Temple Grandin

I went to hear Temple Grandin speak last night at Indian Springs School. Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. For more information here is a link Temple Grandin.  I equate my encounter with her to that of meeting a Rock Star. She is a fabulous speaker and is quite funny. I will caution those who tell her that they have  medicated their young child with anti-psychotic medication during a Q&A session. She will become somewhat agitated and blast you with a "That's Bullshit" comment that will create instant shouts, claps and cheers among a room full of 450 people! That poor woman...(and no it wasn't me)!

I read two of her books a few years ago after Emily was diagnosed.  "Emergence, Labelled Autistic" and "Thinking in Pictures" I found similarities between Temple and Emily. Temple gives an insiders view of living in an Autistic world. One of the things she mentioned last night was teaching kids on the spectrum, life skills. Vocational skills. Something that can help them succeed in the world after they are out of school. This was something that the Neuropsychologist mentioned to me last summer after his evaluation of Emily. My brain has been in this mode ever since. What can Emily do later in life? There are many articles floating around right now about what will happen to our kids once they reach the age of 21. There will be no school support, there will be no place they can go and nothing they can do. Parents will be left with an adult who can't be left alone.

Emily has loved photographs since she was a baby! I actually said when she was 4, that she would one day be a photographer, because she loved pictures so much. She also loves chocolate, so I narrowed her vocation down to Chocolate Photographer. How fun would that be? She has nearly 2000 pictures on her iPod touch!! I have tried buying her actual camera's, but she doesn't like them much, because the screen is not big enough. My mission is to get her an iPad 2 so that she can take pictures just as she does on her itouch. Not only would the iPad help her with her interests, but there are SO many apps that can help her with the educational skills she has trouble with. I have found valuable apps through a4cwsn that I have put on her itouch. She knows so much more than I ever thought! Sight words that I had NO idea she knew. Hopefully by Christmas, she will have an iPad, so that she can show us all that she knows and sees! BTW...I already have a blog name picked out so that I can share the pictures that she takes!

Jessica