Temple Grandin Quotes

Powerful Temple Grandin for Daily Growth

About Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin, born on August 29, 1947, in Boston, Massachusetts, is an American professor of animal science at Colorado State University, a consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior, and a pioneering autism rights activist. Diagnosed with autism as a child, Grandin's unique perspective on the world has shaped her extraordinary career and contributions to society. Raised by loving parents who encouraged her interests in animals, Grandin's fascination with animals led her to study animal science at Arizona State University, earning her B.S. in 1970 and M.S. in 1975 from Arizona State and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign respectively. Grandin is renowned for her innovative designs of humane livestock handling facilities, which significantly improved the welfare of cattle and other animals in slaughterhouses around the world. Her designs include center-track systems, which reduce stress in animals by limiting their ability to see others on either side. These innovations have earned Grandin several awards, including the National Livestock Awards' Outstanding Achievement Award in 1993 and being inducted into the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Hall of Fame in 2016. Grandin is also a prolific author, with books such as "Thinking in Pictures" (1995), "Animals Make Us Human" (2009), and "The Autistic Brain" (2013) offering insights into her experiences with autism and the animal mind. Her memoir, "Thinking in Pictures," is considered a seminal work for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. Throughout her life, Temple Grandin has been a powerful advocate for autism acceptance and understanding, encouraging people to focus on strengths rather than deficits. Her inspiring story continues to inspire countless individuals worldwide, demonstrating that with perseverance and determination, one can overcome challenges and make significant contributions to society.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I think in pictures, and I see information mentally."

Temple Grandin's statement suggests that she processes information using visual imagery rather than through language or abstract concepts. This means her mind creates mental images to understand and remember things, which is a characteristic common among individuals with autism but can also be found in other people, albeit less pronounced. This unique way of thinking offers insights into the world that are different from those based on verbal or linear reasoning, contributing to her significant achievements in animal science and autism advocacy.

"The world needs all kinds of minds."

This quote emphasizes that diversity in thinking, perspectives, and abilities is essential for a thriving society. By valuing and utilizing different types of minds, we can solve complex problems more effectively, foster creativity, and promote innovation. It also underscores the importance of inclusivity and acceptance, as every individual has something unique to offer and contribute to our collective growth and development.

"People ask me all the time, 'Are you a normal person?' Well, normal isn't used as a synonym for average anymore. Being average is not a compliment."

This quote by Temple Grandin suggests that the traditional definition of "normal" as synonymous with "average" or unremarkable is outdated and devaluing. Instead, she implies that being normal should be seen as having unique qualities, strengths, and abilities that make one special or extraordinary, rather than ordinary or average. This perspective challenges the societal norms and encourages individuals to embrace their individuality and uniqueness, rather than striving to fit into a preconceived notion of "normal."

"The biggest challenges in life are never ones we expected; they are the ones we never saw coming."

This quote emphasizes that life's most significant hurdles are often unforeseen events, situations, or challenges that we don't anticipate. It underscores the importance of resilience, adaptability, and the ability to navigate through unexpected circumstances in order to grow and learn from them.

"I may have autism, but I am not an idiot savant. I don't just excel in one area; I'm good in many areas because of my visual thinking ability."

This quote emphasizes the multifaceted capabilities and intelligence of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Temple Grandin, a renowned individual on the autistic spectrum herself, clarifies that her skills extend beyond the stereotypical "idiot savant" label often associated with people with ASD. Instead, she highlights her visual thinking ability, which enables her to excel in multiple areas, rather than just one specialized field. This quote breaks away from limited perceptions about autism and showcases its potential for diverse strengths and talents.

I think the core criterion is the social awkwardness, but the sensory issues are a serious problem in many, many cases of autism, and they make it impossible to operate in the environment where you're supposed to be social.

- Temple Grandin

Think, I Think, Criterion, Cases

Some autistic children cannot stand the sound of certain voices. I have come across cases where teachers tell me that certain children have problems with their voice or another person's voice. This problem tends to be related to high-pitched ladies' voices.

- Temple Grandin

Voice, Sound, Some, Cases

I was so afraid to go out west to my aunt's ranch. But the only choice my mother gave me was to go for two weeks or all summer. I wound up staying all summer. And that's where I learned about cattle. I could relate to their behavior, their fears.

