Brian & Temple thanks for the great program & talking my call.

I invite both of you to visit me at the infomation desk next time you visit Occupy Wall Street/ Liberty Plaza!

You are both Cool Heroes in my book!

Many thanks for showing the power of education.

@justinstoned on twitter

Hi, Norm--Yes, there's a book called, Social Skills Success for Students with Autism / Asperger's: Helping Adolescents on the Spectrum to Fit In by Fred Frankel and Jeffrey Wood. It's meant for parents and teachers, and is being published in about two weeks (from Jossey-Bass Publishers). You may find this useful.

I love the Always Be Pledging promo -- especially since I watched Glengarry Glenn Ross for the umpteenth time recently and still have Alec Baldwin's monologue fresh in my mind. Put that coffee down!

Thank you Temple, for taking the time to represent a group which doesn't often have a voice. I believe that nowadays, we get too hung up with labels instead of focusing on the traits, strengths and weaknesses of an individual, and that many well meaning medical professionals can actually be doing more harm than good by focusing on the negative aspects of a diagnosis instead of assessing the individuals aptitudes and their level of functioning. We need to accept that all things in nature exist on a continuum, whether it be masculinity/femininity, introversion/extroversion, tall/short, or whatever it may be, and that variety is intrinisic to Nature's design. I also want to point out that deficits in social skills may be due to a variety of conditions, including mood,anxiety disorders, ADHD, and even things as simple as learning bad manners from friends and family.

I always thought that people with autism probably had another part of their mind that was significantly augmented, some mental ability that was amplified as the brain compensated for the loss of social and communicative skills. I still believe that people with autism are a severely underused resource and that if we allowed them to contribute to science and technology that society could move forward significantly

This is such a wonderful and important segment. Thank you!

How can we find a way to teach our kids social skills? Is there a program?

warmly, norm

EINSTEIN WAS NO "EINSTEIN".

The idea that Albert Einstein was autistic is absolutely ludicrous. Einstein did well in school and would do well now. He also was an incredibly social person. Apparently these people think that any brilliant person was autistic. Talk about making a mockery of the diagnosis.

I've always found this topic, and Temple Grandin, interesting - even before I had kids. Now that I do, I'm constantly trying to find the resources and tools to help me figure out the best ways to help my child achieve his potential. I hope that Temple and Diane can discuss how to develop those resources for these kids.