Temple Grandin
PART 1
Temple Grandin is an author, lecturer, professor, and animal scientist. She is also autistic. She was diagnosed at age fifteen after she struggled academically and socially. When asked about her reaction to the news, she said she was relieved to know that something was wrong with her because it helped to explain some of the frustrations she was experiencing. She told Dr. Tony Attwood that “it explained why I wasn’t getting along with the other kids at school and I didn’t understand some of the things teenagers did.” (Grandin, 2011, p. xxvi)
But her struggles with autism began many years before she entered high school. She spent much of her childhood being nonverbal and exhibiting many autistic behaviors. However, because of the determination fueled by her mother, she persevered through many social and relational difficulties and became the highly functioning member of society that she is today. She gives much credit to her mother as the reason for her adjustments. When Grandin was very young her mother placed her in speech therapy nursery school and hired a nanny to keep her interacting with others. Her nanny spent many hours engaging with her, but also allowed her a little bit of time each day to engage in autistic behaviors that Grandin called “calming” (Grandin, 2011, p. xxvii). She says that through engaging with others she was able to learn many social skills although it was a process filled with much hard work.
Ultimately, it was that hard work along with perseverance that lead her to where she is today. She said, “there was a point when I realized that I had to do some things about my own behavior” (Grandin, 2011, p. xxxiii). By taking responsibility for her actions she was able to propel herself into a successful career in animal science which has lead to opportunities to work as a professor at Colorado State University, become a best-selling author, and consult for many Fortune 500 companies (Grandin, 2011, p. xiv).
Aside from her academic and
Temple Grandin is an author, lecturer, professor, and animal scientist. She is also autistic. She was diagnosed at age fifteen after she struggled academically and socially. When asked about her reaction to the news, she said she was relieved to know that something was wrong with her because it helped to explain some of the frustrations she was experiencing. She told Dr. Tony Attwood that “it explained why I wasn’t getting along with the other kids at school and I didn’t understand some of the things teenagers did.” (Grandin, 2011, p. xxvi)
But her struggles with autism began many years before she entered high school. She spent much of her childhood being nonverbal and exhibiting many autistic behaviors. However, because of the determination fueled by her mother, she persevered through many social and relational difficulties and became the highly functioning member of society that she is today. She gives much credit to her mother as the reason for her adjustments. When Grandin was very young her mother placed her in speech therapy nursery school and hired a nanny to keep her interacting with others. Her nanny spent many hours engaging with her, but also allowed her a little bit of time each day to engage in autistic behaviors that Grandin called “calming” (Grandin, 2011, p. xxvii). She says that through engaging with others she was able to learn many social skills although it was a process filled with much hard work.
Ultimately, it was that hard work along with perseverance that lead her to where she is today. She said, “there was a point when I realized that I had to do some things about my own behavior” (Grandin, 2011, p. xxxiii). By taking responsibility for her actions she was able to propel herself into a successful career in animal science which has lead to opportunities to work as a professor at Colorado State University, become a best-selling author, and consult for many Fortune 500 companies (Grandin, 2011, p. xiv).
Aside from her academic and
References: Grandin, T. (2011). The way I see it: a personal look at autism and Asperger’s (Rev. and expanded 2nd ed.). Arlington, Tex.: Future Horizons.