By Cindy Gladden, Record Staff Writer
Warrenton FFA students and their advisers spent weeks preparing for the visit of Dr. Temple Grandin, which happened Monday, Dec. 12.They had only heard about the woman who was born severely autistic, but managed through hard work and the influence of great mentors, to make an enormous impact on the world of animal science.The Warrenton High School Commons area was filled with parents interested in Grandin’s insight into autism. The chairs in the front were packed with students wearing the blue corduroy of local FFA chapters. There were 203 FFA members from 13 different Missouri chapters in attendance.Prior to the main event, a select few students were chosen to meet with Grandin for a one-on-one discussion. As they prepared for her arrival, Richard Fordyce, the director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, addressed the students.“I don’t know a more noble profession than the work of raising food,” said Fordyce. “We invest in young people because we want agriculture to remain the No. 1 industry in Missouri.”Fordyce said the Department of Agriculture stands ready to help the students continue in their careers as they leave high school.As he yielded the floor to Dr. Grandin, she too encouraged the students in their pursuit of a career, even if it wasn’t in agriculture.FFA students asked her many questions, but she turned the tables by asking them what they were thinking of doing in the future, addressing each student. She challenged them to become exposed to all kinds of careers.“She has really made a push from what agriculture used to be,” said Drew Hall, a junior FFA student. “She said we should focus on that one thing that we love and that we all have our calling.”As she answered their questions, she described her journey through autism; how mentors were incredibly important in her life.“Do a different internship every summer,” she said. “Try it on and see if it works for you. See if you have a passion for it. Get exposed to things. When the doors open you have to have the guts to go through it. Treat an internship like one gigantic job interview.”Hall said she gave him some great ideas regarding internships. He said the college he is considering, Missouri State University, offers several and now he is more interested in pursuing that idea.Grandin said as part of her autism she discovered that she “thinks in pictures” and thought everyone else did too. She feels like she can connect with animals because they are “sensory based creatures.”But she was quick to say that her autism wasn’t always the primary impediment in her life.“The worst thing in the cattle industry was not the autism, it was being a woman,” she laughed. “When you’re weird, you have to show them what you can do. Prepare a 30-second wow. I had to draw it, you have your iPhones.”Grandin has written extensively on autism and its effect on children and adults.“I don’t get stuck on the labels. Autism could totally take over if I let it,” she said. “They get so hung up on autism advocacy, but I wouldn’t snap my fingers and make it go away. It’s who I am.”Grandin said a teacher of Thomas Edison School characterized her as hyperactive and “addled.” She believes diagnoses for autism are never clear-cut and children are often medicated improperly.She said some of the country’s greatest inventors, scientists and artists are just “undiagnosed” people with autism who have learned to cope and succeed.Grandin also gave several tips to parents struggling with children who have autism.“Build on their strengths,” she said. “We’ve got to get these kids out doing things. Kids are afraid of making mistakes today, and too many kids are getting babied.”She also was hard on today’s love affair with video games.“We’ve got to get the video game playing under control,” she said. “They are not getting enough exercise or getting exposed to things. Kids are lacking life skills.”Grandin answered questions from parents and students as she concluded her visit. Her books on agriculture and autism were available and she stayed to sign autographs and answer more questions.Dr. Temple Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Her most popular book is “Emergence: Labeled Autistic.”She speaks around the world about autism and animal handling. She also is the inventor of the Double Rail Restrainer System for beef cattle.To learn more about Grandin, visit templegrandin.com.Dr. Temple Grandin met with a select group of FFA students prior to the main event Monday, Dec.12, at the Warrenton High School Commons. She answered their questions about autism and her success in the field of animal science and handling. Cindy Gladden Photo.
FFA students pose with Dr. Temple Grandin after a time of one on one conversation with her regarding their future careers. She presented them with inspiration, ideas and encouragement. Grandin was diagnosed with severe autism as a child and has become one of the foremost experts on animal handling and autism. Cindy Gladden Photo.
