Temple Grandin earned her PhD in Animal Science from the University of Illinois and is currently a Professor at Colorado State University. Dr. Grandin is one of the most respected individuals with high-functioning autism in the world. She presents at conferences nationwide, helping thousands of parents and professionals understand how to help individuals with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and PDD. She is the author of Emergence: Labeled Autistic, Thinking in Pictures, Animals in Translation (which spent many weeks on The New York Times Best-Seller List), The Autistic Brain, and The Loving Push, co-written with Debra Moore, PhD. One of the most celebrated -- and effective -- animal advocates on the planet, Dr. Grandin revolutionized animal movement systems and spearheaded reform of the quality of life for the world's agricultural animals. She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. The mother of two sons on the autism spectrum, Kate Duffy has worked as a transition navigator for both high school and college students with disabilities, focusing on competitive integrated employment. As director of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for a National Science Foundation-funded research grant exploring ways to increase the number of students with disabilities in the STEM fields, she organized a series of workshops that featured college faculty's most effective teaching and learning strategies. A writer by training, Kate received her M.S. in journalism from the University of Kansas, wrote a monthly careers column for The Kansas City Star for six years and has written four books about employment, including two about employment for people with disabilities. Her last book, Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism was coauthored with Dr. Temple Grandin and focuses on removing employment barriers for those on the autism spectrum.
Who knows better about developing the talents of those with autism than Temple Grandin? This updated and expanded edition of Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals With Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism considers the continuing dismal employment statistics for individuals with ASD. The authors take an in-depth look at entrepreneurship and many other options.Using real-life examples, they point out that many of the unique characteristics of individuals on the autism spectrum lend themselves well to entrepreneurial ventures. The book explores many unnoticed aspects of vocational rehabilitation programs that provide job training and placement for people with disabilities, as well as Social Security Administration programs that offer vocational assistance. Employment figures and prospects have been updated, and new jobs have been added that are well suited for those on the spectrum.