Temple Grandin, the brilliant and fascinating autistic woman who is Catherine Johnson’s collaborator on Animals in Translation, will be on the Today Show tomorrow morning (Friday). She will also be on Prime Time next Thursday.
Apropos, betwen surgery, blogging, writing my book, writing a screenplay, working on various other projects, taking my daughter to school and her skating lessons and trying to get my shoes tied when I have a moment, I have managed to read most of Animals in T. It is a terrific book, which I have already recommended to a number of people. Through the secret life of animals we understand ourselves.
There was so much new material for me to digest that it took a number of weeks to thoroughly read Temple Grandinís superb book. The insights regarding our canine friends is of great value. Grandin also explains how to improve the way we slaughter animals. We have an obligation to make it less stressful and pain free for those creatures who will eventually be on our dinner table.
My wife gave it to me for Valentine’s Day — just previewed it so far…so many books to read (need to try more reading and less blog-activity) Anything recommended by Oliver Sacks has value. Hmmm… wasn’t Grandin featured in Sacks’ book Anthropologist from Mars (I think that’s the title)?
Again I have to compliment Roger on the breadth of his very active mind!
Stan:
Yes, Temple Grandin was one of the people that Oliver Sacks wrote about in “An Anthropologist on Mars.” In fact, she coined the title phrase! It describes how she feels, living among a race of beings she doesn’t feel she understands.
Temple is a truly amazing human being; I’ve discussed with her co-author, Catherine (who I met through this blog) the fact that, while Temple has done a great deal to improve the understanding and treatment of autistic people, she has done even more to improve the lot of the animals we eat. Most people who love animals won’t associate themselves with the slaughter industry, for reasons that seem obvious to us; yet animals always have been, and probably always will be, slaughtered for food, and Temple alone has concerned herself with their treatment in the last few days of their lives. It seems to me that if anyone was specially designed and put here on earth to do what she does, it’s Temple Grandin.
As some of you might know, the NBC network of stations has a spot-light feature on autism this week.
There is a great untold story of a related affliction as well. There is this thing called Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which is not yet (as of the current DSM-IV) an official diagnosis. All autistic beings have this dysfunction from one extent to another I understand; but you don’t have to be autistic to have it.
Many of SID’s symptoms also look like autism and ADD/ADHD, so sometimes children are misdiagnosed. My son has SID, and we went through hell over the last 18 months trying to figure out what was happening with our son (who is now 4 1/2). Finally, an occupational therapist who is a follower of Dr. Stanley Greenspan, pinpointed what our son was suffering from. And I will tell you that I’ve met at least 3 other parents in her waiting room alone, who went through the same thing I did – and their children were finally deemed not autistic, but SID as well.
It is estimated that as high as 30% of the population in general may have some form of SID.
Two books that were a God-send to us were Dr. Greenspan/Wieder’s “The Child With Special Needs” and Kranowitz’s “The Out-Of-Sync Child”; the latter required reading by the OT.
I wish I had time to read Temple & Catherine’s book! I usually have to read books twice to get the full picture, and am busy implementing those two.
I think over the next 10 years, we’ll be hearing more about SID.
I remember many years ago an NPR interview with someone who claimed to know how animals feel and think, especially in the stockyards, and who said they are resigned or willing to sacrifice themselves for us. Does anyone know if Temple G. holds this position or gave such an interview? (I will read the book but haven’t yet…)
Dilys,
I am only familiar with Grandin’s work from reading Animals in Translation but nothing I read in that book suggests she would hold any such idea – she certainly does go down anything I detected as such a path. Get the book, read it. Just as for Dave above, I found it so thought provoking and eye-opening that it took me several weeks to read when I expected a couple three days. Fascinating book, extroadinary authors, especially Ms. Grandin (no offense, Catherine ;>)
“extroadinary”? Sorry, that was HST. Ms. Grandin and Ms. Johnson are extraordinary. PIMF.