My Experiences as an Autistic Child and Review of Selected Literature

Introduction Did you ever wonder what an autistic child is thinking? I was a partially autistic child and I will try to provide you with some insight. I am now 36 years old and work as a consultant, designing livestock facilities for feedlots, ranches, and meat plants throughout the U.S. and abroad. I have also authored articles in both national and international livestock publications (Grandin, 1979, 1980a). At the present time I am doing research on animal behavior and neurophysiology and working on my doctorate in animal science at the University of Illinois. In this paper I will describe my experiences and relate them to research findings. My firsthand experience with autism provided me with some clues which helped guide me through the vast library of scientific research and find some leads for research and therapy which could possibly benefit autistic children. Brief Case History At the age of 1/2 to 3 I had many of the standard autistic behaviors such as fixation on spinning objects, refusing to be touched or held, preferring to be alone, destructive behavior, temper tantrums, inability to speak, sensitivity to sudden noises, appearance of deafness, and an intense interest in odors. I was the first child in a family of four and my mother took me to a neurologist to be examined because I did not act like the little girls next door. The EEG and hearing test were normal at age 3. On the Rimland checklist (1971) I had many of the symptoms and would have scored +9 at age 1/2. The checklist was filled out by my mother in 1974. A score of +20 is classical autism or Kanner's syndrome. Only about 10 percent of children described as autistic fit in the closely defined Kanner's syndrome. There are metabolic differences between Kanner's syndrome and other types of autism (Rimland 1980). At the age of 3 to 3/2 my behavior greatly improved, but I did not learn to speak until 3/2. At the age of 3 to 4 my behavior was more normal until I became tired. When I became tired, bouts of impulsive behavior would return. Throughout elementary school I had bouts of temper tantrums and I was hyperactive and refused to sit still. My third-grade teacher noticed that I would flinch when she touched me. At the age of 9