Emergence: Labeled Autistic
By: Temple Grandin and Margaret M. Scariano
Temple Grandin is one of the world's leading experts in the design and construction of livestock handling facilities. Temple is also a recovered autistic. Throughout her life, Temple experienced much physical, emotional, and psychological pain because of her condition. An individual with autism is looked upon as helpless, but, with much determination, Temple Grandin proved to be all but helpless.
Temple Grandin was born in 1947 to her nineteen year old mother. When Temple was six months old, her mother noticed that she was no longer a cuddly baby, but that she was irritated by the human touch and angered at attempts for communication. In Temple's toddler years, she isolated herself completely. This aloneness led Temple to fixate on, or obsess about specific things. Temple always had a certain fixation in her mind, which put away her desire for learning to communicate verbally.
All of Temple's family saw her as different and could not get used to her one-track mind or her outrageously angered actions.
"Autism is a type of pervasive developmental disorder. It interferes with a person's ability to communicate with and relate to others. Autism is a lifelong condition that results in some degree of social isolation. Autism affects how a person perceives and processes sensory information. Signs of autism almost always develop before a child is 3 years old, although the condition is frequently not diagnosed until later. Typically, parents first become concerned when they notice their toddler does not respond or interact like other children of the same age. Toddlers with autism do not usually babble or talk normally, and may seem to have hearing problems. The severity of autism varies. Some individuals need assistance in almost all aspects of their daily lives, while others are...