The superstar of the global autism community spoke to more than 800 people in Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday.
World-renowned autism advocate and animal behavior expert Dr. Temple Grandin did an afternoon presentation on low-stress cattle rearing followed by an evening presentation on autism at the Quattro Hotel and Conference Centre.
Grandin was recognized for her work by being included in Time Magazine’s most influential people of 2010 and in the same year HBO released an Emmy award-winning film about her life in which Claire Danes played her.
It was the first time Grandin had visited Northern Ontario and Algoma Autism Foundation director Jamie Boston said people travelled from as far as Minnesota and Niagara Falls to get the chance to hear her speak.
“She’s the Rolling Stones of the Autism Community, it doesn’t get any bigger than this,” said Boston who worked for over two years to try and set up the event.
Grandin’s 2:30 p.m. talk was attended by about 250 people and focused on how to rear livestock in low-stress environments in order to not only improve their welfare but also productivity.
A variety of local beef and dairy cattle farmers as well as other livestock farmers listened as Grandin described some of the ways cattle are affected by visual and auditory signals and how to design cattle rearing facilities based on psychological idiosyncrasies of cows.
“It's pretty impressive that they got her to come to Northern Ontario,” said Joanne Prestedge, a beef cattle farmer in attendance.
Grandin’s evening presentation was sold out and more than 600 people filled the room to its full capacity.
The topic of the presentation was about Grandin’s experiences with autism and the different ways in which people with autism, as well those who care for them, can help these people learn and find a career path that works for them.
In an interview Grandin said autism is so common that “half of silicon valley programmers are on the autism spectrum” and that if it wasn’t for “geeks” of this sort we wouldn’t have many of the technological innovations we have today.
Grandin, who did not speak until age 4, said most children who have delayed speech have some form of autism.
“If you have a young child who is not talking the worst thing you can do is do nothing. You’ve got to start working with these little kids (and) teach them language, turn taking, and how to do things. The worst thing you can do is let them veg out on electronics,” she said.
Grandin said that whatever a person’s natural aptitudes seem to be are what should be focused on in their development.
“Autism varies from Einstein and Mozart to somebody who cannot dress themselves. There is a huge variation. I see too many smart kids not getting developed to their full potential. If they are good at art build up on art. If they’re good at math teach them computer programming. If they are good at words they might be good at journalism,” she said.
Grandin speculated that the particular connections in her brain that create her condition of autism are also what make her a particularly strong visual thinker.
This visual ability gave Grandin a unique and valuable perspective on how cows “think”.
“Being an extreme visual thinker helped me learn how to work with animals because animals don’t think in words. They are sensory based and their memories are pictures, sounds, and smells,” said Grandin.
Grandin’s autism became a factor in how the event was organized.
Organizers said she asked that all the lighting and sound be tested beforehand so that she could become familiar with it.
At different points Grandin asked that a dog making sounds be moved to the back of the room, that people not take flash photography, and that a baby crying was distracting to her.
Grandin said that she can usually handle these sorts of stimulations but after hours of taking photos and signing books, of which about 500 were sold, she was tired and her ability to cope diminished.
Grandin is a Professor of Livestock Behavior & Welfare at Colorado State University.
Grandin’s cattle-related presentation was hosted by the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN) and the Algoma Cattlemen’s Association.
Grandin’s autism talk was simulcast over the Internet and video of it is available here.