- Temple Grandin

About, Weeks, Staying, Ranch

I am much less autistic now, compared to when I was young. I remember some behaviors like picking carpet fuzz and watching spinning plates for hours. I didn't want to be touched. I couldn't shut out background noise. I didn't talk until I was about 4 years old. I screamed. I hummed. But as I grew up, I improved.

- Temple Grandin

I Remember, Some, Shut, Behaviors

Let's get into talking about how autism is similar animal behavior. The thing is I don't think in a language, and animals don't think in a language. It's sensory based thinking, thinking in pictures, thinking in smells, thinking in touches. It's putting these sensory based memories into categories.

- Temple Grandin

Language, About, Putting, Animal

Costs for liability insurance are higher than costs for many procedures. There is a need to reform liability laws to stop out-of-control health care costs.

- Temple Grandin

Insurance, Laws, Costs, Out-Of-Control

Who do you think made the first stone spears? The Asperger guy. If you were to get rid of all the autism genetics, there would be no more Silicon Valley.

- Temple Grandin

Think, More, Made, Silicon

Mild autism can give you a genius like Einstein. If you have severe autism, you could remain nonverbal. You don't want people to be on the severe end of the spectrum. But if you got rid of all the autism genetics, you wouldn't have science or art. All you would have is a bunch of social 'yak yaks.'

- Temple Grandin

Got, Rid, Nonverbal, Spectrum

I think sometimes parents and teachers fail to stretch kids. My mother had a very good sense of how to stretch me just slightly outside my comfort zone.

- Temple Grandin

Think, Very, Slightly, Comfort Zone

The squeeze machine is not going to cure anybody, but it may help them relax; and a relaxed person will usually have better behavior.

- Temple Grandin

Going, May, Squeeze, Relaxed

I get satisfaction out of seeing stuff that makes real change in the real world. We need a lot more of that and a lot less abstract stuff.

- Temple Grandin

Change, More, Need, Abstract

Computerized medical records will enable statistical analysis to be used to determine which treatments are most effective.

- Temple Grandin

Medical, Which, Statistical, Enable

I had people in my life who didn't give up on me: my mother, my aunt, my science teacher. I had one-on-one speech therapy. I had a nanny who spent all day playing turn-taking games with me.

- Temple Grandin

Life, My Life, Had, Aunt

One of my sensory problems was hearing sensitivity, where certain loud noises, such as a school bell, hurt my ears. It sounded like a dentist drill going through my ears.

- Temple Grandin

Through, Like, Loud, Bell

One big question that's come up is: Has autism increased on the mild side of things? I don't think so - they've always been here. Some of this is increased detection.

- Temple Grandin

Big, Here, Always, Big Question

I've worked with tons of people that I know who are on the spectrum - but now I think severe autism has really increased.

- Temple Grandin

Think, I Think, Increased, Tons

I had problems getting my words out. If people spoke directly to me, I understood what they said. But when the grownups got to yakking really fast by themselves, it just sounded like 'oi oi.' I thought grownups had a separate language. I've now figured out I was not hearing the hard consonant sounds.

- Temple Grandin

Thought, Spoke, Separate, Grownups

I have been on the same dose of anti-depressants for 15 years, and my nerves still go up and down in cycles; but my nerves are cycling at a lower level than they were before.

- Temple Grandin

Level, Been, Still, Dose

I've always thought of myself as a cattle-handling specialist, a college professor first; autism is secondary.

- Temple Grandin

College, Always, Secondary

Research is starting to show that a child should be engaged at least 20 hours a week. I do not think it matters which program you choose as long as it keeps the child actively engaged with the therapist, teacher, or parent for at least 20 hours a week.

- Temple Grandin

Think, Engaged, Which, Actively

And while we are on the subject of medication you always need to look at risk versus benefit.

- Temple Grandin

Need, Always, Subject, Medication

If you start using a medication in a person with autism, you should see an obvious improvement in behavior in a short period of time. If you do not see an obvious improvement, they probably should not be taking the stuff. It is that simple.

- Temple Grandin

Using, Period, Short Period, Medication

Pressure is calming to the nervous system.

