Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior

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.

"Philosophers and scientists have long wondered what goes on in the minds of animals, and this fascinating study gives a wealth of illuminating insights into that mystery. Grandin, an animal behavior expert specializing in the design of humane slaughter systems, is autistic, and she contends that animals resemble autistic people in that they think visually rather than linguistically and perceive the world as a jumble of mesmerizing details rather than a coherent whole. Animals — cows, say, on their way through a chute — are thus easily spooked by novelties that humans see as trivialities, such as high-pitched noises, drafts and dangling clothes. Other animals accomplish feats of obsessive concentration; squirrels really do remember where each acorn is buried. The portrait she paints of the mammalian mind is both alien and familiar; she shows that beasts are capable of sadistic cruelty, remorse, superstition and surprising discernment (in one experiment, pigeons were taught to distinguish between early period Picasso and Monet). Grandin (Thinking in Pictures) and Johnson (coauthor of Shadow Syndromes) deploy a simple, lucid style to synthesize a vast amount of research in neurology, cognitive psychology and evolutionary biology, supplementing it with Grandin's firsthand observations of animal behavior and her own experiences with autism, engaging anecdotes about how animals interact with each other and their masters, and tips on how to pick and train house pets. The result is a lively and absorbing look at the world from animals' point of view. Forecast: Anyone who's enjoyed the work of Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson — and especially those who liked it but felt it a bit warm and fuzzy in spots — should appreciate this valuable, rigorous book." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

In the bestselling tradition of The Hidden Life of Dogs and When Elephants Weep, one of the world's most celebrated animal scientists merges a lifetime of study with her extraordinary perceptions as an autistic person in a groundbreaking book that will revolutionize out understanding of how animals think and feel.

Temple Grandin earned her Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois, went on to become an associate professor at Colorado State University, and wrote two books on autism, including the seminal Thinking in Pictures. One of the most celebrated — and effective — animal advocates on the planet, Grandin revolutionized animal movement systems and spearheaded reform of the quality of life for the world's agricultural animals. Catherine Johnson, Ph.D., is a writer specializing in neuropsychiatry and the brain and is the author of three previous books, including Shadow Syndromes with John J. Ratey. She lives with her husband and three sons in New York. Two of her sons have autism.

Contents

Chapter 1: My Story

Chapter 2: How Animals Perceive the World

Chapter 3: Animal Feelings

Chapter 4: Animal Aggression

Chapter 5: Pain and Suffering

Chapter 6: How Animals Think

Chapter 7: Animal Genius: Extreme Talents

Behavior and Training Troubleshooting Guide

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Index