JOHN YANG: Earlier this month, four new# portraits went on view at the Smithsonian## National Portrait gallery in Washington, D.C.# they're this year's recipients of the Portrait## of America Award for their transformative# contributions to American history and culture.

One of them is Temple Grandin.

She's not only# transformed animal welfare around the world,## she's also changing the public perception of# people with autism.

This weekend's Spotlight is## part of our ongoing coverage of the intersection# of arts and Health, part of our canvas series.

DAVID LENZ, Artist: She's a# giant.

I mean, she is a legend.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Artist David Lenz# painted the portrait of Temple Grandin.

DAVID LENZ: I wanted people to come# into the museum and see a beautiful## portrait of a person who's done amazing# work, who also happens to have autism.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): It depicts# Grandin wearing her trademark outfit,## an embroidered shirt and bolo tie.

And of course,# she's on a cattle farm surrounded by livestock.

DAVID LENZ: They have very beautiful# eyes.

It's easy to see that these are## warm blooded feeling animals that# are worthy of our humane treatment.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): The humane treatment# of livestock has been Grandin's life's work.## As a child, she didn't speak until she was# nearly four.

The doctors who diagnosed her## with autism recommended putting her# in an institution.

Her mother refused.

Now Grandin considers her unique mind her greatest## strength.

Her perspective was key to# her groundbreaking redesign of cattle## handling facilities to eliminate things# that could frighten or unnerve livestock.

Today, her principles guide the way nearly# half of cattle in North America are handled.## She's also helped ease anxiety for people with# autism.

As a teenager, she designed a squeeze## machine to gently apply a calming pressure like# a giant hug.

She based it on a device she saw## on a cattle farm to hold livestock in place# for vaccinations, health checks and the like.

TEMPLE GRANDIN: When you walk back by# him, you gotta do kind of a quick motion.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Grandin# has a PhD in animal science and## is a professor at Colorado State University.

TEMPLE GRANDIN: And who wants to let this one out?

JOHN YANG (voice-over): She was the# subject of an award winning HBO movie.

WOMAN: I could see the world in a new way.

I# could see details that other people were blind to.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): and was on Time's# list of the 100 people who most affect our## world.

And she's written more than a dozen# books.

Her talks and book signings draw big## crowds.

She says her story demonstrates# the importance of having different kinds## of thinkers.

A message highlighted# by the presence of her portrait in## the National Portrait Gallery.

It will# be on view there until next November.

JOHN YANG: Earlier, I sat# down with Temple Grandin.## I asked her what she thought of her portrait.

TEMPLE GRANDIN: I think it's absolutely# gorgeous.

I was so happy when I first saw## it this beautiful.

I kind of like# the kind of misty rainbow in it,## really like that.

Our experiment# station cattle look just great in that.

JOHN YANG: How did it feel when they told you were# going to go into the National Portrait Gallery?

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Like, you got to be kidding.

I# think it's like some of the Nobel Prize winners,## they can -- when they get the call from Sweden,## they just can't believe it.

I almost couldn't# believe it going, you got to.. JOHN YANG: Now explain why there# are cattle in this portrait.

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Well, cattle is what I have# worked with.

I've worked on designing facilities## for cattle.

I've worked on developing animal# welfare guidelines, teaching people in the## industry how to use them.

I started out in# the feed yards in Arizona back in the early## seventies.

Handling of cattle was dreadful,# and I worked on designing better facilities.

I also wrote a lot of articles just on how to# on cattle behavior, how to design things.

I saw## that cattle handling as something you could# fix.

Now, today, cattle handling is greatly,## greatly improved.

The livestock associations# have training materials.

You have to have both## good equipment and.

And the management.

Good# equipment makes good handling easier.

And you## have top management in a place that insists# on handling cattle and other animals right.

Large customers like McDonald's and other large# customers are auditing animal welfare.

Handling## has really improved, and that's something I'm very# proud of, the improvements I've seen in that.

JOHN YANG: I know you don't want to be known# specifically or mostly for being someone with## autism, but I've also heard you say that it helped# you in your work with cattle and livestock.

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Well, I'm an extreme# object visualizer.

Everything I think## about is a picture.

So the very first work# I did with cattle is I got down in a chute## to see what cattle were seeing.

They'd stop# at a shadow, they'd stop at a reflection,## they'd stop at a pickup park next to the facility.# And visual distractions affected their behavior.

