Tune in for this unusual presentation on autism by someone with autism. Animal Science professor Temple Grandin, who designs livestock handling facilities, discusses the value of early intervention in autism, and about medications.

Other topics include her sensory sensitivities and how she manages them, how she and other autistic people think, and social relationships and careers.

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old.

Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.

Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by rare mutations, or by rare combinations of common genetic variants. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects.