Autism as a facet of experience, not a limit
Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State, brought her experience with autism, with which she was diagnosed at age 2, and insights from years of activism to a talk at the Graduate School of Education (GSE) Wednesday. One of those insights: Diagnostic labels have their limits. “In special education, there’s too much emphasis placed on the deficit and not enough on the strength,” said the Boston-born Grandin at Askwith Hall. “I’m seeing a lot of 10-year-olds getting completely hung up on their autism, caught up in a handicapped mentality.” Much of Grandin’s activism has focused on connecting autistics with education and careers. “I like to think about how the different kinds of minds can work together and complement each other.” Speaking at length about her own “different thinking,” she said, “my thinking is bottom-up,” grounded in specific details. “When I think about a cathedral, I see a series of specific...