Temple Grandin is without doubt the most well-known and accomplished grown up with autism globally. Grandin has appeared on main TV programs like ‘ABC’s Primetime Live, “CNN’s Larry King Live”, “Today Show”, 20/20″, and “48 Hours”. She has penned articles for national publications like Time Magazine, Forbes, People Magazine, New York Times, the New York Times book review, Discover magazine, U.S. News and World Report. A 30-minute show on Grandin’s life was done by Bravo Cable and the bestseller book, Anthropologist from Mars, featured her as among the ‘challenged’ persons (Grandin, Temple).
Interviews with Temple have been aired on National Public Radio. Grandin’s books, Animals Make Us Human, and Animals in Translation, both appeared on New York Times’ blockbuster list. The Canadian blockbuster list has as well included Animals Make Us Human (Grandin,Temple).
Grandin was unable to talk up to the time she was three and a half years of age. Before than, she used to communicate her frustrations by peeping, humming, or screaming. She was declared autistic in 1950 and her parents had thought about institutionalizing her (Grandin, Temple).
Although regarded as weird in her early school life, Grandin finally located a counselor who identified her abilities and interests, which Grandin later developed to become a victorious livestock handling apparatus designer. She is among the very few such designers globally. Grandin has designed the facilities for handling 50 percent of the livestock in the USA. She has as well consulted for firms like McDonald’s, Swift, and Burger King(Grandin, Temple).
During her childhood and teenage years, Grandin though that all persons though through pictures. She failed to understand that her kind of thinking was different. While at work and at meetings, she began asking other persons comprehensive queries regarding how they obtained information from their brains (Hollander, 2003). The answers she received made her learn that her visualization competencies were far more superior to other people.
All autism minds are oriented to details; however, their way of specialization is different. Through questioning persons, Temple has learned that 3 varied kinds of specialized though exist namely: visual thinking like Temple’s; verbal logic thinking; and math and music thinking (Hollander 2003).
Autism may have combinations of these thinning types because the condition widely varies. Understanding such 3 methods is crucial when teaching autistic children. Techniques which develop the child’s strong points as well as are compatible with the child’s thinking patterns are most successful (Grandin, 1995). This is evident most probably between 5 and eight years of age. For Children under fiver years, it is usually hard to recognize their strong points, if savant competencies are not unfolding (Edleson, Stephen).
Visual thinkers usually love building blocks and art and are easily engrossed in projects. Mathematical concepts like subtraction and adding should be taught beginning with solid objects that such children may touch. If children only draw a single entity, like airplanes, they ought to be urged to as well draw related entities, like runways, hangers, or vehicles. Widening budding skills aids children become extra flexible in their thinking patterns (Grandin, Temple). Temple has written more than three hundred articles in livestock periodicals and scientific journal. The articles have dwelt on animal welfare, handling, and the design of facilities. Grandin has authored Animals in Translation, Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals, Livestock Handling and Transport, Animals Make us Human, Thinking in Pictures and other Reports From my Life With Autism, Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships, Humane Livestock Handling, and Emergence: Labelled Autistic. Grandin has also produced Dr. Temple Grandin, a DVD video (Grandin, Temple).
In the book Emergence: Labelled Autistic, Grandin narrates how she emerged from deep darkness. The book shocked the world since, prior to its publication, majority of parents and professionals thought that having autism virtually meant that productivity and achievement were gone forever (Edleson, Stephen).
She has turned into a famous speaker and author because she knows that numerous professionals and parents still believe that autism is a life-long condition. Such belief has made numerous autistic children lead sorry and sad lives just like Grandin did earlier on. Such persons are totally unaware that the features of autism are controllable and modifiable.
In ‘The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger’s’, Dr. Temple Grandin explores the factual issues surrounding autism. Such issues are faced by teachers, individuals, and parents on a daily basis. Grandin provides useful don’ts and do’s , try-it-now clues, and realistic strategies on the basis of founded research and the insider viewpoint she holds (Grandin Temple).
She examines issues like: why and how persons with autism display different thinking; cost-effective timely intervention practical programs; how learning is affected by sensory sensitivities; behaviors resulting from disability in comparison with merely unacceptable behaviors; making autistic persons to know how to exist in an unsteady world; conventional medicine versus alternative medicine; and employment principles for autistic grownups (Grandin,1995).
Temple obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree at Frankin Pierce College. She obtained her Master of Science degree at Arizona State University. Grandin was accorded a Ph. D degree in 1989 at the University of Illinois.
She presently teaches livestock behavior -related and the design of facilities courses at Colorado State University. Grandin as well consult with livestock stakeholders on livestock handling, facility design, as well as animal welfare (Hollander, 2003). Grandin was teaching at the Colorado State University as an Animal Science Associate Professor in 2005. She has as well traveled around the globe speaking about cattle handling and autism.
Race systems and curved chute designed by Grandin for livestock are employed globally. Her publications regarding flight zone as well as other grazing livestock behavior principles have assisted numerous persons minimize stress on animals when handling.
Grandin has as well created an objective scoring scheme for evaluating handling of pigs and cattle at meat facilities. Such a scoring scheme is presently employed by numerous big companies to enhance animal welfare. Grandin has as well undertaken research in areas such as environmental fortification for pigs, cattle temperament, minimizing bruises and dark cutters, training-procedures, bull fertility, as well as efficient stunning techniques for pigs and cattle at meat facilities (Grandin, Temple). In regard to humanistic behavior she was the first person ever to write and Autobiography on what it is like to have Autism. She has made landmark discoveries that continue to help people understand this disorder.
Works cited
Hollander, Eric,. Austism and Spectrum Disorders. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2003. Print.
Grandin ,Temple, Dr. The Way I See It: A personal look into autism and Asperger’s . 1st. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons, Incorporated, 2008. Print. Website: http://templegrandin.com/templehome.html.
Grandin, Temple (1995),. Thinking in Pictures: and other reports from my life with autism; with a foreward by Oliver Sacks. 2nd Vintage Books ed. New York: Vintage Books, c2006. Print. “Expanded Edition including the most recent research, therapy and resources” Includes bibliographical references (p. [245-296).
Stephen Edelson, Dr. “Interview with Temple Grandin.” www.autism.com/individualism/temp_int.htm. 01 Feb 1996. Autism Reasearch Institute, Web. 22 Sep 2009. <http://autism.com>. In Reference to Dr. Temple’s Book “Thinking in Pictures”.
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