Nonfiction

Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions

Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions

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  • Create Date：2022-12-25 06:51:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Temple Grandin
  • ISBN：0593418360
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Summary

A landmark book that reveals， celebrates， and advocates for the special minds and contributions of visual thinkers

A quarter of a century after her memoir， Thinking in Pictures， forever changed how the world understood autism， Temple Grandin—the “anthropologist on Mars，” as Oliver Sacks dubbed her—transforms our awareness of the different ways our brains are wired。 Do you have a keen sense of direction， a love of puzzles， the ability to assemble furniture without crying？ You are likely a visual thinker。

With her genius for demystifying science， Grandin draws on cutting-edge research to take us inside visual thinking。 Visual thinkers constitute a far greater proportion of the population than previously believed， she reveals， and a more varied one， from the photo-realistic object visualizers like Grandin herself， with their intuitive knack for design and problem solving， to the abstract， mathematically inclined “visual spatial” thinkers who excel in pattern recognition and systemic thinking。 She also makes us understand how a world increasingly geared to the verbal tends to sideline visual thinkers， screening them out at school and passing over them in the workplace。 Rather than continuing to waste their singular gifts， driving a collective loss in productivity and innovation， Grandin proposes new approaches to educating， parenting， employing， and collaborating with visual thinkers。 In a highly competitive world， this important book helps us see， we need every mind on board。

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Reviews

Hannah Kirk ，

DNF at 40%。 I am a painter。 A visual thinker。 I relate to a lot of the descriptions of visual thinkers in the first chapter of this book。 But I hated this。 The author should absolutely stick to more memoir-style books， because that’s clearly what this wants to be。 I don’t mind a memoir format to explore a broader topic， but this was a little bit much。 This book was definitely not the scientific， research informed argument for recognition of a new type of thinking that I expected it to be。 It was DNF at 40%。 I am a painter。 A visual thinker。 I relate to a lot of the descriptions of visual thinkers in the first chapter of this book。 But I hated this。 The author should absolutely stick to more memoir-style books， because that’s clearly what this wants to be。 I don’t mind a memoir format to explore a broader topic， but this was a little bit much。 This book was definitely not the scientific， research informed argument for recognition of a new type of thinking that I expected it to be。 It was really a thinly veiled pat on the back for her own self proclaimed uniqueness。 It was pretty unbearable to read。 I understand her personal motivation and investment in the topic， but at every turn it seemed like she was showcasing how she is not only different by being a visual thinker- but she’s also in a super special league of super special visual thinkers above all other visual thinkers。 Which maybe that’s harsh。 But it was just annoying that with every example she felt it was necessary to include asides like “I aced this test for xyz”。 I feel like unnecessary subtle hierarchy imposed by the author on the spectrum of visual thinkers diminishes the ultimate goal of uplifting a misunderstood group of people & reinforces the same binary views of the world she claims we need to abolish。 Unsurprisingly， the author has a very strong bias towards what she deems visual thinking。 I mean I get that it’s not called Verbal Thinking for a reason， but it was just pretty un-nuanced overall。 Supposedly visual thinking is a spectrum that blends with verbal thinking， but that spectrum is never explored in depth。 It seems she has a more hierarchal view rather than a gradient type view。 The examples used in this were odd。 I understand her animal behavioral background， but the meat packing industry and animal agricultural references are just truly kind of odd & out of place。 But I’m not going to knock that too much because they do work for what they’re used for。 They’re just kinda bizarre。 Also， on the topic of examples used， this author really loves Elon Musk。 Lol。 I personally think the man is a spectacular idiot， so that definitely skewed my opinion of an example involving him。The research of this is also weak in my opinion。 Very few studies are directly referenced， and a lot of the “research” is anecdotal or unofficial and rooted in personal opinion。 The author also seems to cherry pick stories that support her theory that visual thinking is a valid form of thinking， rather than presenting hard scientific facts。 I agree with other reviewers that her view of things like autism and psychology is outdated。 I also question the validity of this book being written by someone who does not have a neuropsych degree？ Sure she got a psychology degree many years ago， but this simply is not her field。 Her field is animals and animal behavioral studies。 She seems like a very intelligent and brilliant woman。 I just feel like the whole book could have been a single chapter/case study for a greater book on visual thinking- rather than a whole memoir disguised as research book that this is。 。。。more

