Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin, PhD, (born August 29, 1947) is an associate professor at Colorado State University and arguably the most accomplished and well-known adult with 'high functioning' autism in the world (the better known founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, is thought by some to have Asperger's syndrome, a milder autism spectrum disorder[1] (http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/Genius_May_Be_Abnormality.htm)). Grandin is also a world renowned professional designer of humane livestock facilities.

Early life and education

Grandin grew up in a time when very little was known about autism. At age two, she was diagnosed with 'brain damage', but doctors would not recognize her condition as autism for several years. She was placed in a structured nursery school with what she considers to have been good teachers. She considers herself lucky to have had supporting mentors from primary school onwards.

Grandin received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce College in 1970, her master's degree in animal science from Arizona State University in 1975, and her PhD in animal science from the University of Illinois in 1989.

Fame, professional accomplishments, and advocacy

Grandin became well-known after being described by Oliver Sacks in the title narrative of his book, An Anthropologist On Mars, the title derived from Grandin's description of how she feels around 'neurotypical' people. Grandin has also been featured on major television programs, such as ABC's Primetime Live, the Today Show, and Larry King Live, and written up in Time magazine, People magazine, Forbes, and the New York Times.

Based on personal experience, she advocates early intervention and supporting teachers who can direct fixations of the autistic child to fruitful directions. She has described her own hypersensitivity to noise and other sensory stimuli, as well as her need to visualize everything. She regularly takes anti-depressants and uses a squeeze-box (hug machine) she invented at the age of 18.

Grandin is considered a philosophical leader of both the animal welfare and autism advocacy movements. Both movements commonly cite her work regarding animal welfare, neurology, and philosophy. She knows all too well the anxiety of feeling threatened by everything in her surroundings, and of being dismissed and feared, all of which motivates her in her quest to promote humane livestock handling processes. Her business website has entire sections on how to improve standards in slaughter plants and livestock farms.

One of her most important essays about animal welfare is 'Animals are not Things', in which she posits animals are technically property in our society, but the law ultimately gives them ethical protections or 'rights'. She uses a 'screwdriver' metaphor by saying a person can legally smash or grind up a screwdriver but a person cannot legally torture an animal.

See also

• Aspies For Freedom
• Autistic community
• Controversies in autism
• Neurodiversity
• Sensory Integration Dysfunction

Books:

• Emergence: Labeled Autistic (with Margaret Scariano, 1986, updated 1991), ISBN 0446671827
• The Learning Style of People with Autism: An Autobiography (1995). In Teaching Children with Autism : Strategies to Enhance Communication and Socializaion, Kathleen Ann Quill, ISBN 0827362692
• Thinking in pictures : and Other Reports from My Life with Autism (1996), ISBN 0679772898
• Developing Talents : Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism (2004). ISBN 1931282560
• Animals in Translation : Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior (2005), ISBN 0743247698

External Links:

• Grandin.com (http://www.grandin.com/) - Temple Grandin's commercial page
• Autism.org (http://www.autism.org/) - Center for the Study of Autism (includes several of her articles)
• GregPalmer.com (http://www.gregpalmer.com/temple.htm) - 'Temple Grandin's Life Story', Greg Palmer
• TempleGrandin.com (http://www.templegrandin.com/) - 'Temple Grandin, PhD'de:Temple Grandin