In Autism Is the Future, Marlo Payne Thurman reveals how cognitive
differences are the constructing pieces in understanding those with
autism. Through her findings, she shows how those with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) constantly challenge assumptions about intelligence and
measuring intelligence.
Thurman proposes that sensory and cognitive development have evolved
together into a very different form of intelligence in those with ASD,
and it should be viewed not as a disability but instead as a difference
to be celebrated and followed.
Thurman began working with children diagnosed with ASD in 1986. With
group home management and intensive ABA therapy in her early career, she
developed a special interest in meeting the unique needs of those
individuals who were asynchronously developed into the realms of the
"ASD savant." Most recently, she completed a landmark study proposing an
alternative sensory-cognitive difference theory based on her extensive
discussions and interactions with diagnosed adults. This research was
the foundation for this book.