Temple Grandin didn’t talk until she was four years old and it was recommended that she be institutionalized for her autism after she was diagnosed. But by the time she was 18, everyone knew that Temple Grandin was meant for bigger and better things. Although this woman had frequent breakdowns and felt overwhelmed at the sensations around her, Temple has become one of the most influential members of the autistic community, and in February, the story of her life became the subject of a new HBO movie.

Temple Grandin, a full-length film that details Temple’s journey through autism to her current success, was shown on February 6 and received high acclaim from viewers, critics, and the autistic community. Parents of autistic children, as shown in many reviews, find the film to be hopeful and inspirational, as well as a unique glimpse into how the autistic mind works.
Temple’s mind, according to her, works like Google Images. She sees the world entirely in pictures, which has helped to her to notice details that others could not. Her visual thinking has since led her to become a doctor and professor of animal science, an inventor, and even an accomplished writer.

In a recent speech at the University of Massachusetts, Temple credited early educational intervention and the help of her science teachers in high school for “helping turn me around.”

“The worst thing you can do with an autistic kid is to do nothing,” she said. “It was my science teachers that got me turned around, because they got me interested in studying.”

Studying is something she has never stopped since. Temple how holds a degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce, a master’s degree in animal science from Arizona State University, and a doctorate from the University of Illinois. She has authored numerous books on both animal science and autism and speaks frequently about both around the nation. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC’s Primetime Live, Larry King Live and has been written about in The New York Times, People, and U.S. News and World Report.

Temple’s story is one that should be heard, for both those with and without autism. Dedicated to helping others understand autism and better interact with those who have it, Temple continues to share the message of how the autistic see the world differently, but, as the character of her mother says in the HBO movie about her life, they are “different not less.”