BY BERNIE ABRAMS
Contributing Writer
Many years ago when my wife and I were motor-scootering
through Europe we visited the Rotterdam zoo. There I
noticed people reaching through the bars of a cage to pet a
willing lioness, who was enjoying the good weather with
her cubs. Of course I wanted to pet her too, but my wife’s
wisdom prevailed and we just watched. Later, we
discovered the lioness was a sister of the famous Elsa of
Born Free, and that she was a sweet, affectionate creature
who enjoyed a good scratch behind the ears. The point is,
even before I saw other people reaching through the cage’s
bars, I felt drawn to the lioness and safe with her. Her
attitude was welcoming; I responded viscerally.
Contributing Writer
Many years ago when my wife and I were motor-scootering
through Europe we visited the Rotterdam zoo. There I
noticed people reaching through the bars of a cage to pet a
willing lioness, who was enjoying the good weather with
her cubs. Of course I wanted to pet her too, but my wife’s
wisdom prevailed and we just watched. Later, we
discovered the lioness was a sister of the famous Elsa of
Born Free, and that she was a sweet, affectionate creature
who enjoyed a good scratch behind the ears. The point is,
even before I saw other people reaching through the cage’s
bars, I felt drawn to the lioness and safe with her. Her
attitude was welcoming; I responded viscerally.
These memories reverberate as I read Animals in Translation, Using the Mysteries of
Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, a new book by Temple Grandin and Catherine
Johnson. Grandin, probably the first autistic person to hold a Ph.D., is a professor at
Colorado State University and a respected animal scientist. Johnson is a trustee of the
National Alliance for Autism Research.
In Animals in Translation, (Scribner, c.360p., $25), Grandin reflects on the 40 years she
has spent with animals through the remarkable focus of her own autism, which she
believes gives her a unique perspective into the way they respond to their environments.
She does not anthropomorphize the animals she describes. Indeed, part of her
professional work is on feedlots and other sites where food animals are processed,
seeking to reform the way these animals are handled for ultimate compassion.
Since we brought them here, Grandin argues, “We owe them a decent life and a decent
death.”
Grandin’s basic message is that hypersensitivity in sight, sound and other senses that
distinguish her autism provides pathways to animals of all origins, because her own
experiences, backed up by considerable research she documents, demonstrate that they
see the same things and share many of the same experiences.
The author takes this sensitivity a step further. “I’m different from every other professional
who works with animals,” she writes. “Autistic people can think the way animals think. Of
course, we also think the way people think—we aren’t that different.
“Autism is a kind of way station on the road from animals to humans, which puts autistic
people like me in a perfect position to translate ‘animal talk’ into English. I can tell people
why their animals are doing the things they do.”
One of the real services of Animals in Translation is Grandin’s attempt to help non-
autistic persons see objects and understand situations that habitual perception systems
keep them from comprehending. She notes that people who live among animals are
somewhat more likely to appreciate what they see as opposed to others, who suffer from
what she calls “inattentional blindness.”
In clear, terse sections that make the book read like islands of discovery in a new,
fascinating universe, she uses her own unhappy experiences as a small child to draw
parallels with the socialization of animals by people and to focus attention to some of its
results. For instance, she says humans have bred dogs to stay immature for their entire
lives. She cites studies showing that genetically dogs still retain strong connections with
wolves while losing their behavior patterns.
She reports that many experts believe “one of the reasons wolves turned into dogs was
that nursing human mothers probably adopted orphaned wolf cubs and nursed them at
their breasts along with their human babies.
“Under this theory, the only reason dogs exist at all is that early people really loved wolf
puppies, which gave any full-grown wolves who happened to have a case of arrested
development a reproductive advantage.”
A shared connection between autistic people and animals, Grandin asserts, is simple
emotions. “That’s why normal people describe us as innocent,” she writes. Animals aren’
t ambivalent and don’t have love-hate relationships, one reason “humans love animals
so much; animals are loyal. If an animal loves you he loves you no matter what.”
Just as she acknowledges all autistic people do not share the same sensitivities,
Grandin undermines old theories regarding the perceived limitations of all autistic
people.