Pauline ，

I really liked the focus on the need for us to value different kinds of thinking ability， and how much visual thinkers have to offer。 I question some of what Grandin says， however， such as when she says that computer program requires a visual-spatial mathematical mind。 I am very much a verbal thinker， but I do computer programming。 Not systems level programming， because - ironically， considering her focus on visual thinking - I prefer to work with data I can visualize such as products， employees I really liked the focus on the need for us to value different kinds of thinking ability， and how much visual thinkers have to offer。 I question some of what Grandin says， however， such as when she says that computer program requires a visual-spatial mathematical mind。 I am very much a verbal thinker， but I do computer programming。 Not systems level programming， because - ironically， considering her focus on visual thinking - I prefer to work with data I can visualize such as products， employees， students， classes， etc。 rather than layers and bits and ports。 There are computer programmers far more skilled than I am， but I'm pretty good at what I do。I also think Grandin tries so hard to show the value of visual thinking that she seems to de-value verbal thinking。 At one point she says that people learn most of their vocabulary when they are young and learn relatively few words later in life， while she as a visual thinker continues to add to her mental store of visual information to call on。 That may be true but it seems to imply that verbal thinkers are not continuing to learn in ways that enables them to solve new problems and acquire new ways of seeing things （figuratively）。 I don't need to learn new words （though at age sixty I continue to learn foreign languages） to come up with new ways to think about things， because I have new experiences and think about new things （like her discussions of visual thinking）。Likewise， when she talks about disasters and how they could have been prevented， she asserts that visual thinkers would not have made the same mistakes， and points out things that she thought of when hearing about these disasters。 She may be right， but seeing what went wrong after the fact is often easier than foreseeing it to begin with， and most of what she says amounts to mere assertion of what visual thinkers could have done rather than evidence of it。Despite all that， I found it a fascinating book and hope that it will continue to influence me in how I view other people and their abilities and what they have to offer。 。。。more

Eugene Wong ，

As a visual thinker in a non-visual thinking world， reading Grandin's latest work has been validating。 As a visual thinker in a non-visual thinking world， reading Grandin's latest work has been validating。 。。。more

Jillian Acreman ，

Brilliant！ This book provided such incredible and interesting insights into how we think and what the outcomes of those processes are。 I loved this for my work， my practice， and my current schooling。

Owen Curtsinger ，

I was lucky to see Temple Grandin give a presentation as part of her book tour for this book。 She has some great points to be made， and I loved the chapters about our education system and standardized testing。 As a middle school art teacher myself I can attest to this: when learning is measured against a test， then failure is seen as a negative outcome， not a method of learning and experimentation in itself， and students become afraid to try new things， to experiment， to tinker， to play， for fea I was lucky to see Temple Grandin give a presentation as part of her book tour for this book。 She has some great points to be made， and I loved the chapters about our education system and standardized testing。 As a middle school art teacher myself I can attest to this: when learning is measured against a test， then failure is seen as a negative outcome， not a method of learning and experimentation in itself， and students become afraid to try new things， to experiment， to tinker， to play， for fear of failure。The middle of the book sagged with repetitive claims about how Grandin and other visual thinkers could solve so many problems that would have prevented modern technical disasters。 She's not entirely wrong， but the claims got tiresome。 Same goes for the fawning over Elon Musk。 。。。more

Amid عميد ，

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Emma ，

This is an important book for all educators to read。 Not gonna lie， some of it could be kinda dull， but the engaging parts and overall implications are worth it。

Beth ，

This book was very uneven for me。 There were parts that were very interesting about education and jobs that I would have rated 5 stars。 Then there was way too much detail about other things like mechanical engineering and animal studies that I would have given a 3。 So I guess it evens out to a 4 rating。 However， it seems like maybe not all of this information belonged in the book as the title is about The Hidden Gifts of People and some of the animal studies really had nothing to do with that。