- Temple Grandin

Nervous, System, Calming

There tends to be a lot of autism around the tech centers... when you concentrate the geeks, you're concentrating the autism genetics.

- Temple Grandin

Tech, Lot, Concentrating, Geeks

When I was younger, I was looking for this magic meaning of life.

- Temple Grandin

Magic, Meaning, Younger, Meaning Of

Autism is an extremely variable disorder.

- Temple Grandin

Autism, Disorder, Extremely, Variable

Children between the ages of five to ten years are even more variable. They are going to vary from very high functioning, capable of doing normal school work, to nonverbal who have all kinds of neurological problems.

- Temple Grandin

Doing, Vary, Very, Variable

A treatment method or an educational method that will work for one child may not work for another child. The one common denominator for all of the young children is that early intervention does work, and it seems to improve the prognosis.

- Temple Grandin

May, Treatment, Educational, Common Denominator

It's much more work for the mother of an autistic child to have a job, because working with an autistic child is such a hassle until they go to school.

- Temple Grandin

Work, Go, More, Hassle

When I was in high school and college, I thought everybody could think in pictures. And my first inkling to my thinking was even different was when I was in college and I read an article about, you know, some scientist said that the caveman could not have designed tools until they had language.

- Temple Grandin

College, Some, Everybody, Article

Some children may need a behavioral approach, whereas other children may need a sensory approach.

- Temple Grandin

Some, Other, May, Whereas

I'm a visual thinker, really bad at algebra. There's others that are a pattern thinker. These are the music and math minds. They think in patterns instead of pictures. Then there's another type that's not a visual thinker at all, and they're the ones that memorize all of the sports statistics, all of the weather statistics.

- Temple Grandin

Bad, Pattern, Another, Algebra

Normal people have an incredible lack of empathy. They have good emotional empathy, but they don't have much empathy for the autistic kid who is screaming at the baseball game because he can't stand the sensory overload. Or the autistic kid having a meltdown in the school cafeteria because there's too much stimulation.

- Temple Grandin

Game, Kid, Normal People, Meltdown

From a scientific standpoint, Aspergers and autism are one syndrome. Aspergers is part of the autism spectrum, not a separate disorder.

- Temple Grandin

Syndrome, Separate, Disorder, Standpoint

I was expected to sit at the table, learn how to eat properly.

- Temple Grandin

Learn, How, Properly, Table

It's very important for the parents of young autistic children to encourage them to talk, or for those that don't talk, to give them a way of communicating, like a picture board, where they can point to a glass of milk, or a jacket if they're cold, or the bathroom. If they want something, then they need to learn to request that thing.

- Temple Grandin

Young, Request, Very, Board

- Temple Grandin

Cold, Young, Very, Board

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good teacher.

- Temple Grandin

Teacher, Cannot, Importance, Good Teacher

When you take a drug to treat high blood pressure or diabetes, you have an objective test to measure blood pressure and the amount of sugar in the blood. It is straight-forward. With autism, you are looking for changes in behavior.

- Temple Grandin

Treat, Test, Amount, Diabetes

I would never talk just to be social. Now, to sit down with a bunch of engineers and talk about the latest concrete forming systems, that's really interesting. Talking with animal behaviorists or with someone who likes to sail, that's interesting. Information is interesting to me. But talking for the sake of talking, I find that quite boring.

- Temple Grandin

Sail, Concrete, Forming, Sit

What I've tried to do is combine both my personal experiences with scientific research. I like to cross the divide between the personal world and the scientific world.

- Temple Grandin

Like, Scientific, Cross, Combine

Language just gradually came in, one or two stressed words a time. Before then, I would just scream. I couldn't talk. I couldn't get my words out. So the only way I could tell someone what I wanted was to scream. If I didn't want to wear a hat, the only way I knew to communicate was screaming and throwing it on the floor.

- Temple Grandin

Communicate, Tell, Before, Screaming

My mind works like Google for images. You put in a key word; it brings up pictures.

- Temple Grandin

Mind, Images, Works, Key

I was fascinated with optical illusions.

- Temple Grandin

Optical, Fascinated, Illusions

My mind sort of works like a search engine. You ask me something, and I start seeing pictures.

