This Saturday, February 6th, HBO will feature a
Biopic film on life of Temple Grandin, a woman who has become one of the top scientists in humane livestock handling. She obtained her B.A. at Frankin Pierce College, her M.S. in Animal Science at Arizona State University, received her Ph.D in Animal Science from the University of Illinois in 1989. She teaches courses on livestock behavior and facility design at Colorado State University and consults with the livestock industry on facility design, livestock handling, and animal welfare.
Temple has authored over 400 articles in both scientific journals and livestock periodicals on animal handling, welfare, and facility design. She has also written six books...two of which have been on the best seller list in both the United States and Canada.
Right about now you may be thinking,
She really sounds like a very intelligent woman...but what is it that sets her apart from all the many other intelligent human beings in this world?I could go on and on listing the accomplishments of Temple Grandin...but let me back up to 1947.
Temple Grandin was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father was a real estate agent, and her mother was a writer, singer, and actress. As a toddler she spoke very little, in fact...she did not speak at all until the age of three. She did not like to be held or touched, and when provoked, was prone to raging temper tantrums. She displayed the classic symptoms and was diagnosed with
Autism.She fixated on and was stressed by spinning or rotating objects and as she matured she began having panic attacks. She fled to her aunts cattle ranch one summer and well...I'll stop here just in case you may want to watch the movie...I don't want to ruin it for you ...but I will tell you that summer is when her life took on a new direction.
"I can remember the frustration of not being able to talk. I knew what I wanted to say, but I could not get the words out, so I would just scream." ~Temple Grandin
View
Dr. Temple Grandin's professional resume.
Autism affects 1 in 110 children...1 in 70 boys. Chances are...if you do not have an autistic child yourself...Someone close to you probably does or will in the near future. This is an urgent and growing public health crisis that affects most individuals across their lifespan and demands a commensurate level of action from both the public and private sectors. WE NEED ANSWERS!
AUTISM SPEAKS It's time to listen!
"You have got to keep autistic children engaged with the world. You cannot let them tune it out."
~Temple Grandin
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Feb. 6th, 10:00 pmThe movie was really good...Temple Grandin is an amazing woman!
I got an e-mail from Matthew's teacher this afternoon. Today the class went on a field trip to Shangri La in Orange Texas, and then to Lions Club Park for a picnic. She shared with me that while at the park, Matthew climbed to the top of the castle. With all of his anxieties about new situations, and fear of heights....going up there is a pretty big deal. She said he yelled the whole way, but he wanted to climb it , and he did. He was quite proud of himself. I've noticed this quite a bit with Matthew lately. He battles with the desire to try new things...and the fear that generally stops him. This made me think about our trip to the S.E. Texas State Fair. He walked around all day with Randy and I ...while his brother and sister rode some of the rides. He watched them, and I could see that he wanted to...but each time we asked him he answered... "NO!" That is until he watched them ride the bumper cars. He took some tickets from my bag, grabbed his dads hand, and pointed at the cars. I asked him if he wanted to ride and this time his answer was YES! So there he stood in line with his dad. The longer they waited, the more nervous he became. When their turn came up, he began to scream. Randy looked back at me...he was not sure whether to go forward or to help him away from the cars. But Matthew continued to walk forward. He screamed until they were both sitting in the same bumper car and for a few seconds after the car began to move. Eventually he relaxed and enjoyed himself. When the ride was over...he was beside himself with pride.
