Temple Grandin speaks on her life with autism

Tim | Feb 28, 2011 | 0 comments

Due to inaccurate portrayals through different media sources, it may be accurately stated that most people do not understand many mental illnesses and disorders. Autism is one such order that is often misrepresented throughout the media.

SIUE hosted a speaker whose lifelong work may represent the single greatest frontal assault on these misunderstandings. Sponsored jointly by the Meridian Society and the Madison Country Regional Office of Education, this speaker held court in the Morris University Center on the SIUE campus on Thursday, February 24. Tickets for the event were sold out more than two months in advance, speaking to the interest at SIUE and the surrounding communities to be educated on these topics.

Dr. Temple Grandin spoke to a standing room only crowd. Dr. Grandin is perhaps the most accomplished and well-known functional autistic today. She was included in the 2010 Time 100 most influential people in the world.

Dr. Grandin has appeared on numerous television shows, including “The Today Show,” “48 Hours,” and “20/20,” as well as in “Time,” “People,” U.S. News and World Report,” and “The New York Times.”

Recently, HBO released a feature film about Dr. Grandin’s life. Dr. Grandin was played by Claire Danes. The movie, which according to Dr. Grandin follows her story accurately, has received seven Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, and a Screen Actors Guild award. Dr. Grandin said several times during her talk about the lengths that HBO went to in order to give an accurate portrayal.

Below is a select sample of the event.