Temple Grandin“Different, Not Less”

Character Analysisby

Carrie Kelly & Traci Smith

Cognitive/Perceptual Skills

Piaget’s Scale: Formal Operational Skills (break ideas/concepts apart and build them in a different way)

Zone of Proximal Development: Large Field dependence → Field independence Reflective about how animals feel, but not about how she feels or

how other human beings feel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBLtVMKmdik&feature=related

Depending on the situation, Temple could be very impulsive She became impulsive when her senses became overwhelmed Sometimes, this worked out to her benefit (getting into the beef lot) Sometimes, this doesn’t work well (punching classmates when she

gets mad or frustrated)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeWks6cgJ-k

Attention• Both selective & sustained attention are very good

• She has her PhD and is a professor at CSU• http://

www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=mtF4T6NLiqc&feature=endscreen

Memory• Temple, for the most part, has a photographic memory. If

she sees it once, she memorizes it for life• She sees/recalls life as a chain of pictures or moments in

her life• Auditory memory is not as well developed as her visual

memory.

Social &

EmotionalSocial

Can’t read social cues or facial expressions

Doesn’t interact well with classmates because she doesn’t understand them

Temple’s first good friend was her college roommate who was blind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKyobk5vAs8&feature=relmfu

Emotional Withdrew from people due

to overstimulation (noises & colors hurt)

Can’t read emotional language (verbal or physical)

Her mom explained to her what it means to “talk with your eyes”, but Temple still couldn’t understand.

Keep classroom as visually un-stimulating as possible

not a lot of bright vibrant colors, consistent temperature if possible, not too many loud noises (intercom, telephones, beepers, etc., should be turned down to a minimum)

Do not touch students without knowing their physical touch threshold. Using pictures to help teach a student like Temple is very important,

but other students may have other area that they excel (music, art, etc.)

Label personal items so students KNOW what is theirs Be open-minded, and in tune with your students, so you can help

them be as comfortable as possible and able to find their own “calming” zone.

Routine, routine, routine. If a change in routine is necessary, warn students in advance and

continue to tell them until the event happens.

Teaching Implications