Amanda Morin ，

I was unbelievably excited about this book， but found it full of anecdotes， generalizations and outdated terminology。 I have read many books on neurodiversity this year， and this is my least favorite。 With strong editing， it could have been a much better book。 I am simply not in the mood for meandering text and the same stories that Temple Grandin has told over and over again。 Furthermore， I am left with more questions about visual thinkers than I had answered。 For instance， what about writers w I was unbelievably excited about this book， but found it full of anecdotes， generalizations and outdated terminology。 I have read many books on neurodiversity this year， and this is my least favorite。 With strong editing， it could have been a much better book。 I am simply not in the mood for meandering text and the same stories that Temple Grandin has told over and over again。 Furthermore， I am left with more questions about visual thinkers than I had answered。 For instance， what about writers who are visual thinkers？ People with autism who think in pictures and use that to fuel their language？ There wasn't enough creative exploration here。 。。。more

Adeson ，

My life is abstract :D I like to drawhttps://labalabawirata。com My life is abstract :D I like to drawhttps://labalabawirata。com 。。。more

Kelli Marcella ，

An interesting treatise on how we think。 I do feel she was redundant in places and there was a large section where she was trying to prove that having a visual thinker involved in a project could have prevented disaster but I felt like the cases she cited were largely "hind site is 2020"。 As always， she does provide greater insite into the minds of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders。 An interesting treatise on how we think。 I do feel she was redundant in places and there was a large section where she was trying to prove that having a visual thinker involved in a project could have prevented disaster but I felt like the cases she cited were largely "hind site is 2020"。 As always， she does provide greater insite into the minds of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders。 。。。more

Terri James ，

Really liked this book。 A lot of useful information。 Easy to read

David Haney ，

halfway thru and I really wish this book had been edited down。 I do feel very lucky to be in Ms。 Grandin's mind like this。 She just drives home the same point over and over again。 halfway thru and I really wish this book had been edited down。 I do feel very lucky to be in Ms。 Grandin's mind like this。 She just drives home the same point over and over again。 。。。more

Kristen Campbell ，

My 4 stars are to encourage everyone to discover a way of thinking they may not understand。 If you kmow people with autism in your life， you must read this book。

Patti Nicholson ，

I learned a lot from this book。 Categorizing ways of thinking was fascinating。 However I found the way this book was written to be challenging。 Seemed to bounce around from study to study but made the same point over and over again。 But maybe that was the author's point。 The last chapter about human consciousness and animal consciousness was great though。 I did appreciate the lengthy footnotes at the end so I know she wasn't just making stuff up。 I learned a lot from this book。 Categorizing ways of thinking was fascinating。 However I found the way this book was written to be challenging。 Seemed to bounce around from study to study but made the same point over and over again。 But maybe that was the author's point。 The last chapter about human consciousness and animal consciousness was great though。 I did appreciate the lengthy footnotes at the end so I know she wasn't just making stuff up。 。。。more

Roxann ，

There's a lot to criticize here but the thing that really sticks in my craw is the risk assessment chapter where the analysis of several major catastrophes reads like "had I been present， I simply would have noticed the flaw and prevented the disaster in the first place。" There's a lot to criticize here but the thing that really sticks in my craw is the risk assessment chapter where the analysis of several major catastrophes reads like "had I been present， I simply would have noticed the flaw and prevented the disaster in the first place。" 。。。more

Jay ，

Interesting read， especially for someone like myself who has been predominantly a visual thinker all my life。

