43 pages • 1 hour read
Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism
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Chapters 10-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary: “Einstein’s Second Cousin: The Link Between Autism and Genius”
As the title suggests, Grandin shares her thoughts and knowledge about the connection between autism and genius with the help of Einstein’s story. Grandin describes multiple instances of parents that have autistic children who possess intellectual prowess, as well as family associations of autism, anxiety, and depression. Intellectual ability and lesser degrees of autism are present within Grandin’s family as well, including her father’s fixation traits. Genetics appear to play a role in the presence of autism, likely due to multiple genes.
Autism and genius may represent the concept of abnormality. “If the genes that cause autism and other disorders such as manic-depression were eliminated, the world might be left to boring conformists with few creative ideas” (208). The degree of extreme behaviors and experiences of autism range from mild to severe, not all of which are negative. Grandin furthers the conversation about autism, genius, and the overlap between the two through a conversation about talented people like Ludwig Wittgenstein and Vincent van Gogh.
Many of Einstein’s characteristics, beginning in childhood, reflect behaviors of autism. He did not initially excel as a student. In fact, “Some people thought he was a dullard” (211). Grandin worries about how society perceives those with autism, especially in the educational system. “One of my biggest concerns today with the Asperger’s diagnosis is that students who should be in gifted and talented programs get shunted off into the special education track where they do not belong” (218). Autistic levels that don’t impede daily functioning, however, exhibit variations on thinking—sometimes in conjunction with genius.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Stairway to Heaven: Religion and Belief”
Chapter 11’s title refers to Grandin’s thoughts about religion and God, changes in her beliefs over time, and reference to a cattle ramp in the Swift plant that led cattle to slaughter. As a person guided by science and logic, she assumes a similar thought process as she forms her conclusions about God and the afterlife:
Since my thought processes use a series of specific examples to form a general principle, it makes logical sense to me that general principles should always be modified when new information becomes available. It is beyond my comprehension to accept anything on faith alone, because of the fact that my thinking is governed by logic instead of emotion (222).
Among her religious beliefs, Grandin’s assumption that all religions and thoughts about God are equal remains unchanged throughout her life. “It made no sense to me that my religion was better than theirs” (223). This belief about equality exists for other autistic individuals. Other themes exist, too, such as inflexible and intense thoughts and actions surrounding the practice of religion. Concrete rather than abstract meaning of religious symbols is yet another commonality among those with autism.
Within Grandin’s search for understanding God and the universe, she relates the law of thermodynamics and entropy:
In high school I came to the conclusion that God was an order force that was in everything after Mr. Carlock explained the second law of thermodynamics, the law of physics that states that the universe will gradually lose order and have increasing entropy. Entropy is the increase of disorder in a closed thermodynamic system (224).
With a desire for an “orderly” universe, Grandin explores chaos theory, randomness, patterns, and even Einstein’s beliefs about God and science. Grandin’s designs and her work in slaughterhouses inform her pursuit of what happens after death and the meaning of life. Part of this process involves the design of a cattle ramp that she and builders refer to as the “Stairway to Heaven”: “At first the construction crew thought it was a joke, but as the stairway took shape, the name started to take on a more serious meaning to everybody who worked on it” (229).
Other influential elements on Grandin’s view of religion include stories about near-death experiences that she rejects following her knowledge of the brain’s hallucinations due to oxygen deprivation. She also addresses the idea of libraries as a source of living after death. “I read an article in the newspaper about an official at the New York Public Library who said that the only place on earth where immortality is provided is in libraries” (232).
Quantum physics influences Grandin’s current view of God. “It was quantum physics that finally helped me believe again, as it provided a plausible scientific basis for belief in a soul and the supernatural” (233). This view includes her understanding of subatomic particles and how the vibrations of one particle can affect another. Grandin’s understanding of quantum physics and her current beliefs about God extend beyond people to include animals. “I believe that if souls exist in humans, they also exist in animals, because the basic structure of the brain is the same” (234).
Related to religion are the concepts of right and wrong. Due to their abstract nature, children with autism require concrete examples of these terms to grasp their meaning. She also uses a rule system—a hierarchy of rules—that helps to guide behavior. The system includes absolute wrongs, such as killing a person, to lesser offenses. Grandin encourages teaching optimistic elements of life, including examples of kindness and the Golden Rule.
Chapters 10-11 Analysis
Grandin’s focus on genius, autism, religion, and God reveal her desire for a comprehension of autism through various concepts that touch on both humans and animals. The definition of “abnormal” lacks certainty, mainly due to the abstract and moveable nature of what is and is not “normal.” At the most basic level, abnormal means different than normal—a definition that fits both autism and genius. However similar in their basic relation to abnormality, people likely welcome genius over autism. Grandin blurs the boundaries between autism and genius through identifying possible autistic characteristics in geniuses such as Vincent van Gogh. “The swirls in the sky in his panting Starry Night are similar to the sensory distortions that some people with autism have” (214).
Assigning the same person as autistic or genius rests partly in the eye of the beholder. A person often termed autistic based on a deficit viewpoint might otherwise fit the definition of genius based on possession of extraordinary traits. “There are few Einstein’s today. Maybe they all flunk the Graduate Record Exam or get poor grades” (215). Moreover, the deficit viewpoint can exist in an individual or an entire system. An educational system structured to view autism from a deficit perspective will often overlook genius traits.
Religion and the afterlife represent abstract concepts, which are difficult for Grandin and others with autism to grasp. Although translating the abstract to the concrete is important for learning, Grandin illustrates the ability of autistic people to contemplate grand ideas. Difficulty with abstract thought does not mean a person with autism cannot reflect on such important thoughts:
The thing that was most upsetting was that there are no definitive answers to the question of what happens when one dies. Philosophers have written about it for centuries. And unanswerable questions have forced people to look to God (229).
As this quote exemplifies, Grandin—once diagnosed as brain damaged—thinks in very deep and meaningful ways that defy such a simple and incorrect diagnosis.
Thoughts about death are an unavoidable topic in Grandin’s career as an equipment designer for animal slaughter. As she reflects on death, religion, and God, two prominent themes surface: Grandin values leaving a legacy of contribution and a philosophy of care for animals:
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