Basic Books The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention

I have worked in special education for over 30 years and I am thrilled by the publication of two new excellent books on autism, Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant and The Pattern Seekers by Simon Baron-Cohen, the subject of this review. The Pattern Seekers is a very enjoyable read. It is an excellent balance of science, anthropology, anecdote, and education. More importantly, The Pattern Seekers is a celebration of neurodiversity. Baron-Cohen focuses on the wonderful gift of systematizing; a characteristic that he believes is the result of the same trait that causes autism. Indeed, Baron-Cohen contends that a “Systematizing Mechanism evolved in the human brain, between 70,000 and 100,000 years ago,” (p. 17) making humans distinct from all other creatures and capable of extraordinary levels of creation. An important theme in Baron-Cohen’s book is the notion that there are “five types of brains” ranging from highly empathic to highly systematic. For the purposes of science, classification is critical, but in the classroom, we teachers do well by avoiding rigid classification (e.g., brain types, auditory learners, visual learners, etc.). In doing so we run the risk of fixating on an instructional approach that may not be optimal for the student. In the final chapter of his book, Baron-Cohen offers the excellent suggestion that we reform education such that students who want to be specialists have the benefit of a “narrow curriculum” and students who prefer to be generalists have access to a “broad curriculum.” As an educator, I am encouraged by Baron-Cohen’s book. I have always striven to celebrate differences and leverage each student’s interests and strengths. I am eager to know more about how Baron-Cohen views the role of relationships in learning and the creative process. It has long been my observation that teaching and learning, at their best, are the outcome of social interaction and that great achievements of humans are the product of both remarkable levels of systematization and of successful collaboration. I am now convinced that systematization may have set humans apart from all other animals but I also believe our natural ability to learn and teach at a very high level, may ultimately prove to be our most significant defining characteristic.

Simon Baron-Cohen once again displays a comprehensive understanding of what autism means, how it works and who may be likely to exhibit signs that point toward systemized behaviour. His if-and-then model accurately depicts the thought process of Type S and Extreme Type S personality types. I received this yesterday and could not put this book down, finishing it within a few hours. Now I have the further reading, notes and references to go through to seek more accounts and the underlying neuroscience of it. Highly recommend, especially if you have autism.

I greatly enjoy reading books by scientists brave enough to venture out onto an intellectual limb and put forward new theories. In this book, psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen proposes a new theory of how the human mind "invents" new ideas, tools, machines ,etc. Drawing upon his studies of autism, Baron-Cohen describes a "Systemizing Mechanism" in human brains which evolved 70,000 to 100,000 years ago, marking a dramatic leap in human invention and creativity which decisively separated homo sapiens from our homolid ancestors. This book bristles with challenging ideas, including details about how the Systemizing Mechanism works, discussions about human genetics, descriptions about differences among human brains (systemizing vs. empathy), and thoughts about human evolution. In addition, the author describes various autistic individuals while making the case for their value to our society. I suspect that some (or perhaps most) academics will react with hostility and suspicion toward the author's ideas, but I found his arguments persuasive.

Helped with understanding students - job related

Ive read several papers of Baron-Cohen’s papers and was excited when this book came out. While autism is not my primary area of focus, a lot of portfolio managers on Wall Street appear to have it, so I wanted to learn more. I was looking for a non-technical book, written by a serious academic which explains the mechanisms behind the condition and this book is perfect. The Pattern Seekers explains the systemization process in a very easy to understand way with interesting little vignettes which makes the book a joy to read. I have already recommended this book to several colleagues and am happy to give this book a glowing review. Paul D. Sonkin - author of Pitch the Perfect Investment