IRB Intro #1

My first IRB was recommended to me. Ms. Pronko introduced me to the renowned author and inventor Temple Grandin. I was told that she had a form of high-functioning autism and used it to form a deep connection with animals. So far, I found out that she first discovered her love for and understanding of animals when she started riding horses as a young girl. I found her story of how she could feel the pain and fear of the previously abused animals really interesting.

Grandin has written many books, but because I have so much love for animals, I decided to read this one first. So far, I have found this work of hers to be a combination of breaking the stigma of autism through ethos. Because Grandin has autism herself and has dealt with it her whole life, she is able to give first-hand experiences to abolish the common thought that people who are autistic cannot be 'smart'.

Obviously this is wrong because of the great work she has done. She created not only an invention to calm herself down when her autism 'over-excites' her and starts a type of panic attack she used that same technology to help calm animals down on their way to slaughter. In that same field, she invented a new way to corral the animals through a sort of maze and keep them from becoming too stressed. I cannot wait to finish the book it has given me a new outlook on both autism and the way animals work.