David Gerlach is the executive producer of "Blank on Blank," which brings new life to classic interviews, and the founder of Quoted Studios, a nonprofit dedicated to animated journalism. This original text highlights the video about Temple Grandin that originally appeared at "Blank on Blank." He contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
You've probably heard the story that Einstein, whose name is synonymous with genius, didn't seem destined for much when he was a small child. He was years behind other children when it came to learning to talk, he did horribly in school. It seems that Einstein's brain just worked differently than most other people's. Today a lot of people think Einstein was probably autistic — one person who would agree is Temple Grandin.
Temple Grandin is a professor of animal sciences who's worked in the meat industry to invent kinder ways to lead cattle to slaughter. She also has autistim, the high-functioning version known as Asperger's syndrome. Autism is a brain disorder that tends to affect people's social skills, like the ability to read facial expressions and body language. But it can also mean extraordinary talent in math, music and the visual arts.
Temple Grandin has become something of a celebrity of autism. She's written books, given TED talks, and she's traveled around the world to speak on the subject. [Autism Truths and Myths: The State of the Science (Op-Ed)]
We found this interview in the holdings of Colorado State University, where Grandin teaches. In this conversation, she's at her best, explaining for the rest of us what it's really like to have an autistic brain and how Einstein's not the only genius who could have been dismissed for being different. She even believes Silicon Valley may never have happened without the autistic brain.
This is the latest episode in our special miniseries, The Experimenters. We're bringing to life lost interviews with the icons of science, technology and innovation — people who helped make the world we live in today.
Upcoming episodes will feature Frank Lloyd Wright, Carl Sagan and Dame Stephanie Shirley. Learn more at BlankOnBlank.org.
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science .
Some related posts:
Temple Grandin: Her Extraordinary Life And Work
Hedy Lamarr's 101st Birthday Celebrated by Google
Mathematical Minds Stir A Beauty Within
Modern Technology and Albert Einstein: Are We There Yet?
Arthur Benjamin: The Magic of Fibonacci Numbers
Claude Shannon Jr: The Greatest Genius No One Has Heard Of
John von Neumann: This Hungarian-American Mathematician May Have Been Smarter Than Einstein
Great Minds: Filippo Brunelleschi
Great Minds: Leonardo da Vinci
The Genius of Nicola Tesla
Hedy Lamarr - Beauty And Brains in Abundance
The New Turing Test:Brainy Machines Need An Updated IQ Test, Experts Say
Alan Turing Manuscript Sells For $1 million
'Albert Einstein Font' Lets You Write Like Physics Genius
Do You See Albert Einstein Or Marilyn Monroe In This Photo?
Albert Einstein: Inspiring Quotes on Nature and Life
Albert Einstein: 25 Quotes
High school student Ryan Chester wins $350,000 For Film Explaining Einstein's Theory Of Relativity
Warp Speed Space Travel A Possibility Thanks To Einstein's Theory Of Relativity
Einstein's Famous Theory Has Aged Well
Jason Padgett: Brain Injury Turns Man Into Math Genius
Mad Geniuses: 10 Odd Tales About Famous Scientists
Benjamin Franklin:11 Surprising Facts
Last Piece of Einstein’s Theory Of Relativity In Line For Final ‘Proof’
10 Mathematical Equations That Changed The World
11 Female Inventors Who Helped Power The Information Age
Top Ten Things Women Invented
Student Builds Super-smart Robot That Paints Award-winning Einstein Portrait
German WWII Coding Machine Found On eBay For $20
The Nobel Prizes In Numbers
