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How Does Temple Grandin Overcome Autism

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A Roadblock on the Path to Success “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”(Montgomery np). Although Plato is the source of these admirable words, they greatly apply to the life of Temple Grandin and others with autism. Autism is a disability that can cause the lives of children and adults to be very difficult. Temple Grandin is one of these adults. Although many find it hard to believe, it is true that one of the greatest minds in agricultural engineering had and learned to overcome autism. To begin with, autism is a heterogeneous disorder that emerges in childhood and never truly goes away (Veague 3). This means that there are multiple reasons autism can occur in a child. Previously, it was believed autism was caused …show more content…

Not all of the limitations are bad. Some can be good, including the ten percent of people with autism that are also savants. A savant is someone with one or more extraordinary, unexplainable talent (Allman 20). Grandin’s ability to think in pictures would qualify her as a savant. Although around fifty percent of autistic people are nonverbal, many others struggle with getting their feelings transitioned to words (Veague 2). In harsh situations drawbacks can include difficulties with basic needs such as eating, dressing, and going to the bathroom (4). One limitation that can cause many problems is that thirty to seventy percent of subtle immune system abnormalities (Fredericks 42). A social complication that can result from being autistic is feeling uncomfortable around other people who are not autistic. Positive limitations are also possible, such as a bigger amygdala and hippocampus, memory centers in the …show more content…

The earlier that a child is diagnosed the better these methods will work. In the most severe cases, one of the only ways to make the autism behaviors better is prescription medicines (Veague 60). Another aid that can make the behaviors less evident is a gluten and casein free diet, which must be started at a young age, so the child becomes used to it. This, however, does not always work. Others devices used to help overcome autism include behavioral therapy, which uses reinforcement to encourage the good and get rid of the bad behaviors (51). Some of the most promising behavioral changes happen when the patient goes to therapy when a dog is present (Fredericks 128). In specific cases, people with autism will wear a tight wristband and the pressure will calm them (Allman 70). Something that helps the doctors is magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) (Montgomery 21). MRIs can show changes in the brains of autistic people over time. Although females are less likely to be born with autism, some, like Grandin, are still diagnosed. Grandin was born with autism and is still alive. This means she has had her disability for seventy years (Montgomery 3). Even though she was born with her disability, she was not diagnosed until the age of three. Grandin did not let her autism hold her back She overcame her disability by inventing and feeling normal in ways

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