Goddard MFA faculty member Richard Panek‘s collaboration with Temple Grandin, The Autistic Brain, has received a Wise Award for popular science writing published in Poland in 2016.
Originally published in the U.S. by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2013, The Autistic Brain was published by Copernicus Center Press in Poland.  The book was described as weaving Grandin’s own experience with remarkable new discoveries.  Grandin introduces the neuroimaging advances and genetic research that link brain science to behavior, even sharing her own brain scan to show us which anomalies might explain common symptoms. We meet the scientists and self-advocates who are exploring innovative theories of what causes autism and how we can diagnose and best treat it. Grandin also highlights long-ignored sensory problems and the transformative effects we can have by treating autism symptom by symptom, rather than with an umbrella diagnosis. Most exciting, she argues that raising and educating kids on the spectrum isn’t just a matter of focusing on their weaknesses; in the science that reveals their long-overlooked strengths she shows us new ways to foster their unique contributions.
Richard Panek’s other critically acclaimed books include The 4% Universe and The Invisible Century.  He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in science writing.  Richard attended the Wise Award ceremony in Krakow, Poland.