Dr. Temple Grandin Dr. Temple Grandin

• She is an American Scientist and industrial designer. • She has created systems to counter stress in certain human and animal populations. • Temple Grandin has autism. Autism

• autism is: “A spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and unusual and repetitive behavior.” • The degree of autism varies from mild to severe. Temple Grandin

• Temple Grandin was born on August 29, 1947, in Boston, MA. • She is the oldest of four children. • None of her siblings are autistic. • One of the first signs that a baby may be autistic is that it resists being held and cuddled; one of the first signs of autism. Temple Grandin

• Since 1990, she has taught animal science at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO, where she also operates her own company, Grandin Livestock Systems. • Today, Temple has published over 300 scientific papers, has her own website which gets 5,000 visitors each month, gives 35 lectures on animal management a year, and gives about another 25 lectures about autism. • Half of the cattle in the United States and Canada are handled in humane slaughter systems she has designed. She feels she owes a lot of this success to the fact that her brain works differently. Autism has given her a perspective on animals that a lot of professionals don’t have. Temple Grandin

• Temple tells people that whenever you have a problem with an animal, try to see what the animal is seeing and try to experience what the animal is experiencing. • Thought has to be given to the animals’ emotional lives, not just their physical lives. The worst thing you can do to an animal is to make it feel afraid. The most important thing to remember is that animals are afraid of the tiny details in their environment. Temple Grandin

• Temple created an animal welfare audit program for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There are five key measurements Department of Agriculture inspectors need to take to ensure animals receive humane treatment at a meatpacking plant. They are: • 1. Percentage of animals stunned or killed correctly on the first attempt (this has to • be at least 95% of the animals). • 2. Percentage of animals who remain unconscious after stunning (this must be • 100%). • 3. Percentage of animals who vocalize (squeal, bellow, or moo, meaning “ouch!” • or “you’re scaring me!”) during handling and stunning. Handling includes • walking through the alleys and being held in the restraining device for • stunning (no more than 3 cattle out of 100). • 4. Percentage of animals who fall down (animals are terrified of falling down • and this should be no more than 1 out of 100, which is still more than would • fall down under good conditions, since animals never fall down if the floor • is sound and dry). • 5. Electric prod usage (no more than 25% of the animals). Temple Grandin

• Temple hopes we will start to think more respectfully about animal intelligence and talent. She wants all animals to have a good life. • Temple has also become a prominent author and speaker on the subject of autism because she says, “I have read enough to know that there are still many parents, and, yes, professionals, too, who believe that ‘once autistic, always autistic.’ This dictum has meant sad and sorry lives for many children diagnosed, as I was in early life, as autistic. To these people, it is incomprehensible that the characteristics of autism can be modified and controlled. However, I feel strongly that I am living proof that they can.” What I Learned

• I think having autism actually helped Temple Grandin in her career. Some autistic people think in detailed pictures, which is how Temple thinks. Because of this, she can visualize in her mind how a cattle chute will operate and she can also see things as an animal does. Most people do not think that way. This enables her to better understand the animals and to devise plans that will make the animals more comfortable. • It was interesting reading her book. She is so tuned into the animals. After reading the book, it made me think more about the treatment of all animals and how they deserve to have the best life possible, just as a human does. • Also, if a person has any kind of a learning problem or disability, it should not be ignored. You should look into different schools or treatments to see what can be done. If Temple’s parents had put her into an institution as the first doctor had suggested, her life would have been wasted. Instead, she is a very successful woman.