Temple Grandin Interview - Part 1

Summary

Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, shares her journey of living with autism and how it shaped her career. She discusses her work in designing cattle facilities, her experiences with bullying, and how her interests in drawing, science, and horses helped her succeed. Temple emphasizes the importance of nurturing children's strengths and using teachable moments to build social skills. She also addresses misconceptions about autism and the need for a tailored approach in education, advocating for individualized support based on children's abilities and challenges.

Takeaways

• 😀 Temple Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and has worked extensively on designing cattle facilities.
• 🐄 She has designed equipment for major meat companies and is also a prominent advocate for autism awareness, sharing her own experiences as someone with autism.
• 🎨 Her mother encouraged her ability to draw, which played a significant role in her success; she emphasizes nurturing strengths in children.
• 🤖 Grandin recalls that in the 1950s, social skills were taught systematically, helping socially awkward kids succeed. This systematic teaching was a big part of her upbringing.
• 🐴 As a child, she was heavily involved in the 4-H horse program, where she found friendships through shared interests like horses, electronics, and model rockets.
• 🤝 She stresses that friendships can be built around shared interests, such as clubs or activities, helping socially awkward individuals connect.
• 🥊 Grandin faced bullying in school, which led to her being kicked out. However, she found a supportive environment at a special boarding school for gifted kids with emotional problems.
• 🧠 Grandin's book 'The Autistic Brain' explores different ways of thinking, highlighting visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, and verbal thinkers working together.
• 📱 She uses the example of Steve Jobs to explain how different kinds of minds, such as artists and engineers, collaborate to create products like the iPhone.
• 📏 Grandin critiques the current autism diagnosis spectrum, saying it lumps together highly capable individuals and those with severe disabilities under the same label, which can lead to mismatched educational support.

Q & A

How does Temple Grandin describe herself?

Temple Grandin describes herself as a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. She has worked for years designing cattle facilities and giving talks on autism, which she experienced firsthand.

What key advice does Temple give to help children with autism develop their strengths?

Temple emphasizes building on what a child is good at. She believes in encouraging a child's natural abilities and talents, as her own skill in drawing was nurtured and became the basis for her career in designing facilities.

How does Temple explain the way children were raised in the 1950s compared to now?

Temple explains that children in the 1950s were systematically taught social skills like table manners and saying 'please' and 'thank you.' This structured approach helped children who would now be labeled on the autism spectrum to succeed socially.

How did Temple's interest in science develop?

Temple's interest in science was sparked by a great science teacher who gave her interesting projects. This motivated her to study, and she eventually became fascinated with experimental psychology, specifically optical illusions.

What does Temple mean by 'teachable moments' when it comes to social skills?

Temple defines 'teachable moments' as situations where a child makes a mistake in social behavior, such as using their fingers instead of a fork, and the mistake is calmly corrected. She believes social skills are best learned through real-world interactions rather than separate social skills classes.

What are the different kinds of thinking that Temple Grandin describes in her book 'The Autistic Brain'?

Temple describes three types of thinking: visual thinking, where people think in photorealistic pictures (her own type), verbal thinking, where people think in words, and pattern thinking, which is more mathematical and logical.

What misconceptions does Temple say people have about autism?

Temple argues that people overgeneralize autism, thinking of it as a single condition when it’s really a wide spectrum. She notes that people with autism can range from being highly talented, like those in Silicon Valley, to being severely impaired.

How does Temple suggest helping socially awkward children make friends?

Temple suggests that children make friends through shared interests, whether in activities like horses, electronics, or clubs. She stresses that finding others with common hobbies or passions is key to forming friendships.

What advice does Temple offer to teachers about working with children on the autism spectrum?

Temple advises teachers to encourage the child’s strengths. If a child is advanced in subjects like math, teachers should allow them to pursue higher-level work rather than holding them back to match their grade level.

What does Temple believe about the current state of diagnosing autism?

Temple believes that autism diagnoses have become overly broad and inconsistent, with the spectrum ranging from highly gifted individuals to those with severe disabilities. She feels that the focus should be less on labels and more on what each individual can do.