Temple Responds to Questions!

The following are some of the questions, and Temple's answers, recently asked via this website. If you go to the icon on the left hand side, you too can ask a question that may be printed here. We will print only your first name for confidentially reasons.

QUESTION: Where do you get your fantastic shirts?

-- Abbie

ANSWER: Some of the shirts I purchase, some are given to me as gifts, I have even found them at the airport in Calgary, Canada.

-- Temple


QUESTION: How do you calm yourself when you are overwhelmed?

-- Annette

ANSWER: I try to distance myself for a while. Get away and be quiet with no distractions and no noises. I also take anti-depressants which help considerably with the overloads.

-- Temple


QUESTION: What problems did you face with other people while working at your different jobs?

-- Brooke

ANSWER: I found it difficult to work with others because they would become jealous and sabotage my work. For example, once people broke conveyors with meat hooks on one of my jobs.

-- Temple


QUESTION: Was it hard for you as a child to pay attention and listen because of your autism?

-- Olivia

ANSWER: Yes, it was difficult for me. I found I only heard hard consonants at the beginning. This posed a problem with my hearing. I would sit in the first or second row in class so as to understand what the teacher was saying. I never sat in the back of the classroom. I would not have learned anything if I had.
-- Temple


QUESTION: How do you deal with bullying?

-- Tyler

ANSWER: I found it is easier to deal with bullying if I surround myself with people that have the same interests as I do. For instance, when I was in high School, I was a member of the rocket club, I rode horses and built electronics in class groups. The people I worked on projects with, or rode horses with, did not bully me because we liked to do the same things. There was no time for bullying and it was not an issue when I was with these groups.

Good groups to join are the boy scouts, band, art, gymnastics or dance, acting clubs, etc.

-- Temple


QUESTION: My daughter does not like to spend the night away from home. Was this common for you?

-- Cruz

ANSWER: I was ok with staying away from home as long as it was for only one night and it was with a relative I was close to or a very good friend.

It will help to make the sleep over for one night only until the child is use to it and then you can increase the amount of time away from home gradually. It is not good to take the child somewhere for a week without allowing them to get used to being away from home.

-- Temple


QUESTION: Our psychology class just finished watching your inspiring movie. We were wondering why you chose to work with cows, rather than any other animal? Do you feel a particular connection to those animals?
-- FHS Psychology Pd5

ANSWER: I think people tend to like the animals they work with the most. When I was at my Aunt's ranch, I was around cattle and horses all the time. That is where my interest began.

-- Temple


QUESTION: I am curious about autism and humor. Much of humor is word-based (puns, double entendres, etc.) Since you have stated you believe many autistics (including yourself) think in pictures, how do you relate to humor?

-- Shannon

ANSWER: Humor is visual. when someone tells a joke, you visualize the joke in your head. Those of us that think in pictures view the joke in our head as well.

-- Temple


QUESTION: Are you more drawn to the small details or the whole picture?

-- Phylane

ANSWER: I am drawn to both, actually. I notice the visual details in the work - like shadows and chains hanging.

-- Temple


QUESTION: What was your biggest challenge to overcome? Who inspires you? Did you ever think you would be where you are today?

-- Jul

ANSWER: My biggest challenge to overcome would be the constant panic attacks I had. I was placed on anti-depressants and could only eat yogurt and Jell-O because they were so severe. My squeeze machine I built in college helped me tremendously with the anxiety and panic attacks. When I was younger, I had modest dreams. I just wanted to have a career. I would say the HBO movie was one of the biggest surprises I have ever had in my life!

-- Temple


QUESTION: What do you do for fun?
-- Brett

ANSWER: I like to go to dinner with friends and attend movies. Some of my favorite movies include "Avatar", "2001 A Space Odyssey", and the "Star Trek" series.

-- Temple

Temple Speaks Out on Sensory Issues!

I have been talking and writing about sensory problems for over 20 years, and am still perplexed by many people who do not acknowledge sensory issues and the pain and discomfort they can cause.  A person doesn't have to be on the autism spectrum to be affected by sensory issues.