Tom ，

In “Visual Thinking”， Temple Grandin describes the challenges and unique strengths of visual thinkers - those who don’t process information verbally as well as they do visually or conceptually。 She outlines two different types of visual thinkers: “object visualizers” （exact images） and “visual-spatial” （conceptual creatives）， celebrating the neurodiversity of these two styles。 As someone who related more to the visual-spatial category with a background in music， risk management， and data visuali In “Visual Thinking”， Temple Grandin describes the challenges and unique strengths of visual thinkers - those who don’t process information verbally as well as they do visually or conceptually。 She outlines two different types of visual thinkers: “object visualizers” （exact images） and “visual-spatial” （conceptual creatives）， celebrating the neurodiversity of these two styles。 As someone who related more to the visual-spatial category with a background in music， risk management， and data visualization， it was interesting to learn about how the education system tends to favor verbal thinkers and learn about famous examples of people who have excelled through their use of visual thinking。 The book includes many interesting diversions and applications such as a couple of intriguing chapters towards the end on visualizing risk and visual thinking in animals。 I was fortunate to see the author give a lecture on this book when it came out， and read an autographed copy。Some highlights:“My mind is not a raft on a sea of words。 It's an ocean of images。”“The work of the researcher Maria Kozhevnikov showed that there are object visualizers like me， who think in pictures， and， as I suspected， a second group of mathematically inclined visual-spatial thinkers， an overlooked but essential subset of visual thinkers， who think in patterns。”“In the most basic terms， there are two kinds of visualizers。"Object visualizers" like me see the world in photorealistic images。 We are graphic designers， artists， skilled tradespeople， architects， inventors， mechanical engineers， and designers。 Many of us are terrible in areas such as algebra， which rely entirely on abstraction and provide nothing to visualize。 "Spatial visualizers" see the world in patterns and abstractions。 They are the music and math minds--the statisticians， scientists， electrical engineers， and physicists。 You'll find a lot of these thinkers excel at computer programming because they can see patterns in the computer code。 Here's a way to think of it。 The object thinker builds the computer。 The spatial thinker writes the code。”“These days， "neurotypical" has replaced the term"normal。" Neurotypicals are generally described as people whose development happens in predictable ways at predictable times。 It's a term that I shy away from， because defining what is neurotypical is as unhelpful as asking the average size of a dog。 What's typical: a Chihuahua or a Great Dane？”“I can absolutely see how the concept of neurodiversity would have been helpful when I was growing up， the label providing insights leading to better mental health treatment and education。 In a 2009 study by Edward Griffin and David Pollak at De Montfort University in Leicester， England， researchers interviewed twenty-seven students with learning differences。 Those who identified their neurodiversity as "difference，" acknowledging both the positives and negatives， expressed higher self-esteem and higher career goals than those who identified with a “medical/deficit" model。”“How a person's identity is formed impacts career development and self esteem。 It is important to distinguish between a disability and valuable neurodiversity。 In my own case there is a trade-off。 Some of my autistic traits make it hard for me to connect with people， and yet I have a profound connection with animals。 I cannot do algebra or other visual-spatial tasks， but I have special abilities in object visualization。 This has made me successful in both animal behavior research and design of equipment。 There needs to be much more emphasis on the things a person is good at。 And this starts in childhood。 Imagine how much further a visually inclined child might go if he or she were exposed to making things at a young age- and was encouraged to do so。 Yes， there may be a trade-off。 Your visual child may not make friends as easily as the verbal kids， but he or she might also invent the conveyor belt that goes to Mars。”“Many people go into a particular career because they were exposed to it at an early age。 In some cases， that's because it was their family business or profession。 According to the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University， approximately 40 percent of family owned businesses will turn over to the next generation。 One in five medical students has a physician parent。 And students with lawyer parents are seventeen times more likely to become lawyers。 