Now, at the time that I did this, in my 20s,# I thought everybody was a visual thinker.

And## it was kind of shocked to me when I found# out that they weren't.

In my latest book,## Visual Thinking, I discussed the research on# object visualizers.

Like me, then you have## more mathematical pattern thinkers then you have# word thinkers.

Problem with us object visualizers## is we can't do higher math.

But I worked# with people that were undiagnosed autistic.

They had big machine and welding shops, and they# were inventing and patenting mechanical devices.## And I'm very concerned that these people are# getting screened out of our educational system.

JOHN YANG: In this case, different is a strength.

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Yes.

JOHN YANG: How does that play into how# .. how you talk to families who# may have children with autism?

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Well, autism goes all the way# from Einstein and Bill Gates to somebody that## never learns to speak.

I learned to speak# by age 4.

I was good at art.

My ability in## art was always encouraged.

Object visualizers are# good at art, mechanical animals, and photography.## So things that object visualizers are good at.# Terrible at abstract math.

Can't remember it.

But I worked with all these shop people# that had built and installed equipment## for me.

They couldn't do algebra, and they're# not getting replaced.

Who do you want fixing## the hydraulics that steers your airplane or# my airplane?

I want that object visualizer.## I don't care about the algebra, but I# want the steering to work on that plane.

JOHN YANG: Do you think the# fact that there is so much## discussion about autism, is that a good thing?

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Well, there's a lot# of things that are good.

I'm a big## proponent of developing strengths because you# can get an autistic object visualizer like me,## non-mathematician or you can get a mathematician,# an extreme mathematician.

And those kids are not## being developed.

I've been getting feedback# from teachers that they make them just do## the same boring little math in fourth# grade.

They get bored and then they## turn into behavior problems when they need# to be challenged with more advanced math.

And you want to take the strength and# build on it.

If the autistic person## is an extreme mathematician,# let's develop that they're an## extreme object visualizer.

I'm going# to really push towards the mechanical.

JOHN YANG: families with children who# are diagnosed with autism.

They may## think it's a horrible thing,# but what do you tell them?

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Well, when a child is like# under age five, I looked very severe when## I was two and a half.

I was very lucky to# get into very good early education.

This is## essential.

I was taught language.

I was# taught the ability to wait and take turns## at games and taught basic skills like# getting dressed, brushing my teeth,## basic skills.

And this early education is# really, really important.

I'm seeing too## many kids put on two year wait lists.

We when# they're three years old.

That is really bad.

And the other thing, mother had high expectations# with some accommodations.

When I was five,## I remember going on a ferry boat, flinging myself# on the floor, screaming when the horn blew.

Well,## we're going to go on that ferry but you can# ride in the cabin underneath away from the horn.# Accommodation was made but we are going to go# on that ferry.

That's the high expectation.

JOHN YANG: Have you thought about what you,## how you want like to be remembered,# what you want .. TEMPLE GRANDIN: Right now one of the big things# I've been working on is recognizing the importance## of object visualizers.

And I'm worried about# them getting screened out.

Okay.

I went up## to community college and they're doing a two year# factory maintenance degree and requiring calculus## and algebra.

Well, you're going to screen out the# very best mechanic for keeping a factory running.

JOHN YANG: So is being a# visual thinker your superpower?

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Yes, being a visual thinker.# You say the extreme visual thinkers.

And I've## talked to a lot of photographers too.

Very# good photographers can't do higher math,## drawn to photography, they can excel# in that.

Very good with animals because## animals are sensory based thinkers, but# also very good with mechanical things.

I tell business people, plain# and simple, we need the skills## and the one thing where AI is not going to# replace who's going to fix an elevator or## make sure the waterworks work or make# sure the hydraulics works on a plane.

I just talked to a science teacher and her dad# was cooking.

Airplane mechanic couldn't do any,## any higher math.

He fixed some hydraulic problem# on a Boeing airplane and Boeing put it in every## one of their airplanes because he could just see# how the hydraulics works.

We need these thinkers.

Now where we need our mathematical# engineers.

Let's take something## like a spaceship.

The mathematician# tells the thruster when to thrust,## but the visual thinker has to make# sure it's put together properly.

You see, there's two parts of engineering here,## the mathematical part and what I call the clever# engineers that often don't get enough credit.

JOHN YANG: Temple Grandin, thank you very much.

TEMPLE GRANDIN: Thank you for having me.