Autism advocate Temple Grandin: 'Old-fashioned '50s parenting' can help kids

Temple Grandin

By Sue Thoms | sthoms1@mlive.com 

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Temple Grandin, a professor and author who has autism, called for a bit of old-fashioned 1950s-style parenting to teach social skills and help children develop their talents.

"I'm seeing too many smart kids get hung up on their autism. They are fixated on that. We've got to build on their strengths," said Grandin, speaking Friday, March 6, at the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children Conference at the Amway.

Grandin, who grew up in the 1950s, said the expectations and social rules she learned in childhood can help children stretch themselves and develop work skills. 

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8 Successful People with Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Dayle L. Fraschilla | Answers.com

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) each have different abilities and levels of functioning. What the future holds for each child with ASD is as unique as their individual personalities. As we learn more about autism and other disorders on the spectrum, we can better understand individuals living with ASD. Below are eight successful and widely-known people with ASD who can be positive role models for children growing up on the spectrum.

Read more...

Temple Grandin's presentation on autism at University of Redlands packs house

Toni Momberger | Whittier Daily News

Dr. Temple Grandin, a highly-accomplished adult with autism, livestock advocate and sought-after lecturer, presents "Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism", Tuesday at the University of Redlands. (John Valenzuela/Staff Photographer)

The Memorial Chapel at the University of Redlands didn't have an empty seat or parking space Tuesday night when Temple Grandin took the stage to discuss her life as a successful autistic.

In 2010 HBO made a movie about her that bears her name, starring Claire Danes, and Grandin was included in the TIME list of the 100 most influential people in the world in the "Heroes" category.

She opened by explaining that autism is a broad spectrum. A person could be highly functional, like Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, unable to dress himself or anywhere in between.

Her success includes becoming a doctor of animal science and an author. She is also an autism activist, and invented a squeeze machine to calm autistic children, a hug box.

In addition to working as a professor at Colorado State University, she's a consultant in the livestock industry on animal behavior.

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A Little Understanding Goes A Long Way

There are tens of millions of people around the world living with autism, a developmental disorder that has received significant media coverage in recent years, and has been the subject of several movies, TV shows and books.

But that doesn't mean it is widely understood. According to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, there remains around the world "unacceptable discrimination, abuse and isolation experienced by people with autism and their loved ones." That discrimination is part of the reason behind World Autism Awareness Day, taking place today and adopted by the UN in 2007 to "highlight the need to help improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from the disorder."

Autism covers a range of neurodevelopment disorders, and according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in the U.S., is "characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviour."

Last year, George's guest in the red chair was Temple Grandin, an animal scientist and best-selling author who also suffers from autism. Grandin, who was once named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People and was the subject of a movie starring Claire Danes, described to George the many ways that autism affects the lives of those who have it, for both good and ill:

Today has also seen some positive developments in efforts to better understand autism: A new study has found that "most children affected by the disorder do not have intellectual disabilities", and that 10% of even the lowest-functioning cases will improve dramatically as they age, possibly even growing out of autism.


Source:  George Stroumboulopoulos  |  www.cbc.ca

Temple Grandin Reveals Her Advice for Educating Autistic Kids

Dr. Temple Grandin has unique insight into the minds of autistic children. Her approach—stay positive.
Dr. Temple Grandin offers tips for special educators and parents with autistic children.
(Photo: Rosalie Winard)

The following essay was written by Dr. Temple Grandin exclusively for TakePart. Special educators need to look at what a child can do instead of what he/she cannot do.

“Kids with autism often get fixated on one thing, and it is important to expand their fixations.”

There needs to be more emphasis on building up and expanding the skills a child is good at. Too often people get locked into a label such as dyslexia, ADHD, or autism, and they cannot see beyond the label. Kids that get a label often have uneven skills. They may be talented in one area and have a real deficiency in another.

“I was appalled to learn that some schools are very rigid about forcing a child to only study materials that are designed for his/her grade level.”

In my case, I was really good at art, but doing algebra made no sense. It is important to work on areas where a child is weak, but an emphasis on deficits should not get to the point where building the area of strength gets neglected. READ MORE >>

• Methods to Expand Abilities
• Never Hold a Gifted Child Back
• Use Abilities to Do Assignments

 

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Dr. Temple Grandin’s achievements are remarkable because she was an autistic child. She was motivated to pursue a career as a scientist and livestock equipment designer. Temple lectures to parents and teachers throughout the U.S. on her experiences with autism. She was honored in Time magazine’s 2010 “The 100 Most Influential People in the World.”

 

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What are visual supports and what is the best way to use them?

Answer:

People on the autism spectrum tend to learn best using visual supports rather than through auditory input. Seeing it, rather than saying it, helps the person retain and process information. Temple Grandin, the most famous woman in the world with autism, describes being a visual thinker in her excellent book "Thinking in Pictures". 

Visual supports can be used to: create daily/weekly schedules, show sequential steps in a task such as a bedtime routine or getting dressed, demonstrate units of time, make a “to do” list, or to aide communication. How can we best use visual s... more »

Autism Awareness Centre Inc. 

A Conversation with Temple Grandin

Uploaded by wpsu on Feb 20, 2010

Temple Grandin, one of the most internationally recognized autistics and a renowned expert in animal science talks about her life with autism and its influence on her work. She also discusses the new HBO movie based on her autobiography.

> > Buy the DVD
> > Download the transcript