Who Is Temple Grandin?

Temple Grandin is a woman that few people know, at least in Italy. But its history is worth discovering, because it has dedicated its entire existence to improving the quality of life of many animals. Grandin is a renowned ethologist, zoologist and university professor. He has written dozens of books and has given hundreds of lectio magistralis , mainly focused on the protection of animal welfare and health.

Temple Grandin’s complicated childhood

Temple Grandin was born in 1947 and had a childhood marked by strong autism. A disorder that was complicated by the fact that both she and her family refused human contact for a long time. His life changed when, as a teenager, he visited a family farm, giving him a truly revolutionary idea.

The young Temple noticed the presence of a special machine that exerted a slight pressure on the cows, to reassure them. He then decided to invent one for children suffering from autism. Since they generally refused to relate to other humans, they could experience contact through the machine. Even if it derives from a mechanical embrace, greatly improving the relationship with the surrounding environment.

Another factor that helped Temple Grandin cope with her autism was her relationship with animals. Riding and studying cows made her much more empathetic and probably represented a very powerful and even more effective type of therapy than her own invention.

Temple Grandin and animal welfare

He then decided to study psychology and specialize in animal behavior. Thus, he devoted his career to exploring the world of autism and also to protecting the life of animals.

His main interest was in improving livestock welfare and he published numerous articles on environmental enrichment, animal handling, transport or stress related issues.

Thanks to his work, many farms and slaughterhouses in the United States decided to change their way of working, increasing their level of involvement in improving the quality of life of the species used in agriculture and food.

Temple Grandin assures that an “autistic mind” thinks through images and is very attentive to detail. This would explain why some of the leading scientists and artists in history were affected by autism to a greater or lesser extent.

Autism and animals

A clear example of this was when Grandin pointed out to a farmer that her cows were afraid of the vet. It was not an innate fear, but because in his  box waving a flag that  bothered the animals. In short, this extraordinary psychologist was able to grasp elements hitherto considered trivial or unimportant.

His groundbreaking ideas have been applied in the design of structures in various aspects of animal production. For example, suspended objects were eliminated, the shapes of objects and the internal paths to the stables were changed. Grandin used her mind to visualize another way of understanding the relationship between ranchers and livestock.

Temple Grandin believes there is a strong link between autism and the animal world. There are examples of similar behaviors of autistic children and animals, for example in relation to loud sounds. In the presence of deafening, high-pitched noises, storms and thunderstorms, people with autism exhibit attitudes similar to those of many animals.

This woman assures that “all minds are necessary”: the minds of autistic children and also those of other species can provide  many  interesting and original solutions for the daily life of man.