There are many neurodivergent faces throughout history, though they may be harder to find. I was fortunate enough to stumble across a movie about the life of Temple Grandin, an American woman diagnosed on the spectrum who patented a humane way to handle livestock, a method that is still prominently used all over the country.
Something that stuck out to me was Temple’s invention of a “hug machine”, something she created while in college. Working on her aunt’s farm as a kid, she became interested in a machine that squeezed the cattle, as Temple had noticed that it calmed them down. It occurred to her that she could get the deep pressure stimulation and comfort she needed without the overwhelming nature of the physical touch of hugging. Her college professors were keen to take the machine away, seeing it as a waste of time and academically invaluable. However, she still fought to keep it with the support of her science teacher and mentor. He encouraged her to think deeper as to why the machine could be so valuable in treating her hypersensitivity, and to keep pursuing something that helped her self-regulate.
It’s now an idea that’s more talked about in the autistic community, with suggestions of weighted blankets, weight vests, etc. The pressure is soothing, providing the positive, anxiety-reducing effects of a hug without the heightened sensory stress of hugging another person. It was inspiring for me to see someone on the spectrum becoming so wildly successful in their field while also embracing their identity on the spectrum and being open about how they handle the discomforts that life throws in our way.
~Anonymous Writer
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