That's direct exposure， of a kind。 But it's not the only way to gain exposure。 I suspect that most young people have no idea of the range of career possibilities out there。 One of my missions throughout all the talks I give is to open their eyes。 That includes opening the eyes of parents and teachers。 In our schooling and parenting， we tend to forget that people need exposure to things that don't wind up on tests。 Developing interests also expands a person's imagination and inner life。 Even at the highest levels， enrichment also comes from non-academic exposure。”“The first step in a successful collaboration… is recognizing that different ways of thinking exist。”“[Peter] Thiel says that in Silicon Valley many of the successful entrepreneurs are on the spectrum， which "happens to be a plus for innovation and creating great companies。" In hiring， he says， he avoids MBAs， whom he describes as high-extrovert/low-conviction people， with a combination of traits that leads toward “extremely herd-like thinking and behavior。”“Music， like visual-spatial thinking， is thought to be located on the right side of the brain。 Both math and music share visual-spatial thinking as a basis for patternmaking and abstract thinking: Perhaps math departments should encourage students to learn a musical instrument。 Researchers at Notre Dame of Maryland University found that adolescents who learned to play a musical instrument or studied choral music did better in algebra。 There's that link of abstract thought。 Another study showed that scientists with creative hobbies are more likely to receiveprestigious positions and awards， including the Nobel Prize。”“When a person is just relaxing and letting the brain idle in restful wakefulness， creative ideas will often emerge。 In my own design work， I have often solved an equipment design problem when I was just falling asleep， in the shower， or on a long stretch of open highway。 Research supports the idea that a creative solution to a problem often occurs when the mind is wandering。 Neuroscientists call this the default network… Different types of creators， whether artistic， musical， or literary， generate ideas while the brain is in the wakeful resting state。”“For creativity to produce successful results it needs to have some constraints。 I have met people who had so many competing ideas that they were never able to turn them into a fully realized creation。”“As we've seen， people who excel in their field are generally introduced early on to the tools and concepts that shape their minds， and usually receive mentoring by teachers or other role models。 In a 2016 interview with Charlie Rose，Bill Gates said， "The thing you do obsessively between age thirteen and eighteen， that's the thing you have the most chance of being world class at。" This was certainly true for me。”“Visual thinking does not enable me to predict the future。 But it does allow me to home in on design flaws and system failures that， unaddressed， can lead to disaster。”“Today， on a laptop， a student or researcher can run twenty analyses in a couple of hours。 Is this a good thing？ Obviously yes， for many reasons， but it’s important to remember that algorithms can analyze only the data entered into the computer in the first place。 Today， rigor is equated with the fanciest methods and a wall of stats。 You're not going to come up with accurate results without the brilliant math mind who can crunch the data， but you also need the visual mind that will report accurate data， such as the breed of pig that was used in the research。 This is more than a detail， it's an essential piece of information that I have seen omitted in methods sections。 Serving as a scientific reviewer for several different journals in my field， I have witnessed an increasing use of complicated statistics; about half the time， they are compromised by serious omissions in the methods section。”“We are in the middle of a replication crisis in biomedical research。 In the last few years， the number of studies that have been retracted from the scientific literature has increased significantly。 Massive pressure on researchers to publish in order to keep the grant money flowing is largely responsible。”“the consequences of failing to include the full range of visual thinkers are especially dire when it comes to averting disaster， or what has come to be known as “risk management。”“Most design problems can be sorted into four basic types: design error， operator error， poor maintenance of vital equipment， or a complex combination of risks。”“I've worked in the design field long enough to know that you need to design for the least comperent person… Engineers do not always see this。 It's possible that not being on the ground themselves， they overestimate the abilities of the people operating the equipment。”“The greatest obstacle in understanding visual thinking is knowing it exists。” 。。。more

