>> TEMPLE GRANDIN IS KNOWN AS
THE ARCHITECT OF
THE MODERN
SLAUGHTER HOUSE IN NORTH AMERICA
NOW USE HER
INNOVATIVE DESIGNS
IN TREATING
LIVE STOCK MORE
HUMANLY.
SHE'S A PROFESSOR OF ANIMAL
SCIENCE AT COLORADO STATE
UNIVERSITY AND SUBJECT OF
A
2010HBO
FILM.
SHE NOW
SERVES
AS AN ACTIVIST
FOR OTHERS
AND SHE NOW
JOINS US
TO TALK ABOUT HER
LATES
T BOOK,
THINKING ACROSS THE
SPECTRUM.
>> IT'S GREAT TO BE
HERE.
>> YOU HAVE LENT YOUR SUPPORT TO
A GROWING CAMPAIGN FOR MORE
RESEARCH INTO THE WAY
AUTISM
AFFECTS THE
SENSES, THE SEE
THINGS MY WAY CAMPAIGN.
WHY DO YOU THINK THERE
HASN'T
BEEN MORE RESEARCH?
>> PEOPLE HAVE DONE A LOT O
F
RESEARCH ON THE SOCIAL
ASPECTS,
FACE RECOLLECT ANYTHING WITHIN
RECOGNITION.
THERE'S AN ISSUE ON SENSORY
ISSUES.
AND THEY
CAN BE
EXTREMELY
DEBILITATING.
VISUAL SENSORY, PROBLEMS WITH
LIGHT, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
REALLY NEEDS TO BE
STUDIED AND
IN MY WORK WITH
ANIMALS, I'M A
VISUAL THINKER.
SO I KNOW ACCORDING TO WERE
AFRAID OF A LOT
OF LITTLE
THINGS, SHADOW, A CHAIN
HANGING
DOWN, THINGS WE TEND TO NOT
NOTICE.
>> HOW TO YOU THINK
PARENTS,
TEACHERS, FAMILIES, HOW CAN
THEY
HELP A YOUNG PERSON
NAVIGATE OR
DEAL WITH THIS?
>> IF YOU HAVE A TWO
OR
3-YEAR-OLD CHILD, THE WORST
THE
THING YOU CAN DO IS NOTHING.
YOU HAVE TO
WORK WITH HIM,
TEACH
HIM WORDS, TURN
TAKING.
ANOTHER THING I TALK ABOUT IN
THE AUTISTIC BRAIN IS THE
DIFFERENT KINDS OF
MINDS.
I'M A VISUAL THINKER
WITH
DIFFICULTIES IN
MATH.
MY WORK MAINLY
INVOLVES
DESIGN.
ANOTHER KIND,
A
MATHEMATICIAN,
HE MIGHT HAVE TROUBLE WITH
READING.
ANOTHER KID IS GOOD WITH WORDS.
BUILD UP ON THE
AREA OF STRENGTH
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO
START
LOOKING
THAT.
WHAT WILL
WE DO FOR JOBS.
THERE'S NO EMPHASIZE ON
TRAINING
OR WORK SKILLS.
I KNOW THE PAPER
ROUTES
ARE GONE
BUT LET'S
FIND
SUBSTITUTES,
THINGS LIKE WALKING DOGS.
>> YOU JUST MENTIONED IT, YOUR
WORK AND
DESIGN AND
SLAUGHTERHOUSES.
FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO 'DO KNOW
ABOUT
DON'T KNOWWHAT YOU DO, TELL
US ABOUT
IT.
>> YOU CAN LOOK
AT THE VIDEO
PLANTS WITH TEMPLE GRANDIN AND
THEY ASK
ARE THE ACCORDING TO
AFRAID OF GETTING
SLAUGHTERED.
THEY'RE AFRAID OF
SHADOWS,
REFLEXIONS.
ANOTHER THING, EQUIPMENT DESIGN
IS
HALF THE
EQUATION.
YOU HAVE TO MESSAGE
IT.
IF IT'S NOT
MANAGED RIGHT, BAD
STUFF HAPPENS.
>> DESPITE YOUR WORK WITH
MAKING
SLAUGHTER MORE
HUMANE FOR
ANIMALS,
YOU
STILL
EAT MEAT.
>> I DO.
I FEEL WE HAVE TO GIVE THEM A
LIFE WORTH
LIVING.
