Temple Grandin sees the autism spectrum in some of the world’s most successful people.

“I’ve been to Microsoft, Google, Facebook, NASA – there’s a lot of people with autism there,” the Colorado State University professor said. “The same genes that make people have big brains make people have autism.”

Grandin, an outspoken woman with autism best known for her revolutionary work in the field of animal husbandry, drew more than 1,000 people to a Friday night speech at North Idaho College. Hosted by the Panhandle Autism Society, the event was both speech and seminar, with Grandin using humor to drive home her points.

Grandin aimed much of her speech at parents dealing with children who have autism. Not only can those children live normal lives, she said, but they can excel.

She said teaching skills to a child with autism “is like trying to teach someone how to behave in a foreign country.”

“Give the kids time to respond. They’re like a phone with one bar of service,” she said. “It takes more time to download the webpage.”

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