Roslyn schools, Bryant Library host Q&A with Temple Grandin

Rose Weldon
Psychologist Alison Gilbert, left, moderates a question and answer session with autism advocate and animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, right. (Screencap)

Members of the community were invited by the Roslyn school district and the Bryant Library to a webinar question and answer session with autism advocate and animal behaviorist Temple Grandin in honor of Autism Awareness Month earlier this month.

Grandin, who received an autism diagnosis as an adult, first gained attention as a teenager for her creation of a “squeeze machine,” also known as a “hug box,” which was inspired by squeeze chutes where cattle would be placed to calm them during inoculations. Today, she is a prominent author, speaker and a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Previously, Grandin had a successful career consulting on livestock handling equipment design and animal welfare, advocating for humane treatment of livestock for slaughter.

Alison Gilbert, a clinical psychologist and parent of two students in the district, moderated the session, which took place Monday over Zoom. Community members could submit questions prior to the event or through a “Q&A” feature in the Zoom app.

One of the first questions asked Grandin how it was possible to “think in pictures,” which she has long discussed as being how her mind operates.

“When I was in my 20s and starting to work with cattle, I thought everyone thought in pictures,” Grandin said. “I didn’t know what about my thinking was different, and it was a shock to learn. And basically, the words narrate the pictures, like if someone asked me about, teaching math in my elementary school classroom, I see [my teacher] stare at the board, explaining borrowing and subtraction that comes up like a little thing on [a screen].”

Grandin then asked Gilbert to help with an exercise, where the psychologist would give a word and the professor described what she saw.

Gilbert then asked what primary school teachers could do to support their students with autism. Grandin advised against “long strings of verbal directions,” and noted that breaking a process up into steps would be more helpful.

“A whole bunch of multitasking is going to be a problem,” Grandin said. “And a noisy, chaotic classroom with three things going on at once tends to be a problem.”

The professor also advised parents to give their teenage children with autism the opportunity to work.

“One of the biggest problems, I’m seeing is parents over protecting,” Grandin said. “Now we don’t want to put them on the takeout window or some crazy multitasking job like that, but a quieter job, an auto parts store, office supplies or bookstore, things like that will be better choices.”

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