- Temple Grandin

Mind, Like, Works, Engine

My grandfather was an engineer who invented the automatic pilot for airplanes.

- Temple Grandin

Pilot, Engineer, Automatic, Invented

As you may know, some of the stereotyped behaviors exhibited by autistic children are also found in zoo animals who are raised in a barren environment.

- Temple Grandin

Some, Behaviors, May, Barren

Research has shown that a barren environment is much more damaging to baby animals than it is to adult animals. It does not hurt the adult animals the same way it damages babies.

- Temple Grandin

More, Damages, Babies, Barren

I like to figure things out and solve problems.

- Temple Grandin

Like, Solve, Figure, Problems

Some people with autism who don't talk, all they hear are vowel sounds. Like if I said 'cup,' they might just hear 'uh.'

- Temple Grandin

Some, Like, Might, Hear

Language for me narrates the pictures in my mind. When I work on designing livestock equipment I can test run that equipment in my head like 3-D virtual reality. In fact, when I was in college I used to think that everybody was able to do that.

- Temple Grandin

College, Everybody, Virtual, Livestock

My problems are sort of more on a nuisance level. I can't stand scratchy clothes, I've got to have soft kinds of cotton against my skin, and I don't know why some 100% cotton t-shirts itch and others don't; it has something to do with the weave.

- Temple Grandin

Skin, Some, Against, Soft

If you have autism in the family history, you still vaccinate. Delay it a bit, space them out.

- Temple Grandin

History, Still, Them, Family History

The thing about being autistic is that you gradually get less and less autistic, because you keep learning, you keep learning how to behave. It's like being in a play; I'm always in a play.

- Temple Grandin

Play, Always, Like, Autistic

Some teachers just have a knack for working with autistic children. Other teachers do not have it.

- Temple Grandin

Some, Other, Knack, Autistic

You have got to keep autistic children engaged with the world. You cannot let them tune out.

- Temple Grandin

Children, World, Engaged, Autistic

Autistic children are very difficult to take care of, especially severely autistic ones. When I was 4, I had almost no language; when I was 3, I had none at all.

- Temple Grandin

Difficult, Very, Almost, Autistic

I know a number of autistic adults that are doing extremely well on Prozac.

- Temple Grandin

Doing, Number, Extremely, Autistic

I think that autistic brains tend to be specialized brains. Autistic people tend to be less social. It takes a ton of processor space in the brain to have all the social circuits.

- Temple Grandin

Think, I Think, Specialized, Autistic

I'm a visual thinker, not a language-based thinker. My brain is like Google Images.

- Temple Grandin

Like, Visual, Images, Thinker

People are always looking for the single magic bullet that will totally change everything. There is no single magic bullet.

- Temple Grandin

Change, Single, Always, Bullet

There is a tremendous range of children with a PDD label.

- Temple Grandin

Children, Range, Tremendous, Label

Autism is a neurological disorder. It's not caused by bad parenting. It's caused by, you know, abnormal development in the brain. The emotional circuits in the brain are abnormal. And there also are differences in the white matter, which is the brain's computer cables that hook up the different brain departments.

- Temple Grandin

Differences, Bad, Matter, Autism

I am also a believer in an integrated treatment approach to autism.

- Temple Grandin

I Am, Believer, Treatment, Autism

Autism is part of who I am.

- Temple Grandin

I Am, Part, Am, Autism

I use my mind to solve problems and invent things.

- Temple Grandin

Mind, Use, Invent, Solve

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

Frustration, Knew, Could, Scream

I obtain great satisfaction out of using my intellect.

- Temple Grandin

Intellect, Obtain, Using, Satisfaction

I am a big believer in early intervention.

- Temple Grandin

I Am, Big, Big Believer, Believer

I like to cross the divide between the personal world and the scientific world.

- Temple Grandin

World, Like, Scientific, Divide

The most important thing people did for me was to expose me to new things.

- Temple Grandin

New, The Most Important, Did

Language for me narrates the pictures in my mind.

- Temple Grandin

Mind, Me, Language, Pictures

My life is basically my work.

- Temple Grandin

Work, Life, My Life, Basically

We have got to work on keeping these children engaged with the world.

- Temple Grandin

Children, World, Keeping, Engaged

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