Remarkable story of Temple Grandin on HBO

HBO has made a film about the early life of activist, scientist and writer Temple Grandin. It airs Feb. 6th. Catch it if you can



The NPR Blog notes

Her improbable life story is the subject of a new movie starring Claire Danes as the woman who overcame the odds to earn a Ph.D., write half a dozen books, advocate for autism education, and work as a professor of animal science at Colorado State University.

Dr. Grandon recently did a fasinating interview with Talk of the Nation on NPR and she also answered her readers questions at the NPR Blog.

I have all her books, and I recommend these titles, in particular: Animals Make Us Human, Animals in Translation and Thinking in Pictures.

Whenever I meet someone who works with animals I recommend starting with Animals in Translation. If I knew someone with a child diagnosed with Autism or Asberger Syndrome or, as often happened when I worked in Silicon Valley, I had a colleague with Asperberger Syndrome who was interested in knowing more about the ways their different, and often brilliant, minds work, I recommended they read Thinking In Pictures. (1)

Sia

(1) Go to any Scifi, tech or Pagan convention and you'll meet a lot of folks with Asberger Syndrome, compulsive/addictive disorders and/or ADHD. I could wish more people in spiritual communities would take the time to learn about these issues and the ways in which these challenges effect behavior in group settings so that they can offer support and boundaries where needed.

Additional Links

Update 1/29: Oregon Leads Nation in use of therapy dogs for children with autism.

Temple Grandin (Wikipedia)

Oasis: A resource for individuals and families with Autism or Asberger Syndrome

Related Articles:

Bad Kitty

Wolf Wisdom for President Obama

Bad Kitty

A little cafe near Portland used to have this painting of a skinny, golden-eyed black cat on their wall. This little cat looked, as my father used to say, "like trouble waiting to happen". Underneath her portrait were the words "Bad kitty - Offender of Justice". It was a sweet painting, one clearly done by a Cat Slave like myself. I sometimes think about revisiting that cafe and asking if it's for sale.

I was reminded of this artwork just recently when I read an article about Frankie the cat burglar. Frankie doesn't steal because he's poor. Frankie steals because he can.

Temple Grandin would call this SEEKING behavior (1). I'd have to add a bit of larceny-as-PLAY in there, as well.

Go, Frankie.

Sia

Endnotes:

(1) The caps are her doing. If you like reading about animals, you'll want to check out her new book titled Animals Make Us Human. You can listen to an interview with Dr. Grandin here at NPR.

Why you should adopt a black cat instead of an orange one? Do dogs need a pack leader or a poppa? And how do you to draw blood from an antelope without terrifying it? These are some of the questions author and animal advocate Temple Grandin answers in her new book, Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals.

Photo: Frankie with his stash from dailymail.com