For more information on sensory issues, please go to www.sensoryworld.com.

Dr Temple Grandin, The Way I See It

About Temple Grandin

Dr. Grandin didn't talk until she was three and a half years old, communicating her frustration instead by screaming, peeping, and humming. In 1950, she was diagnosed with autism and her parents were told she should be institutionalized. She tells her story of "groping her way from the far side of darkness" in her book Emergence: Labeled Autistic, a book which stunned the world because, until its publication, most professionals and parents assumed that an autism diagnosis was virtually a death sentence to achievement or productivity in life.

Dr. Grandin has become a prominent author and speaker on the subject of autism because "I have read enough to know that there are still many parents, and yes, professionals too, who believe that 'once autistic, always autistic.' This dictum has meant sad and sorry lives for many children diagnosed, as I was in early life, as autistic. To these people, it is incomprehensible that the characteristics of autism can be modified and controlled. However, I feel strongly that I am living proof that they can" (from Emergence: Labeled Autistic).

Even though she was considered "weird" in her young school years, she eventually found a mentor, who recognized her interests and abilities. Dr. Grandin later developed her talents into a successful career as a livestock-handling equipment designer, one of very few in the world. She has now designed the facilities in which half the cattle are handled in the United States, consulting for firms such as Burger King, McDonald's, Swift, and others.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is now the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. Her fascinating life, with all its challenges and successes has been brought to the screen. She has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio), major television programs, such as the BBC special "The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow", ABC's Primetime Live, The Today Show, Larry King Live, 48 Hours and 20/20, and has been written about in many national publications, such as Time magazine, People magazine, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, and New York Times.. Among numerous other recognitions by media, Bravo Cable did a half-hour show on her life, and she was featured in the best-selling book, Anthropologist from Mars.

Dr. Grandin presently works as a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She also speaks around the world on both autism and cattle handling. At every Future Horizons conference on autism, the audience rates her presentation as 10+.

Dr. Grandin's current bestselling book on autism is The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger's. She also authored Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships, Animals Make us Human, Animals in Translation, Thinking in Pictures, Emergence: Labeled Autistic and produced several DVDs. All books and DVD's available through Future Horizons.

Temple Grandin's work continues to inspire millions, drawing superlative reviews such as these:

"Temple is my hero. She has my vote for the person who has provided the greatest advance in our understanding of autism this century."

-Dr. Tony Attwood, world renowned expert on autism spectrum disorders.

On The Way I See It:

"Every library, large or small, needs this book on its shelves. Every school, large or small, with the responsibility of educating children with autism or Asperger’s needs the guidance this book offers. . . . Last, and certainly not least, every parent will find within these pages golden nuggets of advice, encouragement, and hope to fuel their day-to-day journey through their child’s autism. . . . The wisdom she offers through this book and its personal reflections on autism will, I’m sure, ring true for many more decades to come."

-Ruth Christ Sullivan, first elected president of the Autism Society of America

On Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships:

"I wish I had this book when Sean was a child. It would have helped me understand Sean so much more."

-Judy Barron, mother of author Sean Barron and co-author of There’s A Boy In Here

"If you’ve ever wondered, ‘What is going through my child’s mind? Why can’t he get social interactions?’ then this book is for you! ‘A-ha!’ moments abound."

-Veronica Zysk, managing editor of award-winning Autism Asperger’s Digest

On Thinking in Pictures:

"An insight into autism that very few people have been able to achieve."

-Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., Institute for Child Behavior Research, San Diego, CA

"What emerges in Thinking in Pictures is the document of an extraordinary human being, one who, in gracefully and lucidly bridging the gulf between her condition and our own, sheds light on the riddle of our common identity."

-Deborah Tannen, author of You Just Don't Understand

"Remarkable. . .Displaying uncanny powers of observation. . .[Temple Grandin] charts the differences between her life and the lives of those who think in words."

-Philadelphia Inquirer