Temple Grandin, Ph.D., a multi-hyphenate, celebrated advocate for autistic communities, will present “Great Minds Are Not All The Same” as part of the California Lutheran University Dean’s Lecture Series. The event is at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21 in Samuelson Chapel on the Cal Lutheran campus and brings awareness to the start of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in March. 

The free lecture is open to students and the community and will explore diverse ways people think: object visualizers, who think in pictures; visual-spatial mathematical, who think in patterns; and verbal word thinkers. 

“Different types of thinkers can use their skills in a complementary manner to achieve many things,” noted Grandin, the author of “Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions” (Riverhead Books, 2022) and “Autism and Education: The Way I See It: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know” (Future Horizons, 2023).

“The skills that people with autism bring to the table should be nurtured for their benefit and society’s,” said Grandin.

Attendees will learn how different types of thinkers can use their idiosyncratic skills to achieve numerous things. Grandin will share how being a person who thinks in pictures has helped her through her work in different fields.

Grandin, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, is quoted as saying that if a cure for autism were found, she would choose to stay just the way she is. She pursued higher education in psychology and animal science. She is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., and a consultant and designer of livestock handling facilities. In 2010, HBO released an Emmy Award-winning film on Grandin’s life.

Register for the free lecture at bit.ly/TempleGrandinLecture. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that registering for the event does not guarantee a seat. Cal Lutheran is located at 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks.