|
Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior |  | Authors: Temple Grandin, Catherine Johnson
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy Used: $1.00
as of 11/21/2009 08:08 MST details
You Save: $25.00 (96%)
New (39) Used (102) Collectible (5) from $1.00
Seller: econgo
Rating:  168 reviews
Sales Rank: 127617
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0743247698
Dewey Decimal Number: 591.5
EAN: 9780743247696
ASIN: 0743247698
Publication Date: December 28, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation speaks in the clear voice of a woman who emerged from the other side of autism, bringing with her an extraordinary message about how animals think and feel.Temple's professional training as an animal scientist and her history as a person with autism have given her a perspective like that of no other expert in the field. Standing at the intersection of autism and animals, she offers unparalleled observations and groundbreaking ideas about both. Autistic people can often think the way animals think -- in fact, Grandin and co-author Catherine Johnson see autism as a kind of way station on the road from animals to humans -- putting autistic people in the perfect position to translate "animal talk." Temple is a faithful guide into their world, exploring animal pain, fear, aggression, love, friendship, communication, learning, and, yes, even animal genius. Not only are animals much smarter than anyone ever imagined, in some cases animals are out-and-out brilliant. The sweep of Animals in Translation is immense, merging an animal scientist's thirty years of study with her keen perceptions as a person with autism -- Temple sees what others cannot. 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 "can't 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
Temple Grandin is like no other author on the subject of animals because of her training and because of her autism: understanding animals is in her blood and in her bones.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 168
 I love this book! October 30, 2009
little dog (New York, NY)
This book is a pleasure to read! It is not a book about Dog behavior as some of the other customer reviews imply, but a new insight into how animals think, and why they do so. Temple is helping us to look through a cows eyes and see the world as they do. what fun.
The whole thing is charming, and I recommend it to all animal lovers who want to try to gain new understanding of our animal friends! Temple is such a gift to us, and she shares her thoughts and findings in such a kind way, you cant resist her!
Must read for parents with children who have Aspergers October 16, 2009
TrilliumHills (Clarksville, ohio United States)
I have a 21 year old son who has aspergers syndrome. If I had read this book when he was young I would have done so many things differently AND my husband and I would have been a lot more at peace. Dr. Grandin writes with such love and insight and humor that this book is a delight to read and deeply informative on many levels. I have learned as much about how I think as I have learned about my son. I am also a big pet owner and this has been eye opening to why some of our cats and dogs act the way they do and what we can do to help them. I have recommended to many people who have fed back to me this was funny and very helpful.
One of the best books on animal behavior! July 29, 2009
Yolanda S. Bean (Chicago, IL)
I really enjoyed re-reading this book! The first time I read it, I think I was a bit disappointed by how much of the information revolved around livestock. This time, maybe because I expected it, it didn't bother me as much. I was really surprised that some of the anecdotes were about Australian Cattle Dogs. Still, I think my favorite sections remained the same - the evidence linking wolves and men, and the section on animal language. I am very interested in reading her new book!
 Not what I thought it would be July 6, 2009
Kristin Carter (Glendale, AZ)
I thought this book would help give insight into animal's minds to help with understanding our pets better. It gave some good tips, but they were far and few between. This book focused on issues with animals at meat packing plants...not something I enjoy reading about. I felt like I was reading a school book- too much technical information- not enough down to earth advice/lessons. I hope her 2nd book "Animals Make us Human" is better because I bought them both.
Occupational Therapists Would Like This Book June 24, 2009
Faye D. Klupt (owings mills, maryland USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 168
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. Working Dogs | |
