Temple

Let's check in with Temple Grandin, accomplished and outspoken autistic, who is now 64. She is the subject of a new biography for kids, Temple Grandin by Sy Montgomery: "It's just hideously disgusting....There is no humane way to process that kind of animal," she says to convince the manager of a multimillion-dollar restaurant chain to stop serving veal. She published her own book Different...Not Less (her 7th): "She reiterates that people with autism need alternatives to interviews (a weakness for people with communication challenges), mentors, early experiences that develop the work ethic and by all means should take advantage of social media to show off one's portfolio." She reviewed the iPad positively, but cautions, "A tablet computer is not a substitute for a teacher." She did a cameo the film ITW: Pathway by Jennifer Elster: "It's bottoms up!" She described her bond with cattle in a brief video on Animal Planet. She was interviewed by Leslie Stahl for 60 Minutes Overtime: "What I've tried to do is combine both my personal experiences with scientific research. I like to cross the divide between the personal world and the scientific world." She made plans to appear at an Anti-Stigma Speaker Series on April 19th in Davenport, Iowa: "Through my whole career, I’ve sold my work rather than myself. Every job I ever got, it was with my portfolio of work, with photographs of finished projects and articles I’d written for magazines.” She addressed the Future Farmers of America in Rolla, Missouri: "Everyone knows a calm cow is easier to handle." She lent her support to a proposed slaughterhouse in western Missouri. She delivered the keynote speech at a livestock conference in Fairlee, Vermont: "Personally, I can't function on a vegetarian diet and I don't think I'm alone. But we've got to be good stewards." She talked to students and faculty at a community college in Tulsa, Oklahoma: "Kids with autism, you have to push or they won't progress. If you push too hard, they go into sensory overload." She spoke at many other events in cities including Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and to a community group in Huntington Beach, Florida: "There is still a lot of discrimination out there. People get hung up on the labels, they don't see the person." And she is being inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame (tonight, as it turns out): “Temple is unique; I mean she is just the quintessential inductee in that she has made contributions in two separate fields. She’s recognized internationally as an animal behaviorist and then separately because she has autism she has also made a great impact in that community.”

The list is by no means complete, and this is just within the past year...

Temple Grandin

Meet my new hero: Temple Grandin. Arguably the best spokesperson for people living with autism, she continues to make her mark not despite having the condition, but because of it. "If I could snap my fingers and become nonautistic I would not do so. Autism is part of who I am," she has said. She has written several books that explain what it is like to have a mind like hers. One of these has been made into a film. The magical biographical film on HBO shows and tells the story of her struggles to communicate with people due to the many challenges of being autistic - which at the same time gives her incredible insight into the minds of animals. She was awarded a B.S. in psychology, and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in animal science. In North America, almost half of the cattle are handled in systems she designed for the humane handling of livestock, so it's not an exaggeration to say that she has revolutionized the beef industry. Grandin has won the respect of PETA, even though she is not opposed to eating meat: "I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life and we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect." She is also an autism advocate and, at the age of 18, invented the "hug machine" that gives comfort to autistics like herself. She wanted to make a difference with her life, and she has certainly done that.

Spend 20 minutes watching Dr. Grandin's recent talk on Ted.com. You will be amazed!