Dr. Temple Grandin grew up with autism in the 1950s when it was poorly understood. She didn’t speak her language until she was three and a half years old. At that time, many children with speech delays were institutionalized. But her mother refused to allow it, so she took her to a world-leading special needs researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, which enabled her to enter kindergarten alongside her peers. I was led to a neurologist who suggested an early form of speech therapy to
Dr. Grandin received a BS in Human Psychology from Franklin Pierce College in 1970, an MS in Animal Science from Arizona State University in 1975, and a PhD in Animal Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 1989.
her first book Occurrence: Labeled Autism, It provided a then-unprecedented exploration of how people with autism think, perceive and navigate the world. She also helped break through years of shame and stigma for people with autism, as she was one of the first adults to come out publicly as having autism. .
Dr. Grandin is now Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, and with her unique understanding of cattle behavior, her insights into animal behavior have revolutionized animal husbandry. More than half of North America’s cattle are raised and processed with systems designed by Grandin.
Throughout her career, she has authored numerous scientific papers and numerous books, including her most recent. Visual Thinking: The Hidden Talent of People Thinking in Pictures, Patterns, and AbstractionsShe was even the focus of a semi-biographical HBO movie called Temple Grandin.
She will join us for a talk on Saturday, January 7th at 1:30 PM at Christ Community Church in Fort Myers. This is part of the non-profit Family Initiative’s “Redefining Autism” speaker series. It is open to the public and does not require registration. Click here for more information.
Click here to see the 2010 TED Talk with over 6 million views.
