Clothing, especially new clothing, felt torturous on her skin. She credits a gradual transition, the involvement of mentors, and a skills-appropriate career with her successful adaptation. During three of her college years she would visit a local meat-packing plant, learning how the industry operated. This progressive exposure, combined with summers at her aunt's ranch, accustomed Grandin to the cattle industry. She stresses the importance of this same approach for any autistic's successful transition to the work world.
Fixations can be any preoccupation with one particular subject.
In her own life, Grandin was fixated on cattle shoots. One of the greatest difficulties people with autism face when starting a job is their inability to read social cues. One way of doing this is by creating a portfolio which will illustrate the individual's talent. In coping with her own social difficulties, Grandin found that anti-depressants improved her difficulties in speech, sociability, anxiety, and posture. Increasing dosage could have dangerous side-effects, however, compounding problems such as irritability and insomnia.