Temple Grandin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Temple Grandin
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Grandin in 2011
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Mary Temple Grandin
August 29, 1947 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Institutions | Colorado State University |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Grandin |
Mary Temple Grandin (born August 29, 1947) is an amazing American scientist, inventor, and animal behavior expert. She is famous for her work in making sure farm animals are treated kindly. Temple has written many scientific papers about how animals behave.
She works as a special advisor to the livestock industry. Her advice helps farms and processing plants treat animals better. Temple Grandin is also one of the first people with Autism to share her personal experiences. She has helped many people understand what it's like to be autistic.
Today, she is a professor at Colorado State University. There, she teaches about Animal Sciences. In 2010, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people. Her life story was even made into a movie called Temple Grandin, which won several awards.
Contents
Temple Grandin's Early Life
Her Family and Childhood
Temple Grandin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1947. Her birth name was Mary Temple Grandin. To avoid confusion with another family member named Mary, everyone called her Temple. Her mother, Anna, was an actress and singer. Her father, Richard, worked in real estate. They divorced when Temple was 15.
Temple has three younger siblings: two sisters and a brother. She grew up in a family that encouraged learning and creativity. From a young age, Temple was interested in understanding the world around her. She developed a scientific way of looking at things.
Discovering Autism
When Temple was two years old, doctors said she had "brain damage." This diagnosis was later found to be incorrect. It wasn't until she was a teenager that her mother learned about autism. After reading a checklist, her mother realized that Temple's experiences matched the description of autism.
Later, Temple was identified as an autistic savant. This means she has autism but also has extraordinary abilities in certain areas.
School Days and Challenges
In her early childhood, some people thought she should live in a special facility. However, her mother strongly disagreed. She sought out the best experts to help Temple. Temple's mother found a neurologist who recommended speech therapy. Temple began receiving special training at two and a half years old.
Temple started kindergarten at Dedham Country Day School. Her teachers and classmates worked hard to make school a comfortable place for her. She felt lucky to have supportive teachers throughout elementary school. However, junior high and high school were very difficult times for her.
Temple attended Beaver Country Day School for a few years. She faced teasing from other students. She described herself as the "nerdy kid" who was often made fun of. She was once asked to leave school after an incident with a classmate.
After this, Temple's mother enrolled her in Hampshire Country School. This school was for students with special talents who struggled in typical settings. There, Temple met a science teacher named William Carlock. He became a very important mentor. Mr. Carlock helped Temple build her confidence and explore her ideas.
The Squeeze Machine Idea
During a summer on her aunt's ranch in Arizona, Temple noticed how cattle were calmed by a "squeeze chute." This device gently held the animals in place. She realized that deep pressure could be comforting. She thought it might help her own sensory sensitivities.
With Mr. Carlock's encouragement, Temple designed and built her own "squeeze machine," also known as a "hug box." She was 18 years old at the time. This machine provided the deep pressure she found soothing. When others questioned her invention, Mr. Carlock suggested she study its effects scientifically. This helped her turn her personal interest into a valuable research project.
Higher Education and Teaching
After graduating from Hampshire Country School in 1966, Temple continued her education. She earned a bachelor's degree in human psychology in 1970. She then earned a master's degree in animal science in 1975. Later, she completed her doctoral degree in animal science in 1989.
In 1990, Dr. Grandin became a professor at Colorado State University. She has been teaching in the Department of Animal Sciences ever since.
Temple Grandin's Important Work
Helping Us Understand Autism
Temple Grandin has done a lot to help people understand autism. She was one of the first adults to openly share her experiences. Her books, like Emergence: Labeled Autistic (1986) and Thinking in Pictures (1995), offer a unique look into an autistic mind.
She explains that she thinks "totally in pictures." This means her thoughts are like a slideshow of images. This visual thinking helps her remember details and solve problems. She believes there are different ways people with autism think.
- Visual Thinkers: Like Temple, they think in specific pictures.
- Music and Math Thinkers: They think in patterns and are often good at math or music.
- Verbal Logic Thinkers: They think in word details and might enjoy subjects like history.
Temple has spoken publicly about autism since the mid-1980s. She shares her experiences with being very sensitive to sounds and other things. She says words are like a second language for her. She uses her strong visual memory to design things and solve problems. Temple encourages early support for children with autism. She also believes in having supportive teachers. These teachers can help guide a child's special interests in helpful ways.
