Why would a cow lick a tractor? Why are collies getting dumber? Why do dolphins sometimes kill for fun? How can a parrot learn to spell? How did wolves teach man to evolve? Temple Grandin draws upon a long, distinguished career as an animal scientist and her own experiences with autism to deliver an extraordinary message about how animals act, think, and feel. She has a perspective like that of no other expert in the field, which allows her to offer unparalleled observations and groundbreaking ideas.
People with autism can often think the way animals think, putting them in the perfect position to translate animal talk. Grandin is a faithful guide into their world, exploring animal pain, fear, aggression, love, friendship, communication, learning, and, yes, even animal genius. The sweep of Animals in Translation is immense and will forever change the way we think about animals.
*includes a Behavior and Training Troubleshooting Guide Among its provocative ideas, the book:
- argues that language is not a requirement for consciousness--and that animals do have consciousness
- applies the autism theory of hyper-specificity to animals, showing that animals and autistic people are so sensitive to detail that they cant see the forest for the trees--a talent as well as a deficit
- explores the interpreter in the normal human brain that filters out detail, leaving people blind to much of the reality that surrounds them--a reality animals and autistic people see, sometimes all too clearly
- explains how animals have superhuman skills: animals have animal genius
- compares animals to autistic savants, declaring that animals may in fact be autistic savants, with special forms of genius that normal people do not possess and sometimes cannot even see
- examines how humans and animals use their emotions to think, to decide, and even to predict the future
- reveals the remarkable abilities of handicapped people and animals
- maintains that the single worst thing you can do to an animal is to make it feel afraid
Occupational Therapists Would Like This Book
In each chapter of this book I was exposed to new information and perspectives about the brain and behaviors in both animals and humans. The first person writing style made the book easy to read and absorb. Scientific information was presented from multiple fields of study and this is immediately evident when scanning the bibliography. Information is presented from the study of: developmental psychology; classical learning theories; behavioral psychology; cognitive psychology; abnormal psychology; neurology; neuroscience; genetics and animal breeding; animal science; and brain evolution. This is the first book I have read where my understanding of the fragmented world perceived by autistic children was enlightened by considering how animals may perceive the world. Temple Grandin's perspectives are unique and highly valued since she speaks both as a person who has struggled with Autism and as an animal scientist. As an occupation therapist, I am constantly striving to understand and tap into the potential of my autistic students. I have found it necessary to think outside the box of traditional educational and OT course material. This book was thought provoking.
It is essential to understand the point of view of the subject being addressed, whether it is a cow who is scared of shadows or an autistic student who's behavior has suddenly changed due to a tiny alteration in the condition of his classroom desk. What is it like to think in pictures and to see what actually exists in extreme detail and not to perceive the whole picture,the abstract generalized concept? Temple Grandin states in the book that "A huge amount of my consulting business is getting paid to see all the stuff normal people can't see." Highly visual people respond to detail the way animals do, she speculates. Reading about the tiny details that scare farm animals such as high pitched noises, air hissing and small objects on the floor is very similar to the sensory reactions that students with Autism experience. Scrambled sensory processing in people with Autism can create a feeling of a daily state of emergency. Animals have a smaller neocortex (includes the frontal lobe) than humans do. Autistic individuals have "bad input into the frontal lobes."
Temple Grandin describes potential benefits of the "Hidden Figure Talent" of people with Autism. People with Autism can identify flaws in materials that others need a microscope to detect. This is a highly useful skill for quality assurance. What about the potential usefulness of this trait in homeland security? Temple Grandin raises this question.
Temple Grandin does not think in words and neither do animals. I found the review of well known studies on language to be helpful but information about the new awareness of animal intelligence and language was fascinating. Verbal overshadowing is an interesting phenomenon to review. It causes a witness to be less likely to identify a person in a police line up if the witness writes down a description of the "robber" compared to witnesses who do not "suppress" their visual memories by converting them into written language. The most interesting information in this book involved the ability of some animals to pass on culture by communicating back and forth to each other.
A clear message in this book is that animals have influenced human brain evolution and people have influenced animal brain evolution.
This book may not add to the knowledge of animal experts, but from my perspective as an occupational therapist I gained valuable information about animals and brain development in general.
Buy Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior by Catherine Johnson At The Lowest Price!
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