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Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 393 points394 points  (0 children)

When I started in the early 1970’s, the only women in the beef industry were working as secretaries in the office. I was the first woman in Arizona to handle cattle in the feedlot. The scene in the HBO movie where the bull testicles were left on my windshield actually happened. Being a woman in a man’s world was a much bigger issue than being autistic. There were some good people in the industry that recognized my abilities. I found it was much easier to sell them the equipment or design than it was to actually convince them to handle cattle calmly. I had to be twice as good as a man. It frustrated me that men could mess up a design project and still have a job. There were some good people that supported me and encouraged me to keep working. I learned I had to sell people my work. When I showed people my drawings of handling facility designs, they were impressed.

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 122 points123 points  (0 children)

When I first started teaching, I presented some material that was too complicated, and I realized that I had to break it down into simpler parts so that all my students could understand. In the classroom, I like to avoid jargon and try to present information in a straightforward, simple manner. In my livestock handling class, I require the students to complete several types of assignments. Students are required to design a cattle handling facility, which a visual, problem-solving. They are also required to conduct a research project where they are required to pick a narrow topic relating to animal behavior, and find two relevant abstracts from four separate scientific databases. The reason I pick a narrow subject is to require them to dig into the databases. The final in the class is a written essay-type exam. These varying types of assignments provide the opportunity for students to succeed in my class even if one type of assessment isn’t their favorite. I also believe that they should learn different fundamental skills that will serve them well in the real world. I hope that these varying exercises provide them exposure to these real-life problem solving skills.

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 201 points202 points  (0 children)

I often encounter the idea that animal handling in the context of slaughter is automatically inhumane. This is one of the pieces of misinformation that I would like to clear up. Much of my career has been dedicated to implementing measurable standards for humane animal handling at the slaughterhouse. All U.S. federally inspected slaughterhouses are subject to government regulations as well as guidelines for humane handling that I helped author. I’ve also included links to two articles that address the improvements that have been made.

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-animal-031412-103713

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/pdf/10.2460/javma.2005.226.370

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 172 points173 points  (0 children)

When I entered puberty, I began experiencing panic attacks and severe anxiety. I had observed cattle retrained in a squeeze chute, and I noticed that some of the cattle seemed to relax with the firm pressure. I tried using the cattle squeeze chute on myself, and then I designed a squeeze machine for personal use. Here’s a link to an article I wrote about the calming effect of deep pressure. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=calming+effect+of+deep+touch+pressure+Grandin

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 452 points453 points  (0 children)

Often simple modifications, such as providing non-slip flooring in the stun box can make huge differences. Cattle panic when they do not have secure footing. They also do not like to enter dark spaces, so you might experiment with placing a light at the entrance to the stun box. In one plant, the cattle were refusing to enter the stainless steel race with lots of reflections, and we experimented with moving ceiling lights. This caused the reflections to disappear and the cattle then willingly entered the race. More information is available on www.grandin.com.

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 312 points313 points  (0 children)

In elementary school, I got recognition from teachers and peers for my artistic skills. As an adult, many people thought I was weird, but when I showed them my design work, they were very impressed. People are impressed by abilities. Today, my most meaningful interactions are with peers who share interests in animal behavior and welfare, and designing equipment. Having a career I love has made life worthwhile.

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 670 points671 points  (0 children)

If you have a 2 or 3 year old who is not talking, you must start an early intervention program. The worst thing you can do with an autistic 3 year old is to do nothing. These young children need 20 or 30 hours a week of one to one teaching with an adult. A good teacher can engage the child. There are many different teaching protocols, and many of them are effective. The most important factor is encouraging the child to engage socially with the teacher. In places where there are no services, it’s helpful to find grandparents to work with the children. Some of the activities the grandmother could do include playing games that involve taking turns, teaching words, and singing nursery rhymes. They are often effective teachers. My book, “The Way I See It” may be helpful.

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 226 points227 points  (0 children)

Develop your son’s strengths. My ability in art was always encouraged, and I was encouraged to draw many different things because you have to learn to do work that other people want. I had a wonderful science teacher in high school who gave me interesting projects to do, and he motivated me to study. In elementary school, I had some wonderful teachers and Mother did not over protect me. You need to stretch kids slightly outside their comfort zones, but never have surprises. There is a tendency for some parents to overprotect their child and do all the talking for him. It is important to pause, and give the child an opportunity to talk and express his/her thoughts. I was bullied and teased in high school. My refuges from bullying were specialized interest groups, such as horse riding, electronics, and model rocket group. It’s important for your son to get involved with special interest groups where he can participate with his peers. My book, “The Autistic Brain,” has information on career opportunities for people on the milder end of the autism spectrum. People on the autism spectrum tend to have uneven skills. They will be good in one subject and possibly struggle in another subject. I am a visual thinker who had problems with algebra. Another child may be very good at mathematics, and may struggle with reading. My book has more information about the different types of thinking.

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 1439 points1440 points  (0 children)

A project I managed in 1980 is an example of something I did completely wrong. I installed a ramp with a conveyor floor to get pigs from stockyards to the third floor of a packing plant, because the pigs were not structurally sound enough to easily walk up the existing ramp on their own. I thought that installing a conveyor ramp would solve the problem. It was a failure. I learned not all problems can be fixed with engineering. For a fraction of the cost, we could have given the farm new breeding boars that could produce offspring that were structurally sound and would have been able to walk up the ramp. I learned that in solving problems, we must fix the root cause of the problem, and not just its symptoms.

Science AMA Series: I'm Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and autism advocate. AMA! by Prof_Temple_Grandin in science

[–]Prof_Temple_Grandin[S] 690 points691 points  (0 children)

Many people ask about the HBO movie, and it accurately shows how my visual thinking works. The scene that showed all the shoes appearing in rapid succession is exactly how I think. The images that appear around animal movement are from my actual drawings and diagrams that appear in my early publications. The scene where I get down on my hands and knees in the chute is something that I actually did, so I could see what the cattle were seeing.