In The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention, Simon Baron-Cohen explores the intriguing cognitive link connecting the world's greatest innovators to those who exhibit the classic traits of autism. In doing so he invites readers to understand autism beyond its disability label and in an evolutionary context going back over thousands of years.
Baron-Cohen (Zero Degrees of Empathy; The Science of Evil) is a psychologist and director of the Autism Research Center at the University of Cambridge in England. In The Pattern Seekers, he introduces readers to the neurocognitive gene that led humans to diverge from all other animals and to conquer the earth. Describing the gene as a "systemizing mechanism" that seeks logical patterns in everyday surroundings, the author contends that brilliant minds, such as Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein, exhibit high levels of the gene, as do those on the autism spectrum--often at the expense of an ability to empathize with others and maneuver in the social world.
Baron-Cohen has devoted his career to studying autism and is careful to avoid romanticizing the autistic mind's capacity for extraordinary systemizing without paying regard to the real struggles facing those on the disability spectrum. One hypothesis he presents is that the systemizing mechanism turned up to an extreme level might manifest as a learning disability.
Offering insightful research on neurodiversity and making the case for more employment opportunities for those with disabilities, Baron-Cohen makes a persuasive case for allowing autistic people to focus on what they are good at instead of expecting them to perform tasks more suited to their neurotypical peers. --Shahina Piyarali, reviewer