By Sydney Bartels
Temple Grandin is one of the most well-known authors/speakers about autism and animal behavior. When Temple was young, she was diagnosed with autism and she did not speak until she was three and a half years old. The doctors told her mother that the best option for Temple would be to institutionalize her, but her mother would not allow it. Her mother got her into early speech therapy, and her teachers in school taught her valuable life lessons. Today, Dr. Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. She has designed numerous facilities that allow cattle to be handled in a calm, relaxed manner. On November 12, Silver Lake FFA Advisor, Mrs. Curlo, and Silver Lake High School Principal, Mr. Drake drove 14 students to the Buffalo County Fairgrounds to listen to Dr. Grandin speak. She spoke about the impact her designs have had on the cattle industry and her other findings about other animal species. The students purchased some of Dr. Grandin’s books, autographed by her. They even got to take a picture with her. Junior, Reagan Rust, said that Dr. Grandin’s speech was extremely inspirational to listen to. She remembers most of the parts where she talked about her life story and how she has overcome all of her fears and challenges.