Temple Grandin is funny, and, she’s very informative without being too didactic. She has a serious intellect which happens to be informed by visual thinking rather than word thinking, but her rapid-fire delivery and great facility with words prove that a visual thinker can use them very effectively! In fact, one can’t help thinking that those who “think in pictures” as she puts it, have an advantage. One of her many finely honed points is that people with autism are full of a lot of potential that is not nurtured in our educational system, and that needs to change. I couldn’t help thinking that the educational system is much like a cattle chute, funneling everyone into a machine that turns out standardized products, much like cuts of meat. Ms. Temple came up with a more humane curved cattle chute based on her observations of animal behavior, and she is working to make a more just and humane education “chute” that doesn’t instill fear and alienation in those on the autism spectrum, or anyone else.
