HUNTINGTON BEACH ? Without any pleasantries or small talk, Temple Grandin jumped right in.
She switched from slide to slide in a power point presentation outlining the different types of autism, how to recognize the signs and, more importantly, how to help children with the disorder achieve their goals.
"You've got to stretch these kids," she said. "No surprises. You've got to push them."
Grandin, 64, knows what it means to push through the frustrations of autism and Asperger's.
She has written several books about her own experiences and was the subject of an Emmy-winning HBO film, which is what drew the large crowds of parents, students and those who work with autistic children to her talk Wednesday night at the Huntington Beach High School gym.
HBReads, a community group that promotes cultural understanding through books, hosted the appearance.
Grandin spoke less about her book, "Emergence: Labeled Autistic," and more about how life is perceived by someone with autism and how she worked to achieve success.
Grandin has a PhD in animal science and is a professor at Colorado University. She also created a method of herding cattle used in the meat industry that helps reduce the amount of stress put on the animals when they're being handled.
She was named a "Hero" in Time Magazine's 2010 list of the 100 most influential people in the world and is considered one of the most famous and accomplished people with autism.
For her Huntington Beach appearance, Grandin wore all black, with a collared shirt with embroidered cream flowers and tied a bright red scarf around her neck. She spoke quickly and matter-of-factly, with a hint of a drawl.
The audience laughed and leaned in as she spoke. Sometimes her words were abrupt and shocking, but mostly they were wise.
Fountain Valley residents Lisa Adams and her son Jason, 11, attended the talk.
When it was over, Jason stuffed his hand in his sweatshirt, put his chin up and said, "I figured out what I have."
Jason has autism. He is good with numbers and loves to draw. He especially likes to sketch Chinese dragons and dinosaurs and he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up.
Lisa Adams said Grandin's talk helped her and her son better understand the type of high-functioning autism he has and some methods to help him overcome obstacles.
"Some of these things I had never heard before," Adams said. "Now we have another thing to look into to help our son."
Huntington Beach occupational therapist Michele Gerrity, 33, works with autistic children and others with disabilities. She said Grandin's lecture offered a unique insight into her work.
"It really is interesting to hear this come from someone with autism because sometimes children who have autism don't have the language to tell you," she said.
Grandin advocated for more understanding in schools and for parents to get their children off video games and interested in hands-on activities.
She believes children and teens should have jobs to teach responsibility and accountability. She also stresses teaching manners, etiquette and self-reliance.
"My 1950s upbringing taught me social and job skills," she said. "It's OK to be eccentric, but dirty and rude is not OK."
Her mother pushed her to work. She grew up in Boston, learning to sew as a teenager and went to stay on her aunt's ranch, where she discovered a love for farming.
Fear was a big obstacle Grandin had to overcome in her younger years, and the push from her mother helped her discover her calling to animal science, she said.
Grandin said she hated high school. Weathering the every-day ridiculing was a constant challenge.
"High school was horrible," she said. "I was teased."
But she made it to college, where she became empowered. She earned a bachelor's degree at Franklin Pierce College and went on to get her master's degree in animal science from Arizona State University and her doctorate from the University of Illinois.
She started drawing cattle herding methods and wanted her theories to be put to use.
"The only way I could get people to pay attention to me was to show them my drawings," she said.
Grandin's method is used by many in the industry. She serves as a consultant for the livestock industry, lending her expertise on animal handling and facility design.
Grandin said the most important part of her books and presentations is to show children and young adults they can achieve whatever they decide they want to.
"There is still a lot of discrimination out there," she said. "People get hung up on the labels, they don't see the person.
"(I want) to show them they can do it."
Grandin's talk will be broadcast on HBTV3 and can be viewed online on the city's website surfcity-hb.org.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7953 or jfletcher@ocregister.com
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Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/grandin-345825-autism-children.html
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