I THOUGHT ABOUT
THE ACCORDING TO
RAISED AND
PIGS RAISED NEVER
BORN
IF
WE HADN'T BRED THOSE
ANIMALS BUT WE HAVE TO GIVE
THEM
A DECENT LIFE.
THERE ARE PROBLEMS STILL OUT AT
THE FARM THAT HAVE TO
BE
FIX.
>> WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS AT
THE
FAMILIAR?
>> PUSHING BIOLOGY
TOO HARD,
RABBIT GROWTH, THINGS LIKE
THAT,
FEED ADDITIVES
THAT CAN
PUSH
THE
BIOLOGY TOO HARD AND
CAUSE
LAMENESS AND BARON
ENVIRONMENTS,
SOMETHINGS, ESPECIALLY IN PORK
AND
CHICKENS,
EGG-LAYING
CHICKENS.
>> WITH YOUR UNIQUE MIND,
HOW
DO
YOU TAP INTO
SEEING
WHAT
ANIMALS
SEE?
>> ANIMALS DON'T
THINK IN VERBAL
LANGUAGE,
PICTURES,
SOUND,
TOUCH
SENSATIONS, AUDITORY
CLIPS.
IT'S DETAILED
ACCEPTANCERY
INFORMATION AND BOTTOM UP
THINKING.
YOU WANT TO TEACH A DOG TO
SIT,
TEACH HIM AT
HOME, OUTSIDE, AT
THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE
BUT IF YOU TEACH HIM IN YOUR
KITCHEN, HE WON'T DO I
T
SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE THEY'RE
MUCH MORE SPECIFIC IN HOW THEY
THINK.
>> YOU'VE
ACCOMPLISHED A LOT,
DESPITE YOUR
AUTISM.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY YOU'VE
DONE ALL THAT
DESPITE AUTISM
WITHIN WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU
STILL FACE THAT
ARE
UNIQUE?
>> AVICTIM IS
A BIG
SPECTRUM.
YOU HAVE EINSTEIN AND STEVE
JOBS.
STEVE JOBS WAS A
WEIRD
LONER.
AND YOU HAVE
A HUGE BIG
SPECTRUM
WITH THE SAME NAME AND TEND
TO
GET PUT
TOGETHER BECAUSE
I'VE
SEEN KIDS THAT ARE NERDY,
I WENT
TO COLLEGE WITH AND GOT GOOD
JOBS.
ONE OF THE REASONS IS
THEY
LEARNED WORK SKILLS.
SOME THAT ARE
FULLY VERBAL
ARE
TOO OVERPROTECTED.
MY MOTHER WAS ALWAYS GETTING
ME
OUT DOING THINGS.
WHEN I WAS
13, SHE
GOT
ME A
SEWING
JOB.
YOU STRETCH THESE KIDS OUT
OF
THEIR COMFORT ZONE
AND I TALK
ABOUT THAT IN MY
BOOK, THE
AUTISTIC WAY.
>> IN THE BOOK YOU REFERENCE
VACCINES AND
OBVIOUSLY
THERE'S --
>> THAT'S A MAINER PART OF THE
BOOK AND
I
THINK THAT
WHOLE
THINGS IS
DISTRACTION.
I DON'T WANT TO DISCUSS
THAT
BECAUSE IT DISTRACTS ALL
OF
OTHER THINGS I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT.
>> SOME
ARE
MAKE --
>> EARLIERNITY INTERVENTION,
DEVELOPING STRENGTHS, GETTING
PEOPLE INTO GOOD
JOBS BECAUSE
I'VE WORKED IN THE
CONTRACTS
INDUSTRY,
BUILDING AND DESIGNING
MY FACILITIES
AND I'VE SEEN A
LOT OF PEOPLE MY
AGE,
40, 50,
60, THEY WERE THAT KID HAVING
PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL, TO BE
LABELED MILD AUTISM
TODAY.
THE GUY
RUNS A
BIG
METAL
FABRICATION COMPANY OR FIXES
THE
COMPUTERS OR RUNS A
CREW
OF 200
PEOPLE AND THEY'RE JUST
A
SPECTRUM AND JUNIOR IS
TOO
OVERPROTECTED HASN'T LEARNED HOW
TO SHOP, SHAKE
HANDS, ORDER FOOD
IN A
RESTAURANT, JUST THE
MOST
BASIC SKILLS.
