Video Review of Temple Grandin

Video Review of Temple Grandin
RECTH 4300- Recreational Therapy for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
By Sage Jones
10/15/2020
Temple Grandin is a movie about a young woman who changes how the cattle industry
works. This stunning movie reveals the experiences of an individual who lives with autism. The
story follows Temple through boarding school and college up to a doctorate degree. This
incredible woman was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4. The doctor predicted that she
would never learn to speak and would need to be institutionalize. However, she is a high
functioning and incredibly intelligent individual. Temple’s family influence made a huge
difference in her growth. Her mother always had faith that Temple could learn and function at a
relatively normal level. Although she would never let her mother touch her, Temple loved and
appreciated all that she had done for her.
Before watching this film, I misunderstood autism. I knew that there is autism spectrum,
and all individuals are not the same; however, I was unaware how high functioning one could be.
In the movie, it shows Temple being able to take care of herself. She is very intelligent and
independent. Another interesting aspect that the film made clear is how Temple thinks. She has a
photographic memory, and she sees everything in images. That’s not to say that everyone with
autism is a super genius, however, all individuals are unique in their abilities. I thought it was
interesting that Temple’s mom would not give up on her because she could see her daughter’s
potential. Everyone on the autism spectrum functions at a different level, and it is the obligation
of the care provider to do everything they can to understand each individual.
I think the film gave a wonderful insight at the capabilities of those with autism.
Although her diet of yogurt and Jell-O was not very healthy, she could grocery shop on her own.
She was able to live alone and find work. Temple was not dependent on anyone. It is important
to understand that autism and its effects vary on the individual. Temple says at the end of the
film that she was not cured of autism, she will always have it and is living with it. She mentions
that loud noises and colors affect her and make her panic but spinning and being compressed
help her calm down. Temple also had some social problems. She was a bright young woman but
did not understand people like she wanted to.
It is interesting that she was so compassionate towards animals although she was unable
to understand people’s emotions. When talking about the cattle, she said that “nature is cruel, but
we don’t have to be.” Her goal was to understand how cows think and how to help them be calm
before they are killed. Temple understood that cows are going to die anyway, and she was okay
with that; nevertheless, she says would rather be killed in a systematic process than be slain by a
wild lion. She said that she does not understand other’s emotions and they do not understand hers
either. This is one effect that autism has on her. One amazing thing about Temple is that she
wanted to keep learning and understanding how things work. She achieved many incredible feats
as she worked to help cattle that would be slaughtered.
Family of and people who believe in the individual with an intellectual or developmental
disorder are one of the most important factors in their life. If Temple’s mother had simply
institutionalized her when she was 4 years old, then she would have never gained the knowledge
that she did and earned a doctorate degree. Her mother is not the only one who believed in
Temple. She had many mentors and friends who were kind and patient. Having people who
helped and believed in Temple, even though she was a little strange, is what made a difference in
her life. I believe that it is those around us who are willing to listen and understand who help us
become great. This is especially true with individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities. Temple had a great brain and wanted to make an impact, but it was not until
someone took a chance on her that she could implement her ideas on a greater scale.
There are some parallels from this film and from the textbook Recreational therapy for
specific diagnoses and conditions by Heather R. Porter. When talking about Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD), the textbook mentions that “there is a wide spectrum of functionality in ASD,
with the highest functioning individuals scoring far above average on the intelligence testing and
the lowest on the spectrum scoring far below.” In the movie it shows how Temple has very high
intelligence and is high functioning. However, she does have some social impairments. In the
textbook it says that ASD is “the collection of social, communication, and behavioral
impairments that create the disorder.” There is not a specific behavior that marks one with
autism, nevertheless, these are common characteristics of those with the disorder. Another point
the textbook declares is that it is common for higher functioning individuals to not be diagnosed
until they are a little bit older, Temple is not diagnosed until she is 4 years old. I believe that the
film accurately displayed an individual with autism.
Temple Grandin was an incredible young woman with autism. She was high functioning
and independent. Although she had some social problems and issues with loud noises and colors,
Temple was able to accomplish many things. The film about Temple revealed what it is like
having autism for one individual. Everyone is different, and this was just one person’s story, but
I think it gave a broad view into what one might experience having autism. Once important
aspect of this film is the support that Temple received from family, friends, and mentors. It is
clear that having encouragement and understanding is one of the most important things that
especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities needs. I believe that those with
autism and other special needs require care providers who will take the time to understand where
they are on the spectrum and what their abilities are. This film provided a lot of insight about
autism and how we can best help individuals effected by this disorder.

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Video Review of Temple Grandin

RECTH 4300- Recreational Therapy for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

appreciated all that she had done for her.

of the care provider to do everything they can to understand each individual.

did not understand people like she wanted to.

as she worked to help cattle that would be slaughtered.

film accurately displayed an individual with autism.

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