Her underlying message to readers is: learn to use best what you have been given.
Also noting that people and dogs co-evolved and became even better partners, allies and
friends, she believes “all animals make us human.
“That’s why I hope we’ll start to think more respectfully about animal intelligence and
talent. That would be good for people, because there are a lot of things we can't do that
animals can. We could use their help.”
Along with full documentation for the research results she
details in the book is a section headed “Behavior and Training
Troubleshooting Guide.” This gives the reader reasons for
specific animal behavior patterns and explanations for
responses to these actions. Animals in Translations is a
primer in more than one way.
First published Jan. 20, 2005 in The Animal Companion.
Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, a new book by Temple Grandin and Catherine
Johnson. Grandin, probably the first autistic person to hold a Ph.D., is a professor at
Colorado State University and a respected animal scientist. Johnson is a trustee of the
National Alliance for Autism Research.
In Animals in Translation, (Scribner, c.360p., $25), Grandin reflects on the 40 years she
has spent with animals through the remarkable focus of her own autism, which she
believes gives her a unique perspective into the way they respond to their environments.
She does not anthropomorphize the animals she describes. Indeed, part of her
professional work is on feedlots and other sites where food animals are processed,
seeking to reform the way these animals are handled for ultimate compassion.
Since we brought them here, Grandin argues, “We owe them a decent life and a decent
death.”
Grandin’s basic message is that hypersensitivity in sight, sound and other senses that
distinguish her autism provides pathways to animals of all origins, because her own
experiences, backed up by considerable research she documents, demonstrate that they
see the same things and share many of the same experiences.
The author takes this sensitivity a step further. “I’m different from every other professional
who works with animals,” she writes. “Autistic people can think the way animals think. Of
course, we also think the way people think—we aren’t that different.
“Autism is a kind of way station on the road from animals to humans, which puts autistic
people like me in a perfect position to translate ‘animal talk’ into English. I can tell people
why their animals are doing the things they do.”
One of the real services of Animals in Translation is Grandin’s attempt to help non-
autistic persons see objects and understand situations that habitual perception systems
keep them from comprehending. She notes that people who live among animals are
somewhat more likely to appreciate what they see as opposed to others, who suffer from
what she calls “inattentional blindness.”
In clear, terse sections that make the book read like islands of discovery in a new,
fascinating universe, she uses her own unhappy experiences as a small child to draw
parallels with the socialization of animals by people and to focus attention to some of its
results. For instance, she says humans have bred dogs to stay immature for their entire
lives. She cites studies showing that genetically dogs still retain strong connections with
wolves while losing their behavior patterns.
She reports that many experts believe “one of the reasons wolves turned into dogs was
that nursing human mothers probably adopted orphaned wolf cubs and nursed them at
their breasts along with their human babies.
“Under this theory, the only reason dogs exist at all is that early people really loved wolf
puppies, which gave any full-grown wolves who happened to have a case of arrested
development a reproductive advantage.”
A shared connection between autistic people and animals, Grandin asserts, is simple
emotions. “That’s why normal people describe us as innocent,” she writes. Animals aren’
t ambivalent and don’t have love-hate relationships, one reason “humans love animals
so much; animals are loyal. If an animal loves you he loves you no matter what.”
Just as she acknowledges all autistic people do not share the same sensitivities,
Grandin undermines old theories regarding the perceived limitations of all autistic
people.
Her underlying message to readers is: learn to use best what you have been given.
Also noting that people and dogs co-evolved and became even better partners, allies and
friends, she believes “all animals make us human.
“That’s why I hope we’ll start to think more respectfully about animal intelligence and
talent. That would be good for people, because there are a lot of things we can't do that
animals can. We could use their help.”
Along with full documentation for the research results she
details in the book is a section headed “Behavior and Training
Troubleshooting Guide.” This gives the reader reasons for
specific animal behavior patterns and explanations for
responses to these actions. Animals in Translations is a
primer in more than one way.
First published Jan. 20, 2005 in The Animal Companion.
| The Link Between Autism And Understanding Animals |
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For more information on the author, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., click here |