>> THAT'S SOMETHING YOU TALK
ABOUT, LEARNING LANGUAGE AND
MANNERS AND TAKING CARE OF
YOURSELF.
>> THE SCHOOLS
TAKING OUT
ALL OF
THE HANDS ON
CLASSES,
SEWING,
COOKING, WELDING.
WE HAVE A HUGE SHORTAGE IN
THE
SKILL'S TRADE, THINGS
LIKE TAUT
LIKE AUTO
MECHANICS.
THERE'S KIDS
WITH MILDLY
AUTISTIC AND THESE ARE THE
PERFECT JOBS.
>> WHEN DID YOU BEGIN OR REALIZE
THAT SOME OF THE GREAT THINKERS
AND MINDS LIKE YOU
REFERENCED
STEVE JOBS, WHE
N DID YOU REALIZE
THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN
SOMETHING LIKE
YOU?
>> WHEN YOU REMEMBER, I WAS
GROWING UP THERE WERE
NO BOOKS
ABOUT AUTUMN AT ALL.
THE VERY FIRST BOOK CAME
OUT IN
THE
EARLY '70S.
AND IT WAS VIRTUALLY NO OTHER
BOOKS.
AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING I
LEARNED A LOT MORE ABOUT
WHEN I
GOT OLDER.
NOW THERE'S
MORE
MATERIALS
AVAILABLE.
>> SO YOU
THINK THAT THEY ARE
LIKE YOU, JUST BASED
O
N
WHAT
YOU'VE READ ABOUT THESE
THINKERS?
>> WHEN I DID MY EARLIER BOOK, I
LOOKED
UP EINSTEIN
AND HE HAD A
LOT OF ODD TRAITS.
I HAVE A XEROX
COPY OF A
LETTER
FROM EINSTEIN THAT SAID HE
DIDN'T SPEAK UNTIL HE WAS THREE
AND HIS PARENTS WERE
CONCERNED.
THAT'S A KID LABOREDDED
WITH
AUTISM TODAY.
I'M SEEING KIDS COMING UP TO ME
AT MEETINGS THAT
ARE WAY
MILDER
THAN I AM
AND THEY'RE
GRADUATING
FROM COLLEGE AND HAVEN'T LEARNED
A SINGLE WORK
SKILL.
THAT'S THE DISCIPLINE OF
LEARNING A JOB TO START AT
AGE
12 AND
VOLUNTEER WORK DOES
COUNT.
YOU VOLUNTEER AT THE
FARMERS
MARKET OR CHURCH,
HELPING ON
WEEKENDS, SETTING UP THE
CHAIRS.
WHEN I WAS
15, 16, I
WAS
CLEANING EIGHT HORSE STALLS AND
PROUD THAT I TOOK CARE OF
THAT.
>> YOU SAY IN YOUR BOOK, THE
TIME HAS COME TO RETHINK THE
AUTISTIC BRAIN.
WHAT DO
YOU
MEAN?
>> WHAT KIDS CAN DO.
ALGEBRA
WAS
HOPELESS, MY CAREER
WAS BUILDING
UP
THE THINGS THAT
THEY ARE GOOD AT DOING.
THE WAY I SOLD
JOBS WAS SHOWING
OFF A PORTFOLIO OF
MY WORK.
PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAYS
WEIRD
BUT
WHEN THEY SEE MY
DRAWINGS,
OH,
YOU DREW THAT.
>> YOU EXAMINATIONING
WERE DIAGNOSED
AT A
TIME
WHEN
VERY FEW
PEOPLE HAD HEARD
OF IT.
HOW HAS THAT CHANGED.
>> WHEN I WAS A KID I
WAS IN THE
CORNER ROCKING, NO SPEECH, I
WAS
NOT FLUENT IN SPEECH UNTIL I WAS
FOUR YEARS OLD.
THEN YOU GET THE AS
BERGER TYPES
OF KIDS WITH THE SPEECH
IS
NORMAL AND THEY HAVE NO
FRIENDS.
THEY'RE
SOCIALLY AWKWARD.
I RECOMMEND
ANY
PARENT WITH A
KID ON THE
AUTISTIC SPECTRUM IS
JOIN A LOCAL
SUPPORT
GROUP.
>> YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT
MENTORS,
ESPECIALLY
DR. CARLOCK AND THE
IMPORTANCE.
>> HE WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.
