What you may believe to be reality is only your perception. A completely different world is seen through the eyes of autism sufferers.

Temple Grandin is living proof that autism, although incurable, can be controlled – and in some cases, very useful.

At 8 p.m. Wednesday, Grandin will speak at a lecture in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. She will describe how her autism has given her a better understanding of what goes through the minds of animals.

She will also describe her visual thought process and how she has been able to control it.

Diagnosed with brain damage at age 2, Grandin was given little hope of leading a normal life. She didn’t seem to need the same degree of attention that other children her age did and even seemed to repulse signs of affection.

Her first words weren’t spoken until she was 3 years old. When specialists examined her several years later, they determined that she was autistic.

The Mayo Clinic defines autism as “a brain disorder that is associated with a range of developmental problems, mainly in communication and social interaction.”

The name “autism” comes from the Greek word meaning “self,” which describes the way that autistic people generally lack an interest in others.

This trait can be observed at a young age, which is why autism is typically diagnosed before age 3. Those with autism tend not to cry as much as other children and show more interest in objects than people.

Because of this impaired ability for social interaction, it is not uncommon for them to create imaginary friends or imaginary worlds.

John Hirschman is the disability resources coordinator for Iowa State and has been educated in the effects of autism and other disorders.

“[Autistics] have a challenge to communicate,” Hirschman said, “It’s hard for them to relate, to talk with others.”

Heightened sensitivity is also common among those with autism. Certain stimuli that usually have no effect may cause a great degree of discomfort to an autistic person. Making out one person’s voice may prove difficult, while someone else’s voice is heard at an extremely high volume.

If not properly treated and controlled, the effects of autism can be very frustrating.

“It’s constant and ongoing,” Hirschman said. “They aren’t stupid; they know people are looking at them funny. It’s a hard disability to have.”

The National Institute of Mental Health estimated that autism occurs in one of every 1,000 births in the United States, although some researchers, including those at the Mayo Clinic, suggest the probability may be closer to one in 200.

The number of cases seems to be increasing, but scientists aren’t sure why.

There are varying degrees of autism, with some diagnosed at higher levels of functioning than others. Although current technology has not yet discovered a cure for autism, it has been found that through practice and schooling autistic people can improve their social skills, making it possible for them to be successful in mainstream society.

Grandin was among the first to control and modify the effects of autism.

She was born in 1947, just four years after Dr. Leo Kanner classified autism as a mental disorder in 1943. She is now arguably the most well-known autistic person in the world. As an associate professor of animal science at Colorado State, she specializes in designing livestock handling facilities.

She has made appearances on many different television shows, including “Larry King Live,” the “Today Show” and “20/20.”

Grandin discovered at a young age that, unlike most people, her thoughts consisted almost exclusively of images. She describes this in her book “Thinking In Pictures.”

“Words are like a second language to me,” Grandin wrote, “I translate both spoken and written words into full-color movies, complete with sound, which run like a VCR tape in my head.”

Along with her visual thoughts comes an almost superhuman memory, consisting of more details than what many could imagine. Grandin describes her memory as a “video library” that she can access at any time. She plays back the memory in her mind in specific visual detail.

Her incredible photographic memory has helped her to design new facilities to handle livestock. By recalling different systems that she has seen, she can decide on the best design, create a plan and even execute test-runs – all in her head.

When handling livestock, Grandin found that it is very important that the animals stay calm throughout the process. Livestock animals have very active senses, not unlike the hypersensitivity that those with autism deal with.

By placing cameras on cows in different facilities, Grandin has been able to notice the specific flaws in the system that cause stress to the animals.

Today, about one-third of all of the cattle and hogs in America are handled by equipment Gradin designed. She planned all the ideas for new facilities in her head, not on paper. When designing, she said she can see the whole design in perfect detail, rotate it 360 degrees and zoom in on certain points.

“I don’t need a fancy graphics program that can produce three-dimensional design simulations,” Grandin wrote, “I can do it better and faster in my head.”

Her peers once labeled her as “weird.” Now, almost 60 years after she was diagnosed with autism, Grandin is a well-known designer, scholar and public speaker. Who would have pictured that?