Improving Animal Welfare
Temple Grandin is a leader in making sure animals are treated well. She has lectured widely about how animals feel fear and stress. This understanding comes from her own experiences with anxiety. She uses this insight to design better systems for handling livestock.
She studies how cattle react to people, movements, and light. Then, she designs curved corrals and other equipment. These designs help reduce stress, panic, and injury for animals. Her goal is to make sure animals are calm and comfortable.
Her designs are used in many places where animals are handled. She believes that because of her autism, she can see the world from an animal's point of view. She feels a deep connection to animals. She wants to ensure they have a good life and a painless death.
Temple has developed a scoring system to check animal welfare at processing plants. This system has led to big improvements in how animals are handled. She also invented a special conveyor system for holding cattle during processing. This system is now used by many large meat companies.
In 2004, she received an award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). This award recognized her visionary work. Temple believes that animals, even though they are property, deserve ethical protections. She argues that we cannot harm an animal in the same way we can break an object.
Temple Grandin's Personal Journey
Temple Grandin has shared that autism affects every part of her life. She chooses comfortable clothes to help with her sensory processing disorder. She also organizes her life to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too much sensory input. She once used her squeeze machine regularly, but now she prefers hugging people.
Awards and Recognition
Temple Grandin has received many honors for her important work.
- In 2010, she was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine.
- She received a Double Helix Medal in 2011.
- She has been awarded honorary degrees from many universities around the world. These include McGill University (Canada), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, and Emory University.
- In 2012, she was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. She also joined the Texas Trail of Fame and the Hall of Great Westerners.
- The World Organisation for Animal Health gave her a Meritorious Achievement Award in 2015.
- In 2016, she became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2017.
- In 2023, she received honorary Doctor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees.
- On November 15, 2025, Temple Grandin received the National Portrait Gallery's Portrait of a Nation Award. This award celebrates her amazing contributions to American history and culture.
Temple Grandin in the Media
Temple Grandin has been featured on many major TV shows. These include Primetime Live, the Today Show, and Larry King Live. She has also been written about in magazines like Time, People, and Discover.
Her life story was made into an HBO film called Temple Grandin in 2010. The film starred Claire Danes as Temple. It won many awards, including seven Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for Claire Danes.
She was also featured in the 2006 documentary Beautiful Minds: A Voyage Into the Brain. In 2011, she appeared in the documentary series Ingenious Minds. She was also part of Michael Pollan's 2006 book, The Omnivore's Dilemma.
Temple Grandin's story has inspired children's books too. These include The Girl Who Thought In Pictures, A Story of Temple Grandin (2017) and I am Temple Grandin (2023). The latter was even adapted into an episode for the PBS show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum.
Books by Temple Grandin
- Emergence: Labeled Autistic (with Margaret Scariano, 1986, updated 1991), ISBN: 0-446-67182-7
- The Learning Style of People with Autism: An Autobiography (1995). In Teaching Children with Autism: Strategies to Enhance Communication and Socialization, Kathleen Ann Quill, ISBN: 0-8273-6269-2
- Thinking in Pictures: Other Reports from My Life with Autism (1996) ISBN: 0-679-77289-8
- Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism (2004). ISBN: 1-931282-56-0
- Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior (with Catherine Johnson, 2005), ISBN: 0-7432-4769-8
- The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism (with Sean Barron, 2005), ISBN: 1-932565-06-X
- Livestock Handling and Transport (2007). ISBN: 978-1-84593-219-0. CABI, UK.
- The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger's (2008), ISBN: 9781932565720
- Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals (with Catherine Johnson, 2009), ISBN: 978-0-15-101489-7
- Improving Animal Welfare: A Practical Approach (2010). ISBN: 978-1-84593-541-2, CABI, UK
- The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum (with Richard Panek, 2013), ISBN: 978-0-547-63645-0
- Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals, Second Edition (with Mark Deesing, 2013), ISBN: 978-0-12-394586-0
- Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor (2018) ISBN: 1524738204
- The Loving Push: How Parents and Professionals Can Help Spectrum Kids Become Successful Adults (with Debra Moore Ph.D., 2016), ISBN: 978-1941765203
- Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions (2022) ISBN: 0593418360
- Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets for Helping Kids on the Spectrum (with Debra Moore, Ph.D., 2021). ISBN: 978-0-393-71484-5
Images for kids
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Temple Grandin giving a speech for the National Association of College and University Food Services 2013 National Conference in Minneapolis
See also
In Spanish: Temple Grandin para niños
