REDEFINING PARENTHOOD IN THE AGE OF AUTISM:

Reflections generated by reading Eustacia Cutler's book,
A THORN IN MY POCKET ~ Temple Grandin's Mother Tells the Family Story

By Stephanie Mines, Ph.D.
Copyright 9/11

Eustacia & Temple

Temple Grandin's mother, Eustacia Cutler, has done us a  
great service by writing the candid story of her experience  
raising Temple. In this somewhat rambling but nevertheless  
cogent autobiography, Mrs. Cutler tells it like it is! Her  
reporting is simultaneously an education and a validation  
for all those families that rally to the potential of their

neurodiverse child. 

While unflinchingly exposing her own vulnerability Temple 
Grandin's mother gives us an intimate glimpse into the family drama that tellingly 
begins with her eldest daughter's birth in a hospital bent on keeping mother and baby 
apart. Without drawing conclusions from this foundational scenario, Mrs.Cutler makes 
it clear that she was disempowered by the medical process early on. The dynamics 
between Temple's mother and father are a dominant theme in the life drama that unfolds. 
This is not only a struggle between male and female. It is a struggle between the view of 
neurodiversity as illness, as illness, embarrassment and insanity and the view of

neurodiversity as another form of intelligence.

"The sensory scrambling facing my child is reinforced by the emotional
scrambling facing her parents." ~ Eustacia Cutler (Temple Grandin's Mother) 

In many ways A Thorn in My Pocket is pure historical 
journalism, albeit from a personal point of view. Through the 
prism of Eustacia's effort to understand her daughter and 
herself we learn about the evolution of medical attitudes 
towards autism and how they have frequently stifled parental 
wisdom. We learn about the horrendous impact of Bruno 
Bettelheim, the institutions that threatened (and still threaten) 
brilliant children like Temple, and how educational systems 

were (and still are) unprepared to address neurodiversity. 

What repeats itself over and over, despite the curvatures of
Mrs. Cutler's story, is her indomitable and unique intelligence 
that partners naturally with her commitment to her daughter's
vibrant and obvious potential. Temple Grandin's mother found mentors for her 
daughter in the human and animal realms. She relentlessly thought for herself 
despite feeling intimidated by medical authorities. It is her courage and individuality 
that impresses me and urges me to recommend this book to all parents and especially
to parents of children with special needs. 

"Autism is an exaggeration of what lies in us all." ~ Eustacia Cutler

Eustacia Cutler

Eustacia Cutler embodies the driving power of attunement and advocacy
that are the primary responsibilities of all parents. She is the well
boundaried, protective and observant parent who sees not what their 
child can do for them but what they can do for their child. In addition,
the book contains practical suggestions for how to discipline and direct 
your child towards learning and appropriate social engagement. These 
suggestions apply across the board. 

Thank you Mrs. Cutler! May your model thrive and multiply!