PORTLAND — One of the world’s best-known autistic adults shared her

fascinating life story and suggestions for improving the lives of those

diagnosed with autism with a sellout crowd Sunday in Portland.

At the end of her presentation, autism advocate Temple Grandin received

a standing ovation from the audience, which was comprised of parents of

autistic children, therapists, teachers and people who have read her

books or seen the movie based on her life.

Grandin, 64, is an animal science professor at Colorado State

University. She earned national recognition for designing humane cattle

chutes that are now being used by stockyards throughout the U.S.

Portrayed by actress Claire Danes, she was featured in the 2010 HBO

movie “Temple Grandin,” which focused on her life and achievements. The

film won seven Emmy Awards.

“Half of the Silicon Valley executives have some degree of autism,”

Grandin proclaimed in an interview before her presentation Sunday

afternoon. “It (the autism range of disorders) is a very broad spectrum.”

Grandin’s appearance on the Portland campus of the University of

Southern Maine was sponsored by Northeast Hearing and Speech, a

Portland-based firm that offers hearing and speech services to adults

and children.

Officials with the hearing and speech center, located on West Commercial

Street, said it took nearly two years to convince Grandin to come to

Maine. On Sunday morning, she spoke to members of the Maine Grass

Farmers Network at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.

Her visit came amid renewed attention on autism. A recent federal report

indicated that autism disorders now affect 1 in 88 children in the U.S.,

a number far greater than researchers previously thought.

Grandin said the spotlight on autism has led to better detection, but

some higher-functioning children with the disorder are being held back

by the diagnosis.

She said she was unable to speak until she was 4 years old, but she

overcame that disability. She now lectures to audiences around the world.

Grandin, who still consults on and designs livestock-handling

facilities, has also written several books, including “Animals Make Us

Human” and “Thinking in Pictures,” which she sold and autographed at

Sunday’s presentation.

Grandin’s presentation was titled “Autism and My Sensory-Based World.”

She told the audience that early intervention is key to helping young

children who have been diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum.

“Just do things with them, engage them, because doing nothing is the

worst thing you can do,” she said.

Grandin talked about the different types of sensory-processing disorders

that fall on the autism spectrum. The broad range of disorders can make

it difficult for parents, educators and therapists to interact with

autistic children or adults.

Aspergers syndrome and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Development Disorder-Not

Otherwise Specified) are just a couple of the disorders on the spectrum.

“PDD-NOS just means they (a doctor or clinician) don’t know what a

person has. The problem is, where do the geeks and nerds end and the

autism begins,” Grandin said.

Outward signs of a person who is experiencing visual processing problems

can be someone who flicks their fingers near their eyes or who has

trouble getting on or off an elevator.

Grandin said there are techniques that can be used to lessen some of

those challenges, such as having an autistic person sit and balance

themselves on a therapy ball, encouraging a non-verbal person to use a

tablet — such as an iPad — to communicate, or avoiding fluorescent

lighting, which can trigger a negative reaction, such as a child having

a tantrum.

“I’m a totally visual thinker,” Grandin told the audience. “I think in

pictures. I don’t think in generalities.”

Grandin’s thought process allowed her to sketch, in great detail, the

humanely designed cattle chutes that were featured in the HBO film. The

chutes were built in such a way as to eliminate the cattle’s fear of

entering the chutes.

“I could actually test-run the equipment in my mind. I just thought

everyone could do that,” she said.

Grandin worries that not enough is being done to integrate autistic

individuals, many of whom are non-verbal, into society.

More could be done, for example, to teach a person how to shake hands,

establish eye contact when speaking with another person, or do something

as simple as teaching an autistic person how to order food in a restaurant.

Grandin believes that autistic persons can continue to learn throughout

their lifetime.

And they can enter the work force and be successful, Grandin said.

Some of the best jobs for an autistic person include graphic arts,

architect, veterinary technician, music teacher, journalist, copy

editor, speech therapist, lawn or garden work, factory assembly or

librarian.

Grandin said that Albert Einstein — the theoretical physicist who some

considered to be a genius — had many autistic traits.

“What happened to the Albert Einstein in your school system?,” she asked.

“In many school systems today, he would be labeled autistic. The problem

we’re facing in autism is that we’ve got such a broad spectrum.”