Carrie Tebeau ，

I was SO excited to read this。 I wanted to learn more about how my own brain works， since I am a deeply visual thinker。 What a disappointment。 Right away， with NO evidence， Grandin firmly states that writers and those with humanities degrees are categorically verbal thinkers。 This becomes the basis of her argument: some people think verbally， and some people think visually。 For her， these are firm distinctions （although she reluctantly admits that sometimes it’s a spectrum。） But she never addres I was SO excited to read this。 I wanted to learn more about how my own brain works， since I am a deeply visual thinker。 What a disappointment。 Right away， with NO evidence， Grandin firmly states that writers and those with humanities degrees are categorically verbal thinkers。 This becomes the basis of her argument: some people think verbally， and some people think visually。 For her， these are firm distinctions （although she reluctantly admits that sometimes it’s a spectrum。） But she never addresses the range; it is almost exclusively painted as either/or， and she confidently assigns thinking types to people she has never interviewed or tested。 While her argument that education and job training pathways should account for more ways of thinking is an essential point that I fully support & believes needs to be explored in policy discourse， there’s no way to trust it because of how insubstantially she builds this point。 It’s really just her insistence， and is woefully light on research and evidence。Worse， she is consistently wrong in her sweeping generalizations。 I am a writer by profession—an editor， no less （a job she specifically highlights as being held exclusively by the unimaginative。） I rely on my visual thinking to do my job: I translate what I see so visually and vividly into words。 How does she think a novel gets written if the writer is not able to visualize？ Additionally， she says （repeatedly and redundantly） that visual thinkers cannot do algebra。 Uh… I excelled at algebra *because* I was able to picture how to move pieces of equations around to balance and reduce them。 As Grandin constantly excluded me from the category of visual thinkers， I wondered if maybe I wasn’t one after all， but took the online test she mentions， and indeed， I scored the highest visual thinking score possible， so I have evidence （although Grandin does not） that her categorical lens is deeply flawed。She also offers educational solutions that are not rooted in research and evidence; for instance， she thinks she can make better writers by having them stare at grammar until they can see it。 Unfortunately for Grandin， a host of academic research （see Mike Rose， to start） shows that this is outmoded and ineffective; good writers see the task holistically and imaginatively—skills a visual thinker very much has。 The research tells us we should help visually thinking writers by tapping into imagination and picture-thinking， not grinding away at rules。 It’s just another place where it’s clear the book is off the top of Grandin’s head when it could be researched and rich。For me， the experience of reading this book was that it is constantly and pointlessly wrong。 The essence of the argument is good， but the black and white thinking and sweeping guesses ruins it。 The awful cherry on top is the repeated moments where Grandin waxes rhapsodic on Elon Musk as a genius， whose brain she claims to fully understand despite not interviewing him。 Sorry， but when you venerate the Twitter monster， I’m out。Two stars only because the topic and core discussion has so much potential。 I hope someone rewrites this book with actual research and curiosity in mind rather than spewing personal opinions & categorical generalizations。 。。。more

Nicole Westen ，

Honestly， this really helps to explain why the best high school teachers I had were the ones who were around since my Dad went to school。 Also， what kind of message are we sending to kids when you fail a test with the correct answers？ I've run into this kind of trouble all through school。 I had to take remedial reading classes in first grade because my teacher only taught whole word reading and the kindergarten I had gone to taught phonics， which my teacher decided was useless and since I couldn Honestly， this really helps to explain why the best high school teachers I had were the ones who were around since my Dad went to school。 Also， what kind of message are we sending to kids when you fail a test with the correct answers？ I've run into this kind of trouble all through school。 I had to take remedial reading classes in first grade because my teacher only taught whole word reading and the kindergarten I had gone to taught phonics， which my teacher decided was useless and since I couldn't learn the way she taught then I was obviously 'slow'。 It's also amazing the number of times I've had a teacher tell me that if I can't understand the lesson the way they learned it then I am too stupid for their class， because their way of explaining is the only way of explaining。Temple Grandin mentions that all students are being shoe-horned into one way of learning， and there is a refusal to acknowledge that other ways of thinking about things exist， which I feel is more uniquely American， since we are obsessed with 'normal'。 It just made me think of the book on mental health 'Nobody's Normal' which points out that American obsession with there being one optimal way to exist is relatively recent。That said， I have a small handful of criticisms， which are mostly nitpicking on my part so make of it what you will。 I was rather annoyed that almost all of the examples of visual thinkers that Temple Grandin used are science/technology oriented， when there are plenty of visual thinkers in the arts as well。 I just get tired of people deciding that I somehow know how to code because I'm autistic。 No， no I can't。 I'd have an easier time reading Linear A。 The second thing that bothered me was how much Grandin talked about Elon Musk。 Yes， Musk is on the spectrum， yes he has invented a lot of impressive technology。。。 the guy is still a jerk。 Just hearing about how great he is in the field of science and engineering just annoyed the heck out of me， because he's kind of an awful person in all other aspects。 Also， ELON MUSK NEEDS TO PAY HIS TAXES！！！ 。。。more

