Sarah Persha and Jamison Taylor from the Pacia Portland Team at US Autism and Asperger’s Conference. A wonderful photo op with the marvelous Temple Grandin, presenter, who emphasized not only the gut flora assessment of anxiety conditions but also placed a huge emphasis on teaching our neurodiverse population what they can do in life instead of what they can’t do. Teaching them W-O-R-K which is the opposite of coddling.
Temple Grandin shares her insights in her TED talk found on this link. Temple Grandin was diagnosed with autism as a child. In this TED talk, she talks about 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. If you listen to her whole talk, pay attention around 14 minutes in about mentors. The real gift of her message comes at the 16-minute mark.