Closing Credits
around the U.S. include Rising Tide Car Wash in Parkland Florida, Night Light Ice Cream in Suburban Philadelphia, Gourmet Prospector Popcorn, in Ridgefield, Connecticut, which also runs a first-run movie theater, as well as bakeries, coffee roasting companies, and other food- oriented endeavors like doggie bakeries and pizza shops. As a result of her compelling need to continue to make positive changes in the world, Dr. Grandin frequently talks to business leaders. “In your businesses, you need people with autism, dyslexia, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and other neurodiversities. Don’t just hire them to be nice; you need their skills and talents,” she said. “When I was out working in the big plants working on heavy construction, some 20 percent of the people who were building my stuff were either autistic, ADHD or dyslexic,” added Dr. Grandin. “And many of them owned their own metalworking shops, some had numerous patents for mechanical equipment and were selling them around the world.” Dr. Grandin sees two major problems for future workers with autism; fully verbal children and teens who have been overprotected to the point where they don’t have the social skills to order food at a restaurant, shop for basic groceries, and are lacking other major life skills. “These are things I was doing in elementary school,” she explains, “and a lot of kids are not doing this today.”
“Ever since was a young child, I was taught to always do my very best. I remember from the age of seven that I would learn from mistakes,” she said. “As I mentioned in my book, Calling All Minds, I would tinker for hours with little kites and little parachutes made out of scarves to figure out how to make them open more effectively. I loved to tinker and tinker for hours.”
stead. She had a sewing job at age 13 and went on a few years later to clean out horse stalls, and worked on her aunt’s ranch. Then she ran her own sign painting business, and in college, she interned at a research lab. These work and independence skills fostered by her mother and being exposed at a young age to a variety of jobs and career paths led to her early success.
She said that work skills and good manners both kept her in good to
“I’m realizing now just how just how
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