Temple Grandin with one of her cows. From Nature's Corner Magazine“Temple is different, not less.” ~ Eustacia Cutler, Temple Grandin’s mother to Temple’s science teacher and mentor, Dr. Carlock
“The world is cruel, but we don’t have to be. We owe it to all animals to give them our respect.” ~ Temple Grandin
After having read several of Temple Grandin’s books about animal psychology and animal behavior, I knew what a remarkable person she was. When I saw the movie Temple Grandin recently, I was not prepared for the emotional tug that my heart would feel in learning more about her own personal story. Portrayed brilliantly by actress Claire Danes, Temple Grandin’s determination, passion, and conviction made her one of my heroes.
Autism is a very personal issue for me. My father, a clinical psychologist, studied it which led me to explore the possibility of building my career in development pediatrics while I was a student at Penn and a work-study student at CHOP. My nephew also lives with a specific type of autism that has prevented him from speaking to us since he was about 3 years old; he’ll be 13 in June. I have close friends whose lives have been touched in one form or another by the condition. I’ve known autism to be fascinating and heartbreaking. Temple Grandin’s story made me realize that it can also be triumphant and hopeful.
In this post, I could expound upon the spectrum of autism and how it commonly manifests in both young children and adults. However, Autism Speaks, an organization that has worked tirelessly to fund research and provide education and support services to individuals and families affected by autism, is far more equipped to do that.
What I want you to do is go over to Netflix and put the movie Temple Grandin at the very top of your queue. I want you to take yourself to Amazon or your local bookseller or the public library and check out Temple Grandin’s books. Poke around on her website and be prepared to be inspired.
Her personal passion is the well-being of animals, particularly ones that we raise for our own purposes. What she teaches us through that passion is how to be better human beings. And given all that’s going on in the world, it’s a skill that is desperately needed in huge heaping amounts. For too long we have looked at autism as this hideous disease rather than seeing that the many challenges it presents have so much to teach all of us about compassion, determination, and the universal acceptance of all people as different but not less.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
5 thoughts on “Beginning: How Temple Grandin Walked Through the Door to Her Dreams and Why You Should See Her Movie”
Nice story..what ever happened to you teaching in the schools?
I had a very hard time finding a school who would pilot my program and also didn’t have any luck finding a nonprofit partner who didn’t want to change the program substantially. So for the moment it’s on hold while I work on my yoga and my writing. I am sure that I will eventually find a way to make it happen!
I have long been a fan of Temple Grandin. A little over 10 years ago, I started working with kids with autism and it was the most difficult and the most rewarding experience of my life. I am ashamed to admit that I have not yet seen the movie. It’s been saved on my DVR for quite some time, but I know I will become emotional when I watch it, so I keep putting it off. Reading your post may have just given the push I needed to finally hit the “play” button!
Hi Dayle! I am so glad you are going to see the movie – let me know what you think!
I would also love to hear more about your work with children who have autism. I’m very passionate about this issue and am eager to hear about your experience in the field.
I’ve been waiting to reply to this until after I watched the movie . . . Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to yet. It *was* saved on my dvr . . . when I had Comcast. I completely forgot about losing everything when we switched to Verizon. It’s also not available for instant viewing on Netflix, and it’s not On Demand. But I’m searching, and I will see it, oh yes, I will! 🙂
As for my work with kids with autism, it’s been a very long time. I worked with 4 different families and each child was so unique. I could probably write a book about my experiences with each one of them 🙂 I read something the other day on a website for autism awareness. “If you know one kid with autism, you know one kid with autism.” I don’t think it can be put any simpler than that!
Christa Avampato 
Nice story..what ever happened to you teaching in the schools?
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I had a very hard time finding a school who would pilot my program and also didn’t have any luck finding a nonprofit partner who didn’t want to change the program substantially. So for the moment it’s on hold while I work on my yoga and my writing. I am sure that I will eventually find a way to make it happen!
Thank you for asking!
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I have long been a fan of Temple Grandin. A little over 10 years ago, I started working with kids with autism and it was the most difficult and the most rewarding experience of my life. I am ashamed to admit that I have not yet seen the movie. It’s been saved on my DVR for quite some time, but I know I will become emotional when I watch it, so I keep putting it off. Reading your post may have just given the push I needed to finally hit the “play” button!
LikeLike
Hi Dayle! I am so glad you are going to see the movie – let me know what you think!
I would also love to hear more about your work with children who have autism. I’m very passionate about this issue and am eager to hear about your experience in the field.
LikeLike
I’ve been waiting to reply to this until after I watched the movie . . . Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to yet. It *was* saved on my dvr . . . when I had Comcast. I completely forgot about losing everything when we switched to Verizon. It’s also not available for instant viewing on Netflix, and it’s not On Demand. But I’m searching, and I will see it, oh yes, I will! 🙂
As for my work with kids with autism, it’s been a very long time. I worked with 4 different families and each child was so unique. I could probably write a book about my experiences with each one of them 🙂 I read something the other day on a website for autism awareness. “If you know one kid with autism, you know one kid with autism.” I don’t think it can be put any simpler than that!
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