Dasha's Journal: A Cat Reflects on Life, Catness and Autism
Book Details
- Publisher : Jessica Kingsley
- Published : 2008
- Pages : 172
- Category :
Autism and Aspergers - Catalogue No : 27594
- ISBN 13 : 9781843105862
- ISBN 10 : 1843105861
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Just a few weeks old, Dasha the cat found herself in a family with an autistic child. The publication of Temple Grandin's book "Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behaviour" turned the household into a research laboratory, with the humans observing Dasha's behaviours and the cat experimenting with the human guinea pigs. The feline perspective provides a new outlook on autism conditions, challenging long established stereotypes and analysing controversies in the field with an unbiased attitude and humour. The text is interspersed with Dasha's wisdoms, research notes and definitions of concepts based on her own understanding, such as "A pet shop is a place where humans come to be adopted by the animals who are brave enough to take a responsibility of looking after them". "Dasha's Journal" provides research-based information in an amusing and accessible form and makes serious and complicated issues such as sensory perception, memory, communication, savant skills and challenging behaviours in autism easily understandable for the general reader.
Customer Reviews
Our customers have given this title an average rating of 5 out of 5 from 1 review(s), add your own review for this title.
Lucy D. on 23/04/2009
(5 out of 5)
This book is one of my favorites! Its been inspired by Temple Grandin's work with animals (esp. her book Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior).
While Temple Grandin has a special connection with animals because of her autism, Dasha, a family cat, claims she has a special connection with autistic individuals because of her catness. Well-researched but easy to read, Dasha's Journal: A Cat Reflects on Life, Catness and Autism provides information to explain the myths and mysteries of autism, while offering her feline views on life in general along the way. What shes trying to meow is, like Temple Grandin, who proves that being autistic makes it easier to understand animals, Dasha, being an animal tries to make it easier to understand autism.
The book blends the literary journey with an engaging scientific study. As one of the reviewers says, the final result is a funny, clever, and up to date exposition of our present day knowledge regarding autism.
Well worth reading!
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