To most humans, sight is their strongest sense; however, when communicating, we often prefer language or spoken word to explain what we are thinking, feeling or experiencing. In the case of one autistic woman, Temple Grandin, this common form of communication is all but foreign to her. In her autobiographical work, Thinking in Pictures, Temple gives the "non-autistic," language-communicating person an idea of what it is like to live a life where pictures communicate and explain her surroundings, emotions (although limited) and world. This essay will give an overview of her book, and attempt to analyze the three recurring themes; her work, her disease and her life (which includes the previous two).
             Temple Grandin's autobiographical work explores her life with autism/ autistic disorder, a disease that ranges in degrees of severity so drastically that some afflicted with the disease may carry out self-sufficient lives (like Temple) and others my never be able to support themselves in such simple tasks as feeding themselves. It is a neurological disorder that affects the brain; therefore, while much study is done it is a difficult disease to diagnose and even harder to treat. Since the disorder affects the communication skills and social interactions the individual has with other people, its many ranges can be classified under the larger PDD or Pervasive Developmental Disorders umbrella. Also included under this umbrella are Asperger's Syndrome, Child Disintegrative Disorder, and Rett's Disorder.
             A child/adult diagnosed with autism or one of the PDDs may be either high-functioning (like Temple) or low-functioning. They may be sensory hyper-sensitive, where loud noises, bright lights and other such occurrences cause great pain to their nervous system. Because of this spectrum of severity found in autistic disorder, a child may be diagnosed as low-functioning, and with the help of therapy progress to h...