Great Minds
Meeting Temple Grandin
The Homestead Festival at Hardison Mill Columbia, TN
As I write this, I’ve just returned to my tiny Airbnb cabin after two days attending a homesteading festival in middle Tennessee. There’s a big picture window that looks out over a water feature with a variety of birds and squirrels going about their evening rituals of searching for bird seed and preparing for the days end. It’s quiet and calm which gives me the perfect opportunity for reflection. Reflection on meeting someone that has impacted my life over the past year.
I first learned of Temple last summer. I started to spend a lot of time with horses and through doing so, I was trying to develop a deeper understanding of them. I also began working with children in Physical Therapy. Quite a few of the children that I work with are on the autism spectrum and I am continually striving to learn all that I can to better understand them and their unique needs.
Temple giving a talk - “Great Minds are Not All the Same”
Temple is an autism advocate as well as an animal welfare expert. She herself has autism and is a pioneer in how we can understand autism as well as animal behavior. She is a visual thinker which gives her a different yet important perspective on how to view the world.
Slide from Temple’s talk. Her brain scans have been studied to better understand autism.
Temple sees things in pictures. When recounting stories on stage, she would use visual examples to put them into context. It is the way her brain organizes information. She describes that how her brain works is similar to animals therefore she has a better understanding of how an animal thinks. She has invented humane ways to handle livestock by being able to see how the animal sees.
Temple explained the different types of thinking and the importance of each. We all have talents and something special to offer this world that is remarkable to us. There is so much I gleaned from learning from Temple. I’ll be reading her books and taking time to reflect on this experience. May you begin to notice your own special way of thinking and how it contributes to those around you.
If you don’t know who Temple Grandin is, I encourage you to watch the movie based on her life “Temple Grandin” and the documentary “An Open Door” - you’ll be glad you did.