Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin is a world-renowned expert known to many for her trailblazing work as a spokesperson for people with autism and her lifelong work with animal behavior. Temple is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. When she was two and a half years old, she had no speech and all the symptoms of severe autism. Early intensive speech therapy enabled her to speak by age four. Her mother always encouraged her interest in art and urged her to draw many different things. Good teachers and mentors were essential for Temple’s success. Her high school science teacher challenged her with interesting projects where she had to figure out how to make things work. When studying in school became a pathway to becoming a scientist, she was motivated to study.

An HBO movie titled Temple Grandin was made about her life and Temple was inducted into The National Women’s Hall of Fame and The Academy of Arts and Sciences. Facilities she has designed handle over half the cattle in the U.S. Some of her most important books are New York Times Bestseller “Animals in Translation,” “Thinking in Pictures,” “The Autistic Brain,” and “The Way I See It.” Riding horses and caring for them helped her get through difficult teenage years when she was bullied and teased.

Grandin’s empathy for animals led her to design more humane facilities for handling cattle, and she helped establish high standards for the livestock industry. A best-selling author, she is also the subject of an HBO movie about her life.

This lecture is made possible through the generosity of Kean alumna Marjorie Slass ’13 M.A., ’16 Psy.D. and her husband Jonathan Slass.