Temple Grandin on Visual Thinking and Animal Behavior

I was a veterinary technician for 20 years, then went to nursing school. Had a nursing instructor who pointed out that people who worked with animals understood how to read body language , which can be a great asset in nursing. I went back to the veterinary field after 3 years working as an RN....nursing was not about the patient, it was about passing meds and paperwork.....

I thought about 40 years that i was bad at maths...in january i had for the first time in my live a good maths teacher; he took time to explain it to me and encouraged me to just do it! Now i'm having much fun with mathematics and even did successfully pass a test at my local job center! Not all depends on your intelligence, but a lot of on able teachers!

Some 10+ years ago, I was waiting in line to board an airplane when I recognized Temple Grandin standing in front of me. We struck up a conversation, which continued onto the airplane. She was seated in front of me, in first class, and she spent much of the flight facing back over her seat to chat with me. Having worked as a chauffeur during college, I had met countless celebrities. For the most part, they were not very impressive, but I was a little star struck to meet Dr. Grandin.

Ms. Grandin also makes the point to tell her students, and people she meets who are on the autism spectrum..that they are not 'flawed or different'. They merely have a unique way of perceiving the world, and then acting in it. This can be an enormous advantage, if the first thing the autistic person does is receive encouragement and assurance it is not some kind of 'defect'..Bravo, Ms. Grandin.

When you spoke about schools not knowing how to respond to a math whizz or student interested In engineering, I am reminded of the Arts and Science school my children were able to attend. The main classes had the math and science kids mixed in with the dancers, artists, and theatre kids. It was such a rich experience. My kid who was an artist really enjoyed building things and my theatre kid was good at figuring out how cell phones work, etc. we need more high schools like this. And why is shop no longer offered in many schools as it was back in the day? I learned how to sew in middle school which is a great skill to have. Hands on is the way to go. Thank you for your insightful talk.

I remember going to see Ms. Grandin at RCC in CA. One thing I never forgot is she said it’s important to teach children how to take turns.

How many times can I hit the "like" button? Thank you Dr. Grandin.

Brava, Ms Gradin, to both you and your mother. She was clearly instrumental in your success and, in turn, in our ability to learn from you.

I remember learning Temple’s story about a decade ago. At the time, I was very ill & had to spent hours alone. Temple’s journey was one of many that saved me. She is brilliant. This, coming from a person who eats mostly whole, organic foods. I see her designs as adding some compassion to an industry that will exist in America, with or without her. She’s also a voice for learning how to best work together with each of us contributing our individual gifts. Fascinating! And, if anyone is here & curious about neurological disorders, I believe the book she refers to at one point, regarding the man understanding his dog through the sense of touch, is The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks. I learned so much in this video. Great comments from others too.

I love this talk! I am thankful for you, Temple Grandin! My husband & I ran an agriculturally-based education program for children 3-12 yrs of age for 8 years. We have Autism in our family. We cared for & educated children with a wide range of developmental needs, including those who were labeled as behavior disordered & kicked out of other schools. Observing the animals was always the first step in the children getting to know the animals -- especially the horses! Children thrive learning this way. God bless you, Temple Grandin. You are a gem! 💖🙏🏼😇

Very interesting. I became interested in Temple because a family member has been diagnosed with autism. However I'm wondering now if I'm autistic. I thought my thinking was different because I grew up in a dysfunctional family. My mother intentionally did not teach me anything. She had taught my sister how to read at the 3rd grade level and how write cursive before she went to kindergarten. The school wasn't happy because she didn't fit in with the other students. When I started kindergarten I didn't know the alphabet, I had difficulty learning how to read in part because I found reading boring. (A picture is worth a thousand words) I was very much a visual thinker. I was also artistic, I saw more details than most kids therefore my drawings were three dimensional while my classmates drew one dimensional. Because my reading skills were poor I was labeled slow. It didn't help that my mother kept telling me I was stupid, I believed her and really didn't try to learn reading, writing, and math. I constantly doodled, I had problems listening to the teacher. I daydreamed a lot, I was often alone and spent a lot of time in a fantasy world of my own. My self-esteem and communication skills suffered. My artistic skills enabled me to get a job as an illustrator. I was very focused on my work, constantly analysed how to produce more higher quality work. When I left that job they hired 2 people to replace me. I was very analytical, changed careers and became a management analyst. I was always looking, seeing more details therefore my conclusions and recommendations were often better than my coworkers. Years later one coworker told me she and the other coworkers couldn't figure out how I came up with my recommendations. My recommendations were usually better, based on more detail, and when implemented were successful. I had an amazing memory, almost photographic. I could recall details most people didn't even notice. I realized other people thought differently from me and I felt the need to interpret my thinking for them so they could better understand what I was saying. Unfortunately age, menopause, changed everything.

I just saw the title of this and FREAKED OUT I hav not even watched it but I’m so excited bc I’m guessing it’s going to be about how to talk to animals by visualizing what you want to say. In college there was a chicken coop out on the farm where sustainability was taught. I would walk by the chickens in their enclosure to get to class and that would freak them out a little even if I talked sweetly or gave them treats, they were super skittish until I imagined cuddling their little baby chicks one day like really felt it even. ALL the clucking stopped as I thought this and immediately felt like they understood I would not hurt them. I have never forgotten that experience and use visualization to communicate with animals when ever I get the chance. Once I met a snake in my driveway and asked if we could be friends. I imagined myself as another snake twisted around it like mating and it stayed put watching me. I layed on the ground and put my hand out and it sniffed me like we said hello and it slowly slithered off.

just wow. I am like one minute in and absolutely gripped. This woman is an absolute full-force genius. She has one of the most beautiful and penetrating minds I have ever witnessed.

You are truly one of THE greatest minds of our life time, no doubt! I, too, understand how animals think. I've gotten to groom dogs professionally for 39 years until my husband was dx with ALS 3 years ago. . Animal behavior is not only fascinating but its how we, as people, should behave with each other. Animals and nature exist to teach us lessons and ife lessons all through our lives. If animals aren't involved, I am not interested.

Watching this gave me an insight in how to help "autistic" people who are suffering. It's so simple, and completely natural. Hint: The same known cure for depression.

I love the way Temple Grandin thinks, and enjoy hearing her teach so very much. She's a genius!

She is wonderful! What i enjoy most about Dr. Grandin is, is how absolutely honest she is. you can just feel it in everything she shares! never hiding shame or exaggertions.. shes just who she is. and who she Clearly is is so smart and real. and kind.

i come from a family of high i.q. social nerds. learning about you made a big positive difference in how i thought about myself. one day i wandered into an online group for people who had aspergers & i saw my life over & over in what they said to each other. i commented that i was glad to know that we aren't just a bunch of losers & screw ups. the most beautiful thing i ever saw was a comment that we weren't losers etc. & never were. thank you temple grandin.

Labels can be a road to self-pity and resignation, but they can also be tools of focus for those who feel that they have to become a people-pleasing multi-talented extrovert to get by in life. I never had a label and because of this it took me a long time to accept the fact that I'm just not wired to be a people person because, growing up, this was presented to me as the main attribute of a successful person.

Absolutely LOVE the movie about her life, pioneering works/animal protection, and professional teaching career. She truly is a gift.