and assets into jobs.

“Don’t get hung up on the labels — just don’t,” she said bluntly.

Grandin, who did not speak until she was almost 4 years old, was diagnosed with autism in 1950.

“When I was young, I used to think everybody thought in pictures exactly the way I did,” she said.

But she had a mother who knew how to push her beyond her comfort zone and who exposed her to “new things — with some choices.”

So Grandin, a visual thinker, did “hands-on” work. Art class became her “salvation.” At 15, she started cleaning out horse stalls.

“You want to understand animals? You’ve got to get away from verbal language,” said Grandin, now a professor of animal science at Colorado State University.

That understanding made Grandin a good fit for designing livestock facilities. She kept in mind that “an animal’s world is a sensory-based world” and incorporated nonslip flooring into her work.

“Little things that most people don’t seem to notice I noticed,” Grandin said.

For Melanie Silver, Grandin reminded her of her own’s son potential. Silver’s 16-year-old son, a junior at Schaumburg High School, also falls on the spectrum.

“For me, I can see what he can achieve just by listening to her,” she said.

Concerned that kids are now too removed from “practical things,” Grandin voiced her support for 4-H and learning work skills long before they graduate high school.

“When you get really down to it, it’s about outcomes,” she said.