Autism Advocate Temple Grandin on Neurodivergent Thinking

A recent CDC study reported that one in 36 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism. Today’s guest, Temple Grandin, is one of the country’s most renowned voices on autism with an incredible ability to open up and share her perspective on the world with us. A professor of animal science at Colorado State University, Grandin has been a pioneer in improving the welfare of farm animals for decades. She is the author or co-author of more than 60 scientific papers on animal behavior and more than a dozen books that include the best-sellers “Thinking in Pictures” (which became an HBO movie starring Claire Danes) and “Animals in Translation.” 

Her latest book, “Visual Thinking,” explores neurodivergent thinking and the different ways our brains are wired. As she explains, “I didn't know until I was [in my] late thirties that other people thought in words. Everything [for me] comes up like snapshots and little mini-videos, and it was a shock for me to learn that other people were not visual thinkers.” In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, Temple spoke with Dr. Kraft about how the perception of autism has changed and how diversity of thinking makes us all stronger: “I think we need to have collaborations between the different kinds of thinkers, recognize that the different kinds of thinking exist and look at where there are complementary skills.”

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