Grace ，

3。6 stars rounded up。 Interesting， but a tad tangential and unaware of biases。 BOOK NOTES: First few chapters were fantastic。 Well constructed and executed and on topic with appropriate examples。 Bit repetitive， but she’s just driving the point home， so fair enough。 For someone who seems to claim* that visual thinking is just a Different Style of thinking and therefore is on equal ground with verbal thinking， she really does seem to look down on verbal thinkers。 She seems to be saying that verba 3。6 stars rounded up。 Interesting， but a tad tangential and unaware of biases。 BOOK NOTES: First few chapters were fantastic。 Well constructed and executed and on topic with appropriate examples。 Bit repetitive， but she’s just driving the point home， so fair enough。 For someone who seems to claim* that visual thinking is just a Different Style of thinking and therefore is on equal ground with verbal thinking， she really does seem to look down on verbal thinkers。 She seems to be saying that verbal thinking is a lens *over* visual thinking。 While we are all allegedly born with the visual thinking software， Grandin’s argument seems to be （I sure am saying “seems” a lot） that verbal thinking is the Root of All Evil TM in that it allows for philosophy that justified animal and human cruelty。 Her arguments just aren’t professed outright， so a lot of this comes off as a little passive aggressive and visual thinker ego-inflationMore than a little bit of “I Think Different，y and Am Therefore Smarter and Better。 Case of the different girl from YA novels。” Thinking differently is a valuable skill to have sure， but Grandin touts her thinking style as superior because it makes her more “practical” and capable of “visualizing” problems。 I think it’s a gross generalization to say verbal thinkers are inferior in this due exclusively to their thinking style。 Talking about animal rights？ I mean yea okay it’s important， I’ll readily get on my soapbox about it any day， but what is it doing here？ Is she making a case about the fact that books seem so one concept centric and that’s not an efficient model？ Is it verbal thinking bias to prefer nonfiction books that follow a single thread and explain it from lots of different angles？ Her logic is more of a walk through a museum。 Lots of different cases which have their own little plaque without really digging into the deep explanation of any one component。 （There’s a visual thinker analogy for you lol） *cannot for the life of me recall if this was explicitly expressed or not。 SUMMARY: interesting concept， could’ve been expressed in half the page count。 First chapters were far more put together than later chapters and examples became increasingly flimsy as book progressed （with exception of very last chapter）。 。。。more

Deirdre ，

There were parts of this book that were very interesting。 Others dragged and/or seemed repetitive。 I found the discussion of the importance of including different types of thinkers on teams especially noteworthy。 The author's recounting of being encouraged to try different activities as a child and the impact on her life might provide useful insight for parents of young children - especially those who might be labeled with various disabilities。 There were parts of this book that were very interesting。 Others dragged and/or seemed repetitive。 I found the discussion of the importance of including different types of thinkers on teams especially noteworthy。 The author's recounting of being encouraged to try different activities as a child and the impact on her life might provide useful insight for parents of young children - especially those who might be labeled with various disabilities。 。。。more

Robin ，

I've admired Temple Grandin for years。 This book shares not only how she deals with the world but why others should be sensitive to people who don't process like she does。 Often in these pages she asks questions of the reader to help them assess how they process problems。 There are many studies cited to support her premises。 Most interesting to me was her feeling that we are losing all our creative mechanical brains。 This is due to the fact that 'shop' classes are no longer taught in high school I've admired Temple Grandin for years。 This book shares not only how she deals with the world but why others should be sensitive to people who don't process like she does。 Often in these pages she asks questions of the reader to help them assess how they process problems。 There are many studies cited to support her premises。 Most interesting to me was her feeling that we are losing all our creative mechanical brains。 This is due to the fact that 'shop' classes are no longer taught in high school and therefore the people who think of mechanical inventions aren't nurtured。 I agree， not everyone needs college， where will get plumbers， electricians and inventors？ 。。。more

Lori Gibbany ，

Affirmed my fears， made me feel better about my brain and the way I think

Missy Caswell ，

Very well written and a must read for everyone especially educators， parents and students with learning differences， and employers！

Tracy ，

Really an outstanding book！！ So full of information that I will need to own my own copy to go back and reference， I'm a library girl， there's only so much room in the house！ I loved the history behind so many things and ways of thinking about consciousness。 Made me think differently about many people in my life。 Really an outstanding book！！ So full of information that I will need to own my own copy to go back and reference， I'm a library girl， there's only so much room in the house！ I loved the history behind so many things and ways of thinking about consciousness。 Made me think differently about many people in my life。 。。。more

