Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism

Born with autism, both Temple Grandin and Sean Barron now live famously successful social lives. However, their paths were quite different. Temple's logical mind controlled her social behavior. She interacted with many adults and other children, experiencing varied social situations. Logic informed her decision to obey social rules and avoid unpleasant consequences. Sean's emotions controlled his social behavior. Baffled by social rules, isolated and friendless, he made up his own and applied them to others. When they inevitably broke his rules, he felt worthless and unloved. Both Temple and Sean ultimately came to terms with the social world and found their places in it. Whether you are a person with autism, a caregiver in the autism community, or just someone interested in an outsider view of society, their powerful stories will enthrall and enlighten you. The first edition of Unwritten Rules of Social Engagement was the Silver Award Winner of the Book of the Year Awards and the original edition sold more than 40,000 copies in hard cover!

Temple Grandin earned her Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois, and became an associate professor at Colorado State University. Dr. Grandin is one of the most respected individuals with high-functioning autism in the world. She presents at conferences nationwide, helping thousands of parents and professionals understand how to help individuals with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and PDD. She is the author of Emergence: Labeled Autistic, Thinking in Pictures, Animals in Translation (which spent many weeks on The New York Times Best-Seller List), The Autistic Brain, and The Loving Push, co-written with Debra Moore, Ph.D. One of the most celebrated -- and effective -- animal advocates on the planet, Dr. Grandin revolutionized animal movement systems and spearheaded reform of the quality of life for the world's agricultural animals.

Sean Barron is a very interesting and intelligent man who has faced the challenges of being on the autism spectrum. He's progressed to the point that it is difficult to even realize that he once was truly impacted by autism/Asperger's syndrome. Sean is a graduate of Youngstown State University, and works as a reporter for the Youngstown Vindicator. He has multiple degrees and his latest degree is in journalism. He's a freelance writer and lives independently. Sean co-authored There's A Boy in Here with his mother, Judy Barron.

Veronica Zysk has been working in the field of autism since 1991. She served as Executive Director of the Autism Society of America from 1991-1996, and then joined Future Horizons. She was the visionary for the first national magazine on autism spectrum disorders, the Autism Asperger's Digest, winner of multiple Gold awards for excellence. In addition to her writing collaborations with Ellen Notbohm (1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism or Asperger's; Ten Things Every Student with Autism Wishes You Knew), she has co-authored and/or edited 14 other books on autism and Asperger’s, working with noted authors such as Temple Grandin, James Ball, and Michelle Garcia Winner. Veronica makes her home in the beautiful western mountains of North Carolina.