The world needs all kinds of minds - Temple Grandin

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Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.
Talk by Temple Grandin.

[@celestes.7187]

I have autism and I’m a landscape architect designing playscapes for children. My current project is designing a sensory garden for autistic children 😊. I read temple grandin’s book as a teenager and thanks to her I found myself a career where my skills were valued. Uni was difficult - as I got stuck in the detail too much and was overwhelmed to deliver on time but I graduated and it’s much easier in actual work as there are co-workers who know your strengths and to keep you on task. You would be amazed how something that seems so obvious to me completely goes over the head of other people. Thank you Temple 🙏🏼

[@RivLoveshine]

I have autism. I'm 21 and I still love going to the playground to swing. I would love to see more playgrounds with taller swings, and more swings that have hand pumps. These swings are ones where you sit and hold onto the hand bars and push it out and pull it in. This makes the swing go.

[@evelynchisholm4403]

It is 1:00am on 8/23/23 and I am up praising God for me finding and watching Dr. Grandin's video. For the past two hours i had been trying to gather information on my 8 year old grandson's case of mild autism. It is showing more concern as time goes by but her talk has greatly helped me understand what his mind is like. Thank you so very much doctor. I saw your movie years ago and plan on seeing it again and reading any of your books that I can get my hands on. Thank you and God bless you.

[@yourenough3]

We need more people like this in this world. My daughter is one of these beautiful people. Shes 7 and I am very protective over her. She is high functioning and she WILL make a difference in this world. ❤❤❤

[@abrahamlincoln8748]

LIFEISAJOURNEY LETITGO *has

[@dummyphon7038]

Same here I love my daughter she's 6 years old

[@seandoesnpcshit]

if she had low functioning i'm sure you wouldn't say that

[@mirandasampson3670]

We have plenty of people like this in the world but, we’re largely discounted, unappreciated, ignored, pathologized, othered, we’re considered weird, too much or not enough. We’ve always been here.

[@That-Kevin]

❤U!

[@rosebugeja6752]

evolution has taken the neurotypical brain and the autistic brain down different paths; this has not led one brain to be better than the other, only different; the world needs both kinds of minds, i agree

[@lidu6363]

She is still under-appreciated. Autism is under-appreciated.

[@brucewayne3074]

Here I am waiting, I'll have to leave soon! Why am I holding on? We knew this day would come, we knew it all along! How did it come so fast? This is our last night, but it's late and I'm trying not to sleep! 'Cause I know when I wake, I will have to slip away!

[@HawkinaBox]

I wouldn't appreciate it a lot since it is a real struggle to live with. But people can do amazing things if they have it.

[@colingeorgejenkins2885]

Ulysses Klaue chill up lad check out Maria Louise von France that'll sort out yourk night

[@colingeorgejenkins2885]

Pygmy Puff should tell any ones like Maria von france

[@hemprope4326]

Oh yeah bipolar is too huh?

[@ragingmoderate6791]

This makes me incredibly hopeful, my son was recently diagnosed with mild autism. His early intervention teacher was saying many of these same things about teaching him with the things he is fixated upon I know he is going to be in good hands.

[@bgbomber1]

Please do allow his hyper fixations to run wild. That's where he is going to learn the most. Depending on what his kick ends up being he could be multiple grades ahead just by his eager need to know how/why/when/where. As long as he knows that its ok to be a little different and maybe a little awkward at times then he should take off and find comfort and friends that he can relate to better than Kyle from science. He has a blessing in disguise and he should know that.

[@tuvoca825]

All truth is connected because it is in the same world, even if it takes different paths to get there. Their passion helps them connect emotionally which helps learning, plus it gives them scaffolding for things outside their specialty.

[@heroicuser8520]

"Get these kids turned on". Ok, Temple Grandin is great. I see that many of my teachers are retired engineers or biologists and they're often the best teachers.

[@wgastrove]

This Ted Talk speech needs to be turned into a children's book. They need to learn early that they have a learning style.

[@CourtneyMeyer81094]

You never forget meeting your heroes. I, for one, met Dr. Grandin and she is awesome. I actually saw her on her tour when she was at UNC-Wilmington Trask Coliseum. She's awesome and I understand where she's coming from.

[@TheShenergy]

Temple Grandin you are one of my most favorite people on this planet! Peace sister! We LOVE you in Alberta and in Canada! Keep speaking, we are listening! Love ya! xo from B.C xo

[@themostgraciousqueenmarger2015]

I'm definitely a pattern thinker. Music and math were always my loves.

