With reference to Temples lifetime of experience, and multiple examples of children and adults on the spectrum from Dr. Moores years of clinical practice, the guidelines address crucial issues such as diagnosis, associated conditions, clinical/educational assessments, and the need to build on strengths from a positive whole-child, whole-person perspective. This comprehensive work will be an invaluable resource for both families and professionals.

Barry M. Prizant , Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Brown University, Author, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

Temple Grandin and Debra Moore have made a valuable contribution to the body of literature for autism therapists and clinicians. As their book so eloquently states, autistic children are much more than packages of disabilities. This book will help everyone see neurodiverse children in a different and better light, and open the door to better support.

John Elder Robison , Neurodiversity Scholar, the College of William & Mary, Advisor to the Center for Neurodiversity, Landmark College

Whether youre a therapist, physician, educator, parent, or caregiver, Navigating Autism is a must-read for all people who support and interact with autistic children/teens. The nine strength-based mindsets presented by authors Temple Grandin, Ph.D. and Debra Moore, Ph.D. encourage readers to look beyond the narrative and focus on what makes each child wonderfully unique. Teeming with professional experience and valuable anecdotes, this book energizes and empowers while providing a fresh approach to navigating autism.

Amy KD Tobik , Editor-in-Chief/CEO, Exceptional Needs Today

This is an in-depth, essential resource for those helping clients on the autism spectrum who want to move beyond label-locked thinking and provide a whole-person approach that honors the rich lived experience of autism. From assessment that considers social-emotional, sensory, motor, medical conditions, and psychiatric comorbidities, to intervention that draws on a strength-based approach, this is an invaluable book for optimizing interventions to help clients feel and function at their best.

Lindsey Biel , Occupational Therapist, author, Sensory Processing Challenges: Effective Clinical Work with Kids & Teens , coauthor, Raising a Sensory Smart Child , foreword by Temple Grandin

A Norton Professional Book

9 MINDSETS

FOR HELPING KIDS

ON THE SPECTRUM

NAVIGATING
AUTISM

TEMPLE GRANDIN

DEBRA MOORE

This work is intended as a general information resource for teachers, mental health professionals, and parents. It is not a substitute for appropriate professional education or mental health training, peer review, and/or clinical supervision. Standards of clinical practice and protocol change over time, and no technique or recommendation is guaranteed to be safe or effective in all circumstances. For case-specific questions and guidance, if you are a teacher or mental health professional, please consult with your school and/or community mental-health clinicians, and if you are a parent, please consult the education and/or mental-health professionals who work with your child.

The names of all people presented in case studies in this book have been changed and potentially identifying details changed or omitted. Any URLs displayed in this book link or refer to websites that existed as of press time. The publisher is not responsible for, and should not be deemed to endorse or recommend, any website other than its own or any content not created by it. The author, also, is not responsible for any third-party material.

Copyright 2021 by Temple Grandin

All rights reserved

First Edition

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Cover design by Lauren Graessle

Cover art felizlife/Getty Images

Book design by Carole Desnoes

Production manager: Katelyn MacKenzie

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Names: Grandin, Temple, author. | Moore, Debra (Psychologist), author.

Title: Navigating autism : 9 mindsets for helping kids on the spectrum / Temple Grandin, Debra Moore.

Description: First edition. | New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, [2021] | A Norton Professional Book. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021014663 | ISBN 9780393714845 (paperback) | ISBN 9780393714852 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Autistic children. | Autistic children--Services for. | Parents of autistic children. | Social work with children with mental disabilities.Classification: LCC RJ506.A9 G695 2021 | DDC 618.92/85882dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021014663

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TWO NOTES ABOUT TERMINOLOGY

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual , published by the American Psychiatric Association, formalized the concept of a spectrum disorder in its fifth edition, which was introduced in 2013. Upon release of the DSM-5, the official diagnostic term for autism became Autism Spectrum Disorder. For purposes of smoother reading, however, we use the terms the spectrum or ASD throughout this book.

Both autistic person and person with autism are used by those on the spectrum and by professionals who work with them. Those who prefer autistic person hold an identity-based perspective, while those who prefer person with autism have a person-centered perspective. Were aware that some individuals have strong views on which term they would like authors and others to use. We use both terms throughout the book .

CONTENTS

Debra Moore

This book emerged from and owes a debt to countless researchers, clinicians, writers, and families. Nuggets of insight and wisdom accumulated over the years shaped the mindsets presented here.

Authors with autism or the parents of autistic children contributed details and observations rarely found in academic texts or professional conferences. Im grateful for their unsparing depictions of their personal lives.

Autistic clients and their families trusted me to accompany them on their journeys as together we searched for ways to make their trips smoother, more satisfying, and more enjoyable. Ive appreciated their willingness to risk, to experiment, and to persevere. They are the true scholars of autism.

Students help teachers maintain a beginners eye; a necessity for continued learning and growth. Many thanks to my trainees, and a special thanks to Kate Kramer for reigniting, decades ago, my interest in autism.

Im awed by the generosity of spirit and time from others in the autism field. Rich conversations with occupational therapist Kelly Beins, special education teacher, blogger, and parent Danielli Mini, and clinician, researcher, consultant, and advocate Yulika Forman, informed and enhanced this project.