Granted, it has been a little while since I read Grandin's autobiography, but I don't recall this being the case with her. The treatment options were certainly limited because autism spectrum disorders weren't well understood, but that isn't quite the same thing that you are talking about.
Sperran
You know the term "refrigerator mother"? That was supposed to be the cause of Autism at about the time Temple was diagnosed.
The doctors didn't seem to get it that the same mother often had one or more "normal" children living in the same home. Made no sense then, makes no sense now. Good thing they dropped that idea.