Home & Family - Temple Grandin
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful interview, Temple Grandin, a prominent advocate for autism awareness, shares her personal journey with autism, diagnosed in the late 1940s. She discusses the early intervention that helped her develop speech and her unique visual thinking pattern, which differs from neurotypical brains. Grandin, who excels in art and design, emphasizes the importance of nurturing the strengths of children with autism and other learning differences, turning their unique abilities into successful careers. The conversation also touches on her experiences with bullying and the significance of hands-on activities in education.
Takeaways
- 📚 Temple Grandin was one of the first people diagnosed with autism, born in 1947, just before the first autism paper was published.
- 🗣️ Initially diagnosed with brain damage due to lack of understanding, she later received the correct autism diagnosis and benefited from early educational intervention.
- 👨👩👧👦 Her parents played a crucial role in seeking help and her mother hired a nanny who engaged her in constant turn-taking games, which were instrumental in her development.
- 🎨 Temple had a talent for art and crafts, which allowed her to connect with other children and later became the foundation of her successful career in livestock design.
- 🏫 She experienced bullying and teasing in high school, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals with autism in social settings.
- 🤔 Temple describes herself as a 'total visual thinker,' with her mind working like a visual search engine, processing thoughts in images rather than words.
- 🎥 The HBO movie 'Temple Grandin' illustrates her unique way of thinking in pictures, which she initially believed was common but later realized was a distinct aspect of her autism.
- 🧠 An MRI scan revealed an asymmetry in her brain, particularly in the left parietal area filled with cerebrospinal fluid, which may explain her difficulties with math.
- 🐮 Temple invented the 'center track restrainer system' for livestock handling, demonstrating how her visual thinking skills could be applied to practical solutions.
- 💼 She emphasizes the importance of identifying and building on the strengths of individuals with autism, as she did with her art skills in her career.
- 👶 For parents suspecting autism in their child, Temple suggests early intervention and focusing on the child's areas of strength to help them succeed.
Q & A
What disorder is discussed in the transcript?
-Autism is the disorder discussed in the transcript.
What is the estimated prevalence of autism among children born today?
-It is estimated that one in 88 children born today will be diagnosed with autism.
Who is the guest in the interview and what is the title of her new book?
-The guest in the interview is Temple Grandin, and the title of her new book is 'The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum'.
When was Temple Grandin born and what was her initial diagnosis?
-Temple Grandin was born in 1947, and her initial diagnosis was some kind of brain damage due to the lack of understanding of autism at the time.
What role did Temple Grandin's parents play in her diagnosis and early intervention?
-Temple's parents were instrumental in seeking a diagnosis and ensuring she received early educational intervention, including speech therapy and hiring a nanny who played constant turn-taking games with her.
How did Temple Grandin's childhood experiences differ from typical children, especially in high school?
-Temple Grandin had a good childhood with interests in kites, airplanes, and craft projects. However, high school was a challenging time for her due to bullying and teasing, with her interests in specialized areas like horseback riding and electronics providing relief.
What type of thinker is Temple Grandin and how does it differ from others?
-Temple Grandin is a total visual thinker, with her mind working like a visual search engine. She processes information through images, which is different from others who may think in words or abstract concepts.
What is Temple Grandin's area of strength that she turned into a successful career?
-Temple Grandin's area of strength is art, which she turned into a successful career in livestock design business.
What invention did Temple Grandin create for the livestock industry?
-Temple Grandin invented a piece of equipment called the center track restrainer system for the livestock industry.
How does Temple Grandin describe her thought process when recalling memories or ideas?
-Temple Grandin describes her thought process as a series of still pictures that come up one at a time, which can turn into a video if she holds the image.
What advice does Temple Grandin have for parents who suspect their child might have autism?
-The transcript does not provide specific advice from Temple Grandin for parents in this context, but it emphasizes the importance of recognizing and building on a child's strengths, as she did with her own visual thinking.
Outlines
🌟 Temple Grandin's Journey with Autism
In this segment, Temple Grandin, one of the first individuals diagnosed with autism, shares her personal experience. Born in 1947, she was initially misdiagnosed with brain damage due to the lack of understanding of autism at the time. However, she received an accurate diagnosis and benefited from early educational intervention, which included speech therapy. Grandin's parents played a crucial role in her development, and she excelled in art and crafts, which she later turned into a successful career in livestock design. The segment also touches on her visual thinking process, which she discovered was different from others, and her areas of strength and weakness, particularly in mathematics.
