Temple Grandin’s Animal Welfare Techniques – How Autistic People Can Help Improve Environmental Health Tatiana Viola de Queiroz, Maria Fernanda Toffoli Castilho, Erica Andrade Soares

Abstract

This study explores the animal welfare techniques developed by Temple Grandin, an autistic American, zootechnician, psychologist, and Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois, and how autistic people can help implement these techniques to promote environmental health and improve the quality of life of animals. Because of her autism, Temple can identify details that most people would miss, and with her techniques she developed rational management that can be measured with methods that encompass scientific basis, emotions, and natural behavior of the animal so that it can achieve the best quality of life indices. This article will present a review of the literature on the techniques developed by Temple and the advantages of their use in the animal production industry. Studies will also be presented on the unique abilities of autistic people, especially with regard to sensory processing, and how these abilities can be applied in the implementation of animal welfare techniques. However, is it possible to adopt these concepts and techniques for animal welfare in agriculture in Brazil? How has Temple Grandin’s autism spectrum disorder influenced her approach to improving animal welfare? How has Temple Grandin’s unique understanding of animals’ sensory sensitivities influenced the development of new animal management techniques? How are Temple Grandin’s ideas changing people’s perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals in food production?