National Autism Month

We had a great time at Jeeves' discussing Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures, which was very timely, since this is National Autism Month. Thanks, Jeeves, for introducing us to this book and for providing a great discussion on autism. It was very thought-provoking. Thanks, too, for the yummy cookies.

There's a great post on C Jane Enjoy It's blog by guest blogger, Catherine Parry, a BYU English professor whose son is autistic.

If you are interested in reading this book, it will be at the library next week.

"When his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson was devastated, afraid he might never be able to communicate with his child. But when Isaacson, a lifelong horseman, rode their neighbor's horse with Rowan, Rowan improved immeasurably. He was struck with a crazy idea: why not take Rowan to Mongolia, the one place in the world where horses and shamanic healing intersected? 

THE HORSE BOY is the dramatic and heartwarming story of that impossible adventure. In Mongolia, the family found undreamed of landscapes and people, unbearable setbacks, and advances beyond their wildest dreams. This is a deeply moving, truly one-of-a-kind story--of a family willing to go to the ends of the earth to help their son, and of a boy learning to connect with the world for the first time."

A movie was made of this book and you might enjoy watching the trailer.

Temple Grandin

I found this great video of Temple Grandin on ted.com. Her lecture is called "The World Needs Different Minds." Check it out here.

Temple Grandin is the first person I've heard of who says her favorite animal is a cow. I have a very limited association with cows, I must admit, but my favorite memory is of the first summer I was married. My husband and I lived in a cabin in a canyon at the foothills of the Tetons. It was spectacularly beautiful. A river ran past our cabin and and we pumped the river water into our shower. We borrowed a ringer washer and hung our clothes on a line over the river. The fields were covered with tons of wildflowers -- and a great many cows. My husband worked long hours on million dollar cabins while I stocked shelves part-time in the local grocery store. I spent a lot of time alone, just me and the cows. I found out that summer that those cows enjoyed being serenaded. They especially liked the songs from "The Sound of Music." If I am ever fortunate enough to meet Temple Grandin I will tell her so.

Watch a trailer from the HBO movie Temple Grandin with Claire Daines.