🎨 Temple Grandin's Unique Visual Thinking
This paragraph delves into Temple Grandin's unique way of thinking in images, a characteristic she initially believed was universal. She explains that her mind accesses memories and thoughts as a series of still pictures, like slides, which can turn into a video if held. Grandin's brain structure, revealed through an MRI, shows an asymmetry with her left parietal area filled with cerebrospinal fluid, which she attributes to her poor math skills. Despite this, she has other brain circuits that excel in visual thinking. The segment also discusses the importance of identifying and building on the strengths of children with autism or other learning differences, potentially turning these strengths into a career.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Autism
💡Mental Health
💡Early Intervention
💡Neurologist
💡Turn-Taking
💡Visual Thinker
💡Specialized Interest
💡Livestock Design
💡Center Track Restrainer
💡Asymmetry
💡Cerebral Spinal Fluid
Highlights
Autism is a widely misunderstood disorder with an estimated one in 88 children diagnosed.
Temple Grandin was one of the first people diagnosed with autism, born in 1947.
Early diagnosis of autism was challenging, with Temple initially misdiagnosed with brain damage.
The importance of early educational intervention and speech therapy for children with autism.
Temple's parents played a crucial role in seeking her diagnosis and supporting her development.
The significance of engaging children with autism through hands-on activities and play.
Temple's childhood experiences, including her love for kites, airplanes, and craft projects.
High school was difficult for Temple due to bullying and teasing, highlighting the need for supportive environments.
Temple's unique way of thinking in pictures, which she initially believed was common.
The HBO movie 'Temple Grandin' illustrates her visual thinking process.
Diversity in autistic thinking, with some individuals excelling in math or verbal skills.
The importance of nurturing and building on the strengths of children with autism.
Temple's success in turning her artistic skills into a career in livestock design.
Invention of the center track restrainer system by Temple to improve livestock handling.
Temple's visual memory and how it works like a search engine, bringing up images of past experiences.
The impact of uneven skills in individuals with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and the importance of focusing on their strengths.
Advice for parents on recognizing autistic behavior and the importance of early intervention.
Transcripts
autism is one of the most misunderstood
disorders in the world of mental health
an estimated one in 88 children born
will be diagnosed with autism here today
to talk with us about her experience
living with autism and discuss her new
book which is called the autistic brain
thinking across the spectrum is Temple
Grandin welcome to the show it's great
great so you were one of the first
people diagnosed with autism well I was
born in 47 and that was just a few years
before the first autism paper came out
and I went to a neurologist to actually
know anything about autism but I had no
speech all a classic autistic symptoms
when I was two and a half and I was
diagnosed with some kind of brain damage
because they just didn't know and then a
few years later I got the autism
diagnosis but I got into really good
early educational intervention great
speech therapists that worked with kids
in the basement of our house that was as
good as any program today
well how instrumental were your parents
and helping you find the diagnosis well
they were just interested in getting me
to talk and the neurologist put me it
had me go to speech therapy school and
then mother hired a nanny when I was
three who just played constant
turn-taking games got to teach these
kids turn-taking you got a two year old
or three oldest not talking I don't care
what is diagnosed you got to do a lot of
therapy a lot of hours hours now no one
no one's to engage that kid so tell what
was your childhood like well I was
thoroughly verbal by four and actually
had quite a good childhood I loved to
fly kites and airplanes and and and do
craft projects with other kids I think
it's horrible how so many schools have
taken out the hands-on classes goes over
great activities that I did with other
children high school was a nightmare of
bullying and teasing and yeah only it
places where I was away from that was a
specialized interest like horseback
riding an electronics lab so when you
were a child though did any of the other
children ask like or play with you or
ask is there something wrong or what
well the thing is I was very good at art
and very good at crafts and making
things and other kids wanted to go make
stuff with me like we go make a model
gas station or some well that's right
spot that was son
that was one of my projects all the kids
thought that was some that was pretty
cool because I was very good at building
things and making things and was high
school where everything went wrong or
kids were no longer interested in
projects how would you describe your way
of thinking temple and how is it differ
