Temple Grandin thinks in shapes. But she doesn’t like being put in a box.
As far as she’s concerned, autism led to the iPhone, and most of Silicon Valley can be found on the autism spectrum beside her.
On Thursday night at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Grandin told a crowd of 1,185 people the story of her rise to prominence as both a farm-animal specialist and an autism awareness activist.
"My own father wanted to put me in an institution," the 68-year-old said of her diagnosis.
Grandin spoke of the different ways in which people’s minds work and how she was upset with the current education system, which she said tends to label students.
She showed the crowd scanned images of her own brain and then hand-drawn designs of cattle corrals, which earned her widespread recognition in the livestock industry.
UF occupational therapy graduate student Erika Unger said she found Grandin inspiring.
"Just because you may think differently, doesn’t mean you’re not gonna be able to accomplish anything in your life," the 23-year-old said.
Matt Hersom, an associate professor in the UF Department of Animal Sciences, first heard of Grandin when he was an undergraduate at Iowa State University.
He said his 14-year-old son has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Hersom said it is critical for students to be exposed to a wide range of role models, not just the standard ones.
"It’s important for all of our students to get exposure to different ideas and different philosophies," he said.
By the end of the hourlong event, Grandin opened the floor to the audience, fielding questions from parents and students. She signed copies of her books in the Phillips Center foyer afterward.
Stephanie Reisberg, 25, waited in line to get a signed copy of "The Way I See It."
The pediatric occupational therapist said she works with children with autism.
"I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time," she said.
Farm animal behaviorist and autism advocate Temple Grandin shares her insight on success at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 24, 2015. She also discussed children’s need to become more active mentally. “Give the kid the chance to respond - wait and let them respond,” Grandin said.
