Board Members attend conference with noted expert: their reflections
“An Evening with Dr. Temple Grandin” conference was held in Philadelphia on November 2, 2017. Dr. Temple Grandin is a renowned consultant to the livestock industry, and an autism spokesperson. She has a PhD and is a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She is also autistic. Her talk was titled “Autism and My Path through Life”. Dr. Grandin talks about what it’s like to be autistic – how her mind works, how she interprets the world around her, how she was able to use her strengths, and things to consider when working with people on the autism spectrum. Here are some topics that she covered:
Using teachable moments
Being a visual thinker
Sensory sensitivities
Environmental enrichment
Developing a child’s strengths
Hands on learning
She is an advocate for people on the autism spectrum and it was insightful and inspiring to learn from someone who lives with it every day and is willing to share her thoughts and ideas for the benefit of others.
Dr. Grandin has written a number of books, including ones that deal with autism, visual thinking, and her thoughts on similarities between autism and animal behavior. They can be found via this link: https://www.bing.com/search?q=temple+grandin+books&qs=HS&pq=temple+grandin+books&sc=8-20&cvid=F422985941874E92A16E942FF91F3F0A&FORM=QBRE&sp=1
Below is the link to some video clips of the HBO movie about Dr. Grandin’s life, as well as some of her speaking engagements.
Listening to Dr. Grandin speak gives one an appreciation for what it must be like for someone who sees and reacts to the world around us differently. It makes you think about how you might use this information to provide a more positive experience when working with someone who has these differences.