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Dr. Temple Grandin was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Temple’s achievements are remarkable because she was an autistic child. At age two she had no speech and all the signs of severe autism. Fortunately, her mother defied the advice of the doctors and kept her out of an institution. Many hours of speech therapy, and intensive teaching enable Temple to learn speech. As a teenager, life was hard with constant teasing. Mentoring by her high school science teacher and her aunt on her ranch in Arizona motivated Temple to study and pursue a career as a scientist and livestock equipment designer.

Dr. Temple Grandin obtained her B.A. at Franklin Pierce College in 1970. In 1974, she was employed as Livestock Editor for the Arizona Farmer Ranchman and also worked for Corral Industries on equipment design. In 1975 she earned her M.S. in Animal Science at Arizona State University for her work on the behavior of cattle in different squeeze chutes. Dr. Grandin was awarded her PhD. In Animal Science from the University of Illinois in 1989 and is currently a Professor at Colorado State University.

She has done extensive work on the design of handling facilities. Half the cattle in the U.S. and Canada are handled in equipment she has designed for meat plants. Other professional activities include developing animal welfare guidelines for the meat industry and consulting with McDonalds, Wendy’s International, Burger King, and other companies on animal welfare.

Following her Ph.D. research on the effect of environmental enrichment on the behavior of pigs, she has published several hundred industry publications, book chapters and technical papers on animal handling plus 63 referred journal articles in addition to ten books. She currently is a professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University where she continues her research while teaching courses on livestock handling and facility design. Her book, Animals in Translation was a New York Times best seller and her book Livestock Handling and Transport, now has a fourth edition, which was published in 2014. Other popular books authored by Dr. Grandin are Thinking in Pictures, Emergence Labeled Autistic, Animals Make us Human, Improving Animal Welfare: A Practical Approach, The Way I See It, and The Autistic Brain. Dr. Grandin has received numerous awards including the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Livestock Conservation Institute, named a Distinguished Alumni at Franklin Pierce College and received an honorary doctorate from McGill university, University of Illinois, and Duke University. She has also won prestigious industry awards including the Richard L. Knowlton Award for Meat Marketing and Technology Magazine and the Industry Advancement Award from the American Meat Institute and the Beef Top 40 industry leaders and the Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Her work has also been recognized by humane groups and she received several awards. HBO has recently premiered a movie about Temple’s early life and career with the livestock industry. The movie received seven Emmy awards, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody Award. In 2011, Temple was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

Dr, Grandin is a past member of the board of directors of the Autism Society of America. She lectures to parents and teachers throughout the U.S. on her experiences with autism. Articles and interviews have appeared in New York Times, People, Time, National public Radio, 20/20, The View, and the BBC. She was also honored in Time Magazines 2010 “ The 100 Most Influential People in the World.” In 2012, Temple was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. Dr. Grandin now resides in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Photo by Rosalie Winard Photography.
Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Dr. Temple Grandin has an employment relationship with Colorado State University. She is author of numerous books by a variety of publishers including Future Horizons Inc. and receives royalties. She has DVD/CD products produced by PESI, Inc. and receives royalties. Dr. Grandin is a speaker for Future Horizons Inc. and receives compensation.

Non-Financial: Dr. Temple Grandin is an adult with high functioning autism.

Beth Aune is the owner-therapist of Desert Occupational Therapy for Kids, a pediatric outpatient clinic. Beth and her team of dedicated and passionate professionals provide assessment and intervention for at-risk children with a variety of diagnoses, including: autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, developmental delay, feeding dysfunction, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and others. Beth is a co-author of Behavior Solutions for the Inclusive Classroom (2010), and Behavior Solutions in and Beyond the Inclusive Classroom (2011). She is a speaker throughout the nation on the topic of practical solutions and strategies for teachers to address challenging behaviors in the school setting. Beth and her team of occupational therapists are dedicated to helping children achieve their highest potential in their daily function, with an emphasis on partnership with parents, caregivers and teachers.
Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Beth Aune is employed by Desert Occupational Therapy for Kids. She is a speaker and author for Future Horizons, Inc. and receives compensation. She is a speaker who receives an honorarium for PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.

Non-financial: Beth Aune has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.

James Ball, Ed.D., BCBA-D, is the President/Chief Executive Officer of JB Autism Consulting. He has been in the field of autism for over thirty-five years providing behavioral, educational, residential, and employment services to children and adults affected by autism. Dr. Ball provides private consultation to organizations, schools, and families regarding staff training, parent training, home support services, classroom design/support, functional behavior assessment and behavior management.

Dr. Ball is a member of the Autism Society’s (AS) National Board of Directors, he is currently an honorary board member, with only two other people, Dr. Ruth Sullivan and Dr. Temple Grandin. He was appointed as community member to the Interagency Autism Collaborating Committee (IACC); a past member of the Autism New Jersey; and a past member of the Autism New Jersey, Professional Advisory Board. Dr. Ball served as the co-chairperson of the AS’s Panel of Professional Advisors and is still a member of that panel. He is on the advisory board for the Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine and was a Featured Author for the magazine for 5 years and is on the Board of Directors of The Phoenix Center in Nutley, New Jersey.

Dr. Ball lectures nationally and internationally on various topics related to autism, such as early intervention, inclusion services, functional behavior assessment, social skills training, behavior management, direct instruction, sensory issues, and accountability.?He has published in many of the above areas and authored the award-winning breakthrough book Early Intervention and Autism: Real-life Questions, Real-life Answers, winning the 2008 NAPPA Gold Award Winner, Finalist for the 2008 ForeWord Book of the Year & Gold Award Winner in the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Dr. Ball’s second book, You Can’t Make Me: Proactive Strategies for Positive Behavioral Change released September of 2019. In 2020, he shared his talent with Future Horizons and 33 other Authors in the book, Autism in Lockdown, Expert Tips and Insights on Coping with the Covid-19 Pandemic. He co-authored a workbook with Kristie Brown-Lofland entitled, Autism after the Pandemic: A Step-By-Step Guide to Successful Transition Back to School and Work.

Dr. Ball has won numerous awards including: NYFAC’s Autism Inspiration Award, ASA’s Publication Award for his manual on Social Security and Employment for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, Autism New Jersey, formally known as COSAC highest honor, their Distinguished Service Award, and most recently was honored at the Phoenix Center in Nutley, New Jersey during their 20th Anniversary Gala as “Professional of the Year”.



Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: James Ball is president and CEO of JB Autism Consulting. He is the executive chair for the Autism Society – National Board of Directors. Dr. Ball receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc.

Non-financial: James Ball is a member of the Autism Society of America; International Association for Applied Behavior Analysis; and the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis.