A BRILLIANT MIND
    
Temple Grandin developed an interest for animals after visiting her aunt's cattle ranch out West one summer when she was a teen. Grandin recognized that animals and autistic people share certain traits, such as reliance on visual clues to navigate environment.
 
CAREER: Grandin recognized that cattle exhibited signs of tremendous stress and anxiety when confronted by certain visual or audio clues that they were about to be slaughtered.  She designed numerous innovations at such facilities to help reduce stress during the animal's final minutes.  In 1975, she founded her own company, Grandin Livestock Handling Systems.  (SOURCE: www.notablebiographies.com)

BOOKS & MOVIES: Grandin has written a variety of books such as Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, in which she writes about her work.  In 1986, her autobiography Emergence: Labeled Autistic was published and later reissued after 10 years when Grandin became a prominent figure in her career.  In 2004, Grandin wrote, with the help of co-author Kate Duffy, Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism. In 2010, HBO Films released a biopic of Temple Grandin, in which Claire Danes plays the role of Grandin. The movie won a Golden Globe award.


THE TEMPLE GRANDIN SCHOOL: Grandin was diagnosed with autism as a toddler when she showed specific symptoms such as not liking to be held or touched, temper tantrums and spoke very little.  More specifically, Grandin was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, in which the main symptom is trouble interacting with others. The Temple Grandin School, which is in Boulder Colorado, serves students with Asperger's Syndrome and similar learning profiles. It provides a challenging curriculum, real-world resources and mentors.