[@greigsanderson]

What a fascinating women. Loved this.

[@sensorychannel]

The absolute best speaker on Autism! Thanks for this inspiring talk.

[@lucyfer6689]

I can so relate! I am an extremely visual thinker and I LOVE art, but my reading and writing skills are very poor i guess as a result of that. I am so happy that there are others out there who are different and I agree our education system really needs to understand that many different minds need many different forms of teaching. My Calculus teacher doesn't like how i am too visual and not algebraic enough. Thank you for making me feel special and important for the crazy mind I do have =)

[@tuvoca825]

Geometry with college level proofs was easy in middle school but algebra didn't make sense theybway they taught it and I had to have a visual way to think about it to get it to work and it took a long time.

[@OrionOlamPiksie]

She's under-valued. And yeah, I always excelled with hands on classes. :) She's amazing.

[@truesician]

her other book 'animals in translation' is very good indeed... densely packed with thought provoking information

[@catherinestanley2218]

I have autism spectrum disorder and I definitely don't think in pictures, in fact, I was never able to follow picture books, and comic books are very difficult for me to follow, I think in words.

[@DebbieShiels]

Me too, I have aphantasia. When I close my eyes it's total darkness

[@larrychuanico6943]

I myself have Autism Spectrum Disorder. You're right, we all need all kinds of minds

[@ketojenbreeland8783]

Dr. Grandin, please know how very much I appreciate you! Your ability and willingness to explain how you see/think is awesome to me! Thank you for advocating for children to have hands-on activities and jobs. Blessings to you :-)

[@TRIKER333]

REAL change in the REAL world. Simple and brilliant. And I'm relieved to see that she appreciated the movie as much as I did.

[@riderlibertas2580]

Respect. This was a rare glimpse into a very unique mind. I agree with everything this woman said. Brilliant!

[@miracleaniaaa7208]

Shes so inspiring, I'm watching the movie about her right now.

[@sabrinahenry8831]

She is amazing. She definitely helped me to understand my son alittle better!!

[@charlessanders3568]

She gave the keynote address at conference I am attending this morning and I absolutely loved every minute of it! Amazing person!!!

[@theRoseofmyheart]

I like how specific she is .

[@YankeeRebel1348]

When she was talking about the midwest teachers not knowing what to do with those on the spectrum, I agree 100 percent. Ohio is very much a 50/50 shot on if you get a teacher that's compassionate and understanding on the Autism spectrum.

[@jamesbentonticer4706]

I'm no genius but Ive watched all these TED talks. this is the best one. everyone interested in the brain should watch this.

[@jatredies]

As a ADD personality, I have to be aware of it's impact upon me, not fight against them, or attempt to suppress them. I'm impressed you recognize how important that is at your age. You have learned to adjust to your strengths and weaknesses, accepting them instead of wishing they didn't exist. You mother is reacting as all mothers do: Fearful and protective. I encourage you to teach her what you have learned: acceptance of limitations, not trying to eliminate them with over-adjustment.

[@codynaganuma]

she's perfect for TED and her insights are spot on.

[@tuvoca825]

I wish she ran TED. Some of the speeches are just sales presentations but the early ones seemed to have better speakers. This is one of the excellent speakers. I wish I could go sit in on her lectures at Colorado State University (That's CSU. NOT to be confused with CU).

[@Spaceisprettybig]

Number two here, finished calculas at age 14 from stanford, I STILL can't remember my multiplication table. I also managed to draw in perspective at age 4, but to this day I have trouble reading something as simple as Harry Potter..

[@levishepard3696]

Could this be why I bombed algebra and precal but hot an A in statistics and Geometry?

[@masonharris6648]

Hey man Harry Potter is a hard book to get yourself to care about enough to read and comprehend if you are told to

[@classicaldeb]

Wow!

[@tuvoca825]

It sounds like you got the important things. The times table is not essential. Harry Potter can be a movie or book on tape. There are work around for what you didn't get, but what you did get is more interesting.

[@HugoAlexandreCruz]

Super cristal clear speech on the subject and we all benefit from it! Thanks!

[@finnappleyard]

I always enjoy her interviews and talks

[@ThisIsMissLys]

I love watching her speak.

[@miriammaldonado7848]

Temple Grandin I trust and believe God will allow my grandchildren to become independent. Temple Grandin you are the greatest role model ever, to inspire people to understand, to know that young children in the spectrum have same possibilities in life. Therefore, my grandchildren will succeed in life, despite their father's attitude against them.

[@esk8jaimes]

Amen to that.

