Temple Grandin, an extraordinary woman with autism, described herself as different, but no less. In the 1950s and 1960s there was less tolerance towards people with autism than there is today. No one understood Grandin, nor what he felt inside, some even doubted he had a brain. Grandin's determination and intelligence, as well as the support of some key people in her life, have helped her achieve her goals of changing people's perceptions of autism and overcoming the intolerance of others. These traits are crucial to the success of almost all young people, but they are even more essential for people with autism and other disabilities. In an era when autism was rarely studied or known about, Temple Grandin showed determination and hard work as she struggled with the disease herself, fighting for the rights of autistic individuals and the humane treatment of animals. Her passion for animal rights was always overlooked by others who dismissed her due to her developmental disability, however her legacy lives on through her inventions and the conversation she started about the discrimination others like her were facing . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Growing up as a quiet, unfeeling child, Grandin's parents knew she was different. From an early age, Grandin's life changed dramatically as he spent the rest of his life in darkness and silence, caused by his autism. According to Geraldine Collier, author of “Picture Hope: Picture Temple Grandin,” at the age of two and a half Grandin had no interest in others. Temple Grandin's illness had a significant impact on her life; Grandin had to learn to adapt to his new lifestyle from a young age. As he was adjusting to his new life, he encountered several obstacles along the way. For example, Catherine Johnson, author of "Animals in Translation," said that Grandin's lack of communication skills led to her "being expelled from high school due to her violence towards other students." Grandin's disability made it difficult to make friends and play with peers, and in most social situations he didn't know what to do. This caused her behavior to change dramatically as she noticed how restricted her life was compared to that of others around her. Grandin's frustration led her to use violence as a way to vent her anger. In the book “The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum,” author Richard Panek describes how “Some people believe that individuals with autism have no emotions. Grandin has emotions, but they are more like the emotions of a child than those of an adult." Temple felt ashamed and assaulted by her own sensory system. She never knew why she was different, but the information coming into her brain was like a mess. Children with autism have their own way of dealing with painful noises, confusing words, and overwhelming sensations. Temple's story is much more than just overcoming a disability; his life shows us the courage and creativity of a person who is blessed with autism. Along his journey there were many people who encouraged Grandin to pursue his dreams and never give up hope. Grandin was not afraid to openly discuss his fears and the challenges he faced in both his professional and personal relationships. Mentors such as William Carlock, who worked with her from high school at a very young age, believed she had great potential for success. In the TED-Ed video byGrandin, recalled how her science teacher pushed her to pursue her passion, instead of holding her back because of her disability. Temple was able to overcome what could have been a limitation, her autism, with the help of Carlock who nurtured her obsessions and let her autism become a source of strength. Being autistic has its positives and negatives, and Temple has taken control and embraced her autism for the greater good. When Grandin was 15 years old, she was sent to her aunt West's ranch, this would be a very important moment in her life. While at the ranch, Grandin interacted with her aunt's livestock and realized the deep connection she felt for them. She observed that she and the cattle saw the world the same way; he believes his ability to "think in pictures" like a cow stems from his autism. Here he encountered the cattle chute for the first time and made the connection between its calming pressure for cattle and his nervous system. He felt a sense of empathy for them that he couldn't feel for people. His love for animals only grew as he began to develop a unique bond with these animals. This later allowed her to make improvements in the meatpacking industry when she noticed the poor treatment of animals. When Grandin entered the business field, he became one of the greatest inventors in his field. He started working on ranches, which were horrible in the 1970s. The workers did not take the animals' thoughts or emotions into account. They concentrated only on forcing the cattle to move along the assembly line, causing panic among the group, injuries and even death. Given his empathy for the livestock, Temple sensed their emotions every step of the way: “I felt their fear, pain and sense of panic.” Grandin followed the entire production as if it were an animal and made changes based on what the animal would see and hear. The men on the ranches laughed at his crazy ideas about "cattle psychology," but once he realized his plan, they were amazed when the cattle moved perfectly through the herd. When Temple entered the cattle industry, many people disapproved of Grandin due to his autism and believed he could not do well at his job. Her communication with others was often abrupt and as a result she sometimes found herself alienated from colleagues. Grandin later discovered that she had a unique connection with animals that most of her colleagues did not have, giving her a perspective like that of no other expert in her field. In her interview with Rosalie Winward, Grandin states: I think in images. Words are like a second language to me. I translate both spoken and written words into full-color films, complete with audio, that run like a VCR tape in my head. When someone talks to me, their words are immediately translated into images. Language-based thinkers often find this phenomenon difficult to understand, but in my work as a designer of equipment for the life industry, visual thinking is a huge advantage. Grandin's natural inclination towards visual thinking leads her to process animal thought through an entirely different visual lens. Not everyone thinks visually, and most people without autism have a tendency to overlook, or even fail to register, the visual aspect of things. Grandin's visual thinking is a key point that emphasizes his central idea and success in the meat packing industry. Grandin was one of the first scientists to share her opinion on the treatment of livestock in the United States.
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