Temple Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, and she has been a pioneer in improving the handling and welfare of farm animals. Temple’s achievements are remarkable because she was an autistic child. At age two, she had no speech and all the signs of severe autism. Many hours of speech therapy and intensive teaching enabled Temple to learn speech. Inspired by her high school science teacher and her aunt on her ranch in Arizona, Temple was motivated to study and pursue a career as a scientist and livestock equipment designer.

She has done extensive work on the design of handling facilities. Half the cattle in the U.S. and Canada are handled in equipment Grandin has designed for meat plants. Other professional activities include developing animal welfare guidelines for the meat industry and consulting with companies on animal welfare. Her new book, Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets For Helping Kids on the Spectrum, presents nine strengths-based mindsets necessary to successfully work with young people on the autism spectrum. Examples and stories bring the approaches to life, and detailed suggestions and checklists help readers put them to practical use. Her book, Animals in Translation, was a New York Times bestseller, and her book Livestock Handling and Transport is now in its fourth edition. 

Other popular books authored by Dr. Grandin are Thinking in Pictures, Emergence Labeled Autistic, Animals Make us Human, Improving Animal Welfare: A Practical Approach, The Way I See It, and The Autistic Brain. She also has a popular TED Talk.

HBO premiered a Golden Globe-winning movie inspired by Temple’s early life and career with the livestock industry, starring Claire Danes. In 2016, Temple was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. As a popular inspirational speaker, she lectures to parents and teachers throughout the U.S. on her experiences with autism. She was also honored in Time Magazine’s 2010 “The 100 Most Influential People in the World.”