ONE OF WAYS HE
MOTIVATED ME WAS
GIVING ME INTERESTING PROJECTS.
THE MBO
MOVIE,
I BUILT
THAT.
THAT WAS PROJECT I
DID.
HE DIDN'T JUST TELL ME HOW
TO
BUILD IT.
HE WANTED ME TO FIGURE IT OUT.
HE DIDN'T JUST GIVE ME THE
ANSWERS.
>> WHERE WOULD YOU B
E HAD YOU
NOT COME ACROSS
MENTORS LIKE HIM
OVER YOUR CAREER?
>> PROBABLY NOT WHERE
I
AM
NOT.
GOOD PEOPLE IN
THE
CATTLE
INDUSTRY, BUT THERE WERE PEOPLE
IN THE CATTLE INDUSTRY THAT WERE
GOOD TO ME.
ME, THAT GOT
ME THOSE
JOBS.
>> HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE OR WHAT
ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR A
POTENTIAL MENTOR AS THEY
APPROACH GUIDING SOMEONE ON THE
SPECTRUM?
>> WELL, I'LL TALK ON THE
HIGHER
END OF
THE
SPECTRUM, WHAT IS
THEIR
INTERESTS?
I WAS MORE ART
SIDE OF THINGS,
MORE MATHEMATIC KIND OF KIDS AND
TOO MANY KIDS ARE
ADDICTED TO
VIDEO GAMES AND
NOT
DOIN
G
ANYTHING ELSE.
THE MATHEMATICS TYPE, LET'S GET
HIM ON WEBSITES TO LEARN
PROGRAMMING.
CODE ACADEMY, THEY CAN LEARN
PROGRAMMING.
THE KIDS THAT LIKE TO
WRITE.
LET'S GET THEM WRITING
A
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
LETTER.
USE
YOUR
SKILLS AND
DO SOMETHING
SOMEBODY ELSE WANTS.
>> YOU HAVE HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY
TO TO SEE
YOUR
OWN BRAIN
SCANS.
HOW DO YOU THINK
THAT
HELPS
SCIENCE.
>> THERE'S A WHOLE CHAPTER ON
THE BRAIN SCAN
THAT MY MATH
DEPARTMENT IS FULL OF WATER.
I HAVE
EXTRA VISUAL
ASSOCIATIONS,
MAMIGULA
IS LARGER
THAN NORMAL, FOR
WHY
I
WAS SO
NERVOUS AND NOW
CONTROLLED WITH
ANTIDEPRESSANTS.
A
LOT
OF VARIETY IN
AUTISM.
IT'S UNEVEN
SKILLS.
AUTOMOBILE AREA OF STRENGTH AND
DEPTH.
WE
NEED MORE EMPHASIS ON THE
AREA OF
STRENGTH.
>> THE SQUEEZE MACHINE YOU MADE,
I FOUND IT ONLINE
FIRST, SEVERAL
THOUSAND DOLLARS.
DO YOU THINK SOME DAY
IT WILL BE
MOSH ASSESSABLE FOR
FAMILIES TO
BE
HELPFUL?
>> LITTLE KIDS, MATH AND
YOU
THINGS LIKE THAT.
DEEP PRESSURE CALMS DOWN
SOME OF
THESE KIDS, NOT ALL.
THIS IS
WHERE AUTISM IS
DIFFERENT.
A LOT OF KIDS
THERE'S
INEXPENSIVE WAYS TO DO THE SAME
THING.
>> THE SQUEEZE MACHINE OR HUG
MACHINE,
IT'S AN
APPARATUS YOU
MADE TO
GIVE A HUG.
>> OF COURSE, I GOT
FIXATED ON
THAT.
YOU HAVE TO TAKE SOMETHING A KID
IS FIXATED
ON AND BROADEN
IT
OUT.
LIKE TRAINS, LET'S READ
ABOUT
TRAINS OR MAYBE YOU CAN GET A
JOB IN THE
RAILROAD, SOMETHING
TO TURN INTO
A CAREER.
>> OVER THE YEARS, HAVE YOU
CHANGED YOUR OPINION ON
HUGS?
>> I'M HUGGING REAL PEOPLE NOW.
MAYBE I'LL HUG
YOU AFTER THIS
INTERVIEW IS OVER.
>> THANK YOU.
TEMPLE
GRANDIN, AUTHOR,
SCIENTIST,
ACTIVIST, THANK YOU