Grandin's passionate sentiments and experiences in empowering young people with autism were obvious as she spoke to attendants at the conference. She spoke about how her mother taught her rules through chores, games and turn taking. Her mother would give her a choice to go work on a farm for the summer or to go for a couple of weeks. There was no option not to work, so Grandin learned to make a choice and accept responsibilities.
Emphatic that young people with autism need to be stretched, Grandin suggested many types of work opportunities comparable to a paper route. She said that getting a small, regular job early (about age thirteen) would teach a child to work, to be on time, and to communicate. There are many local opportunities, Grandin noted, such as walking a neighbor's dog, washing dishes in a restaurant kitchen, or cleaning a few rooms in a building. "Don't hold them back," Grandin emphasized. She said that she is seeing too many autistic young adults staying in their rooms, playing video games. Ways to prepare autistic young adults for the workforce can be done one small project at a time and by building a portfolio. She said to target the portfolio and get it into the right hands to mitigate the interview process, which is exactly what she did in her own career.
As one of Grandin's favorite examples of a young autistic entrepreneur, she shared a new business venture her nephew launched in New York City. The product...the poop briefcase. Grandin could hardly contain her laughter as she explained the product. She said that with the high rises in New York, many dog owners don't want to take their dogs all the way down to street level to let them do their business, so her nephew marketed training the dogs to go in a briefcase in the apartment, so that it could later be taken discretely down the elevator and disposed of later. Grandin continued giggling as she questioned why people didn't just use the Times and dump it down the shoot, while expressing how this creative business helped her nephew excel.
Acknowledging that many autistic children have a difficult time with sensory issues, Grandin cautioned parents and caregivers to be careful to not overwhelm them. The point is to stretch them, not to push them past their threshold, but to "stretch" them just beyond their comfort levels. Grandin pointed out that many autistic children have mild to severe sensory issues which must be addressed in order to acclimate to life's situations. She said that with sensory neurological problems, accommodations are essential and that sensory issues are neurological. The brain is processing something physiological, not just behavioral. The behavior is a manifestation of the physiological issue. There may be hidden painful medical problems for the nonverbal. In many individuals with autism, Grandin explained that the amygdala (fear center) of the brain is three times larger. Some of her suggestions included using pressure or weighted vests to help the nervous system, slow swinging to stimulate speech, singing-rather than talking, or trying one medication at a time to see what works best.
If a child has auditory detail or auditory processing disorder, there may be a greater ability to hear hard consonants. Her suggestion is to slow down. Emphasize and clearly dictate all of the hard consonants, so that the child can process them more easily. She also said that if a child has attention shifting slowness where they have a difficult time looking up and looking down between facial cues and body movement, social interactions may need to be taught. Grandin suggested that the best way to teach social "stuff" is to give the instruction, rather than saying no. "Say what the kid should be doing," Grandin instructed. Children with attention shifting slowness often experience visual images breaking up and fragmenting. Words on a page may vibrate. In this situation, she said to experiment with different backgrounds in the classroom or tinted glasses.
The audience had a chance to see first-hand how Grandin can be affected by auditory processing disorder as she was interviewed following her speech. As she answered questions about her childhood, her inventions, and gave additional tips to parents, staff at the conference attempted to move the podium so that it would not block the view of part of the attendants. Each time they shifted the podium back, the microphone was jostled and Grandin would turn her head to look over her shoulder. It must have happened six times, when finally, an exasperated Grandin inquired, "What are they doing?" After the situation was explained, she responded, "Well, why don't we just move our chairs forward instead?" The amused audience chuckled at her most logical response, while identifying with her perspective. Grandin, most definitely, shared her quick wit, her empowering ideas, and a reminder to look at life through a different lens.
Resources recommended by Temple Grandin:
www.khanacademy.org
www.udacity.com
Article Written by Jeanette Pascoe
Family Partner, Northern Utah Pediatrics
Families of Super Kids
Mother of a child with autism, epilepsy, and multiple disabilities