Susan ，

The first chapter was great！

Keely ，

In Visual Thinking， Temple Grandin examines the different styles of thinking associated with object-visual thinkers （mechanics， artists， engineers， craftspeople， hands-on types） and visual-spatial thinkers （engineers， mathematicians， chess wizards， computer scientists， etc。）。 Grandin looks at these thinking styles as they correlate with neurodiverse traits， from dyslexia， to autism， to ADHD。 She also makes a case that these more visual thinkers are increasingly undervalued by a culture that priz In Visual Thinking， Temple Grandin examines the different styles of thinking associated with object-visual thinkers （mechanics， artists， engineers， craftspeople， hands-on types） and visual-spatial thinkers （engineers， mathematicians， chess wizards， computer scientists， etc。）。 Grandin looks at these thinking styles as they correlate with neurodiverse traits， from dyslexia， to autism， to ADHD。 She also makes a case that these more visual thinkers are increasingly undervalued by a culture that prizes verbal thinking， and underserved by a school system that pegs you as dumb if you can't pass algebra， even as it continues to drop the shop， art， music， and business curricula where object-visualizing students might have a chance to develop their talents。 And ultimately， she asserts， we're all losing out because of that disconnect between diverse types of thinkers and a one-size-fits-all education system。I enjoyed spending time with this book。 It made me think and jot down lots of notes on books， articles， and other resources I'd like to follow up on。 I am definitely a verbal thinker。 When I sew， I have to engage in mental backflips to picture how this step is going to lead to that promised result。 My brain can work in mental pictures that way， but it's not a talent， and I can't do it easily。 I think that must be how much of school and life feels to an extreme object-visual thinker in this day and age。 In any case， Visual Thinking got me thinking about what an incredible advantage it's been all my life to be a solid verbal thinker and communicator。For what it's worth， I wasn't bothered by the views Grandin expresses on autism and other types of neurodiversity。 However， I can see how a few of her thoughts might rub some readers the wrong way。 But if you aren't too hijacked by those， what stands out is how much she genuinely cares about neurodiverse individuals and wants to empower them to lead the most meaningful lives they can。 。。。more

。 jamesjohn ，

It explains so much: Why the current （or two） crop（s） of people are such。。。 so。。。 cluelessly ignorant about。。。 much of reality。 So nonfunctional about some things that used to be baseline。 And kinda why math and all the words， and all the academics， have to be waded through like molasses， maybe swum up and over by those that can。This book is not perfect， but comes nicely/usefully close。 It would have been good to have illustrations of all the referenced parts of the brain， and -now today- Ms。 Gr It explains so much: Why the current （or two） crop（s） of people are such。。。 so。。。 cluelessly ignorant about。。。 much of reality。 So nonfunctional about some things that used to be baseline。 And kinda why math and all the words， and all the academics， have to be waded through like molasses， maybe swum up and over by those that can。This book is not perfect， but comes nicely/usefully close。 It would have been good to have illustrations of all the referenced parts of the brain， and -now today- Ms。 Grandin's effusiveness over Elon Musk has a new dimension of failure - anyone on the spectrum needs to be very， very cautious of their social blind spot。。。 This and the rise of AI's blind spot could be fodder for this prolific writer's next book。 。。。more

Andy ，

Brilliant， thought-provoking book on neurodiverse thinking。 Largely anecdotal， but with a plethora of references to back up her observations。 Separates thought into three groups， visual， abstract and linear （verbal） which for me is a simplification but sells a good story on visual thinkers。Not sure that anyone really thinks in words， we just use them to justify the way we think。 Navigation is common to animals and humans。 We get around easily without using any words， but highly evolved thought p Brilliant， thought-provoking book on neurodiverse thinking。 Largely anecdotal， but with a plethora of references to back up her observations。 Separates thought into three groups， visual， abstract and linear （verbal） which for me is a simplification but sells a good story on visual thinkers。Not sure that anyone really thinks in words， we just use them to justify the way we think。 Navigation is common to animals and humans。 We get around easily without using any words， but highly evolved thought processes are necessary。 That said， Temple Grandin - you are a marvel。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0