from anybody else well I'm a total
visual thinker and if you saw the HBO
movie it shows how my mind thinks in
pictures and which HBO movie did well
that temple grandin AGL move either way
and I thought everybody thought in
pictures it wasn't till I wrote one of
my earlier books thinking of pictures I
thought everybody thought in pictures
and then in my book the autistic brain I
explained how I discovered how some
other people on the autism spectrum have
other types specialized thinking such as
what mathematical thinking this is the
kind of kid where in fourth grade he's
super good and math needs help in
reading so you need to advance them
forward in math don't make them do baby
math and then you got the little word
thinkers I know all effects about their
favorite stuff we've got to work on
building the kids area of strength and
my area of strength was art and I turned
that into my livestock design business
using my art skills now it's a life like
a life stock like livest I've stocked
with kale that steak probably was
handled a piece of equipment I designed
when that thief was on the whole
fighters I invented a piece of equipment
called the center track restrainer
system if you want to see how my
livestock stuff works you can look up
beef plant video tour with Temple
Grandin but when you went to a live
stockyard one day and yo I just started
out you know my aunt's ranch my high
school heads dairy cattle and I took
care of the horse barn when I was in
high school that started you know my
interest there in animals and then I
started designing facilities for feed
yards out in Arizona and then just build
up my freelance business one little
project at a time can I jump back to
something you said temple you talked
about you thinking images yeah in
pictures I feel like I do I remember
things more visually when I see things
can you elaborate on what you mean by
you thinking well let's probably why are
in TV and you're not in radio a lot of
radio a lot of people don't think in
images let's uh every thought I have is
a picture my mind kind of works
like a you know visual search engine why
don't you just give to ask me to think
about something and not something not
something ordinary like house a car
something kind of different something I
can't see here and I'll tell you how my
mind accesses it a red light a red
traffic light I'll I am seeing this
rootless traffic light they have in
Mexican customs where if it turns green
they don't search your bags and if it
turns red they search your bags Wow then
there's another traffic light that on we
have this one the big pig slaughter
plant they don't want the pigs squealing
because they're stressed and if they
squeal too much then the light turns red
oh these are all experiences you've had
yeah that's right
and and they come up as a series of
pictures okay now I'm seeing getting a
ticket from policeman one time and I did
not run a red light well but things are
coming up as a series of still pictures
okay okay I'm now saying okay traffic
lights at various intersections in Fort
Collins where I live there's two of them
they have speed cameras on them so boy
you better stop see them are you seeing
several images at once or is it one at a
time one at a time they come up like
slides now if I if I hold the image
there then it can start to turn into
video but they come up as a series of
still pictures and then I can get off
the subject okay I'm on now I'm seeing
the King Soopers market where a grocery
shop that's near the intersection with
the speed camera Wow see that's coming
up as a picture whichever we have a
picture of an MRI that was done at the
University of Utah in 2010 yep and can
you explain what it is that we're seeing
here you got the black and white version
of that because you get the color
version of at that part in the middle is
bright blue and I have an asymmetry of
the ventricles and basically what's
happened in my left parietal area is
full of water full of cerebral spinal
fluid that's why I'm so terrible in math
but if you go on the USA Today website
and type Temple Grandin and you're going
to find a huge visual on circuit there
but the right size of the right side is
that a volume is that your brain is
that's me Ocala one is to control and
then that you know kind of a v-shaped
thing that's a ventricles fulfilled with
cerebral spinal fluid and I'm kind of my
math departments kind of trashed I
absolutely couldn't do algebra but I've
got some other circuits in my brain that
really good for visual thinking see kids
who get diagnosed with different kinds
of you know autism dyslexia ADHD and all
these different kinds of labels learning
problems and often have uneven skills to
be good at one thing and bad at
something else
and we got a bill balance build on the
thing they're good at they can turn that
thing they're good at into a career well
what we want to talk about when we come
back is some advice you may have for
parents who suspect their child is
dealing with the autistic behavior when
you should be alerted to this and what
happens is they get older too so don't
go away we're back with Temple Grandin
in a moment
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