Temple Grandin: "The Autistic Brain"

Chicago Humanities November 19, 2013
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Chicago Humanities connects people to the ideas that shape and define us, and promotes the lifelong exploration of what it means to be human. The organization fosters curiosity, celebrates creativity, explores the boundaries of contemporary knowledge and culture, and challenges us to see ourselves and the world anew.

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Temple Grandin is one of the world's most iconic scientists. A leading expert on animal behavior, she has even been the subject of a movie, in which Claire Danes played her in an award-winning performance. Her accomplishments are legion, including her creation of livestock-handling facilities based on animals' natural behavior. But her greatest impact might be as one of the most prominent adults with autism. The condition has given Grandin unique insights, orienting her work on animals and allowing her to rethink human nature. The result is a series of best-selling books—"Animals Make Us Human," "Animals in Translation," and "Thinking in Pictures," among many others—as well as the hug (or "squeeze") machine, used for calming hypersensitive patients. More recently, autism itself has become the subject of her research. Her most recent book, "The Autistic Brain," presents the latest physiological research and charts the shift from neurological to genetic approaches to the condition. Grandin shares this new work with her trademark intelligence and accessibility. This program is generously underwritten by Rose L. Shure.