[@YankeeRebel1348]

God has nothing to do with that. Only people in their life can teach and help with that.

[@CreatedByBrett]

Wow! Amazing! Thank you, TED and Temple. I was never diagnosed as autistic but I identified with many parts of the Pattern Thinking mind, and I identified with "bottom-up" thinking, where all the details catch my attention and I have to remember to get an overview first. I'm a self-taught software engineer, process improvement analyst ... and KZbin personality (because I'm also a ham in front of a camera!). :)

[@sometimessnarky1642]

I think these are great tips for all children even ones not diagnosed with autism or asperger. Learn manners, learn responsibility, learn a trade, focus on your talents.

[@lanelldelgado9322]

Thank you so much for this much-needed lecture!

[@berzerius]

Whoa she is real and she is alive. I really loved the movie!

[@janellimarie]

This was soooo good. I learned a lot!

[@Zralf]

thank you madam, good thing someone else agrees with what i've been saying for years

[@user-gg2hh6qt8j]

Wow, that was an amazing ted talks! I watch her film about Temples life story and it’s incredible! A unspoilt mind, not driven by money or material things, but care.

[@rosebugeja6752]

perhaps it could be that anxiety (maybe related to social situations - cause you're mentioning "stage" as in performance/social performance) puts your sensory system into fight-or-flight mode; or perhaps the reverse - sensory stimuli causing the anxiety

[@scorpiotech123]

Excellent talk. Very enlightening.

[@sandyleung7783]

She's Amazing.

[@Sitagram]

I absolutely love this. Thank you for this video.

[@ShallowBeThyGames]

Still one of the best talks IMO.

[@danielsurman4669]

this explains why I was bad at Algebra - Photo Realistic Visual Thinker.... however, eventually made it past Algebra and to CALC 1 in college (Economics)

[@ReneFabre]

Great conversation Temple... thanks for the insights about autism... I agree, there's a lot of untapped knowledge and talent. Real stuff to change the real world!

[@walknotes]

the book she writes: "Thinking in pictures" have no picture in it at all !!!

[@alexanderhurley8195]

cuz it's in her brain (im a little late)

[@EndYouTubeShorts_]

Hehe, yeah. I read it for school. However, my edition has a few, including the one she shows in this video of the curved path for the cows.

[@jyll.7132]

Thinking in pictures...I do that too. I'm 38 and I didn't know until this year that other people don't think that way. Maybe that's why I get so damn frustrated that things I think are SO obvious aren't to other people. Nobody ever told me that a lot of things aren't obvious until I got a boyfriend. I thought maybe he was just a little bit on the slow side. But no, that's almost everyone. It's really...weird. I took a test recently and I'm on the spectrum, too. I wish I'd known before now, but I'm glad I'm like me. I need to read this book. This lady owns her ASD and rocks it. I need to learn how to do this.

[@gominuke]

She doesn't say that, she's saying we have to work with them. ALL kinds of minds toguether.

[@googleaccount7252]

she does actually

[@CamilleMillerWrites]

Thank you TED for bringing this perspective to the world.

[@iJAARS]

I have so much respect for her

[@shiningstar5408]

Wow!!!❤❤❤ What a great talk.. Thank you Dr. Temple Grandin.. This is the kind of thinking we need to get the students where they have to be.. To be a successful in their own fields. Not the bubble world but the real world..

[@lupeflores7302]

The low income communities in Central Valley does not have science classes. It’s very sad that the school district took science classes out.

[@FerasNawawi]

i saw the movie about her before i saw this talk, she's still alive ! :)

[@christinacardenas9854]

I have one of her books. She is an amazing person

[@GuppyPal]

This is a great talk.

[@ainoaguy]

I like the insight she's giving other people, really cool.

[@darlenebaker784]

I have learned so much from Temple Gradin

[@checkle1]

the nerdiest kid i know is a comm major lol...he cannot even talk to one person without being anxious. it's my goal this semester to make him relaxed in public

[@jenemi1934]

7 years ago? What happened

[@checkle1]

@@jenemi1934 well, that year...I gave up on him lol. He wasn't only nerdy. He was downright socially inept and said the most awkward things. Coming from a pretty socially awkward person. He also got pissed really fast. I did try. But he was beyond my rudimentary abilities.

[@jellybean50]

Amazing lady. True inspiration :)

[@carinakrippner3128]

Oh, she is...She has Aspergers which is the highest functioning Autism. You should read her books and see her movie. She had a real interesting beginning. I have it too.

