In a CourSera course on autism I recently took, I watched some videos, including a HBO documentary, on Temple Grandin, and after watching them I think she is one of the most influential people in autism awareness. As a child Temple was diagnosed with autism, and her mother was told she should be institutionalized. Her mother refused and did everything she could to help Temple develop the skills that other children her age had. She was able to stay with her family throughout her childhood, but later boarded for high school for the best education she could get. While in high school, she had a science teacher who discovered she had a photographic memory that would lead to much of her success later in life. The summer before she went to college Temple visited her aunt's farm and became fascinated with cows. She then used her observations to create a revolutionary livestock handling equipment design that beef companies in America rely on today. She went on to receive her PhD in animal science and is now one of the most famous adult with autism. She uses her fame to provide awareness to the autism community and tell people what it is like have autism. She has shown the world that people with autism are "different....not less."
