Temple Grandin:The World Needs All Kinds of Minds

The Julie Cordier & Daniel Marx

• Temple Grandin was born on August 29,1947, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother, Eustacia Cutler, was a writer, singer, and actress. Her

father, Richard Grandin, was a real estate agent.

When she was a toddler, Temple was diagnosed with Autism, a developmental disability that affects

the brain in strange ways.

When Temple was little, she spoke little, did not like to be held or touched, and often had raging temper tantrums.

She was fascinated by rotating objects and things that made a whirring noise, and had panic attacks.

Opening and closing doors made her calm.

Temple’s parents were told that she was brain damaged, and recommended a long term care

facility. Instead, her mother took her to a neurologist, which is a doctor of the brain, who

suggested speech therapy. So Temple was enrolled in a program for speech

Temple trick or treating as a child

At home, Temple’s mother read to her constantly, hoping to get Temple to talk normally, which she didn’t. Her parents hired a caregiver to play with her and prevent her from running into a corner to hide. Temple's parents also enrolled her in private schools for children with special needs.

Temple with her mother

One summer during her teens, because Temple had panic attacks, she went to visit her aunt’s cattle ranch. There, she became fascinated by a squeeze chute that ranchers use to hold the cows in place so that they can be given a shot or branded.

After much begging, her aunt let her try it out and she liked it! The chute calmed her nerves in a way that nothing else has ever done, so she decided to build her own in her bedroom at home and it worked!

Her squeeze machine is now used in many schools for children with autism around the country.

Temple also made another discovery that summer. She realized that animals and people with autism shared something in common: Both relied on “visual” cues to see around them. And, like autistic people, untamed animals move away when you try to touch them.

*Take a look! He's looking at Me!

Shortly after her discoveries, Temple decided to go to Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire. One of her teachers suggested to Temple to do a research study on why she loved the squeeze chute so much. The study was a success! And with it, Temple graduated from college with honors in 1970.Because she wanted to study animals, Temple then decided to attend Arizona State University for graduate school.

Did you know…*In college, Temple was failing all of her classes, until her science teacher figured out that Temple could learn best only through pictures!

*Like Temple, this is the way many other people with autism learn.

*When this was discovered, Temple’s science teacher made a whole new curriculum for Temple to learn!

Click here to see how Temple Thinks! (Pictures In My Head)

In graduate school, Temple got her very first job as a livestock editor of the Arizona Farmer Ranchman. A livestock editor is a person who prepares the articles of a newspaper on cattle and ranching for printing. Livestock editors get to go to cattle auctions, talk to ranchers, and visit processing plants where cattle are prepared to be eaten. Yum yum yum!

While working as a livestock editor, Temple got to see first-hand, what it was like for the cattle at the processing plants. But something was wrong. Temple thought that the cattle were being mistreated and felt stressed and anxious.She believed that there was a much better way for the ranchers to put cattle and other farm animals down as they were led along. So, Temple invented a new chute so that the animals could feel less anxiety while walking. It was met with great opposition by cattle ranchers…

Check it out!An Unpopular Idea

The Difference Is Clear

Traditional Chute:*Animals walk in a straight line and can see what is ahead of them, causing them to freeze in their tracks. *Ranchers prod the frightened animals to move along, struggling at times to move them quickly.*The animals would often slip and fall, becoming agitated and slowing productivity..

Temple’s Chute:*Animals today now walk in a circular chute with high walls so that they cannot see what is in front of them or to either side.*This set-up calms the animals, making them walk smoothly along, eliminating the need to prod them* With Temple’s redesigned non-slip flooring plan, animals fall less often.Check it out!

Temple's Livestock Website!

This are examples of Temple’s cattle chutes.

Dr. Grandin is also an author, speaker, cited expert in many publications, and video producer. She also has had a movie made about her life which is titled, “Temple Grandin”. Her contributions and insights into what it is like to be autistic has helped many people all over the world.

Click here to see Temple Grandins books!

Bibliography

• Brennan, C. (2006). Temple Grandin biography. http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2006-Ei-La/Grandin-Temple.html.

Retrieved September 1, 2011.

• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) (2011). Autism. http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Autism_Asperger_s_Syndrome&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=37&ContentID=5598. Retrieved October 1, 2011.

• Raymond, J. (February, 2, 2010). Temple Grandin on her struggles and ‘yak yaks.’ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35150832/ns/health-mental_health/t/temple-grandin-her-struggles-yak-yaks/. Retrieved September 1, 2011.

• ResiliEnt Business Solutions and RDC Design Group (2010). Temple Grandin, Ph.D. http://www.templegrandin.com/templegrandinbooks.html. Retrieved September 1, 2011.

• Sherwood, E., Ph.D. (2006). Women shaping history: Dr. Temple Grandin: Veterinarian, advocate for autism. http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2006/Mar/html/cov-drtemple.html.

Retrieved September 2, 2011.

• WVPT (January 26, 2011). World-renowned author Temple Grandin, of golden globe and emmy award-winning fame, on ‘Virginia farming’ autistic livestock facility designer shares insights on animal welfare in Virginia’s agriculture industry. http://www.wvpt.net/temple-grandin. Retrieved September 1, 2011.

Brennan, C. (2006). Temple Grandin biography. http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2006-Ei-La/Grandin-Temple.html.

Retrieved September 1, 2011.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) (2011). Autism. http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Autism_Asperger_s_Syndrome&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=37&ContentID=5598. Retrieved October 1, 2011.

Raymond, J. (February, 2, 2010). Temple Grandin on her struggles and ‘yak yaks.’ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35150832/ns/health-mental_health/t/temple-grandin-her-struggles-yak-yaks/. Retrieved September 1, 2011.

ResiliEnt Business Solutions and RDC Design Group (2010). Temple Grandin, Ph.D. http://www.templegrandin.com/templegrandinbooks.html. Retrieved September 1, 2011.

Sherwood, E., Ph.D. (2006). Women shaping history: Dr. Temple Grandin: Veterinarian, advocate for autism. http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2006/Mar/html/cov-drtemple.html.

Retrieved September 2, 2011.

WVPT (January 26, 2011). World-renowned author Temple Grandin, of golden globe and emmy award-winning fame, on ‘Virginia farming’ autistic livestock facility designer shares insights on animal welfare in Virginia’s agriculture industry. http://www.wvpt.net/temple-grandin. Retrieved September 1, 2011.

Bibliography