[@em01455]

Thank you Temple

[@earthsfinest3319]

She is a queen ❤

[@davemi00]

More people need exposure to her, now at 70 yrs of age. Still going Strong.

[@AB-ij1er]

Well said!

[@JaredHenkle]

She’s a genius. Having a flashbulb memory is a powerful ability.

[@FaithFallRepentGraceRepeat]

I loved geometry & struggled so hard with algebra.

[@ryanhocstetler]

I wanna read that book now!

[@himmysung]

“ think 💭 in pictures , not 💭 think in language ......,” ✨great 🧠✨

[@bettywhite5329]

Temple is now my new favorite person.

[@seatbelttruck]

Interesting. I saw the small letters first, but my sister, who is also on the spectrum (and probably more "severe" than me in most ways) saw the big letters first.

[@thebloocat]

Huh

[@_wendywatson]

So now i may have a minute idea why things like logic is very alien to me.... simply can't understand it at all, no matter how hard i try.... I love music... and also, mathematics was not a big trouble at school level either.... and, funnily enough, the first thing i honestly saw, were those little s and h letters in her slide; it took me a good 5 seconds to realise what she was saying about "autistic minds always looking at the small details"~(!) Maybe I'm part of this great spectrum too.... 💜

[@JackDD]

I have autism, and I like being different. I don't see myself as "disabled", although my mum still seems to think I am...

[@raelinesanborn1396]

Love her!

[@Aresftfun]

This is really, really good.

[@NommeYoung]

Speak your mind sista! What u say makes sense. Happy u and people like u exist.

[@RobertKWarfield]

Good work. My new hero

[@vic8455]

i think in pictures too! it must be why i love filmmaking

[@brumagemm]

TED needs more watchers and subscribers.

[@freetofly9752]

The best: Temple Grandin!

[@slips7148]

VERY UNDERRATED TED TALK

[@frankirwin2377]

Bravo!!

[@selassiegarcia4027]

Thank u for for shedding the light ur the truth love u

[@tuvoca825]

Details can be overwhelming sometimes. It's hard to filter all the noise and chaos in a classroom or the shouting outbursts of the teachers. People don't always get my jokes or references and mental hyperlinks. I get more specific pictures. I worked hard to get perro as a picture instead of a translated word but it was harder than memorization but sticks with me decades later. I can visualize a painting and then try to match that. Some people had difficulty with organic chemistry because of the 3D thinking but I had trouble with the wordy descriptions but not the concept. Also, I miss some social cues but pick up ones others don't. I also tend to be good at classes others weren't in Pharmacy school but dropped it for a marriage that wasn't as compatible. She didn't really understand me and got mad when, after a few hours condensing notes to a quick visual reference, I studied an hour for a test in my ex's favorite topic she studied all day to do worse on. I can't get the "hints" teachers drop and sometimes don't read subtle cues she would drop. I often didn't expect her anger when she blew up and once fell asleep to wake up with her still yelling so... yeah... we weren't compatible with both our issues.

[@corneliusharris2955]

She all over the place. I love it

[@canndydrivegaming9831]

When I was younger I was good in art Like making creative stuff or drawing I never took time to keep doing it

[@pixiniarts]

Nothing stopping you from picking it up now all you need is five minutes and a pencil...

[@thebloocat]

You know what I haven't done it in a while as well... maybe 2020 is the time to pick it up

[@crevthabeing]

I loved this

[@ansaam9583]

so good

[@jjtitus]

Damn right!

[@Epicuresfan]

I really like her.

[@crosbying]

Hey, I am referring to the DSM-IV questionnaire, the DSM V is apparantly not out yet(just thought so since it was planned for 2012), the "R" was a typo. I am checking up on Autism aswell, but not into as much depth as ADHD since it is an issue that I am personally involved in. Too many of these tests are subjective, and a large amount of children are getting Autism diagnosis that probably shouldnt have it, due to the relaxing of the criteria in the 1990s.

[@marylouleeman]

Greatness!

[@violet101]

beautiful. differences should be utilized

[@One-eyedFats]

Thanks for this! I've been wishing for a good recipe for a spicy slaw for so long. I've only had one once, at KC Joe's.

[@TemperanceRaziel]

She is one of my favorite public figures

[@barbaragrider9136]

Now I know why I can do arithmetic but not math, using algebraic formulas. I seem to be a mix of visual and pattern thinker. My memories as a.baby are.still.with me as.pictures and I am 74.

[@jagk4459]

Thank you! =)

[@mattday2656]

that algebra thing, so true, algebra messed with me but my geometry and trig are solid