Just watched Temple Grandin the fantastically inspirational story of a woman with autism who used her special sensitivities to promote humane treatment of cattle in abattoirs and stockyards.
She couldn't stand to be held or touched by humans. She said "New things scared me". She was really impressed when she first saw a cattle squeeze, a device with a head gate and a lever operated device that immobilizes cattle so you can treat them or work with them with out risk to cowpersons or cattle. When she asked what the gate did for the cattle she was told that it "gentles them". She was so impressed that she built her own squeeze that she could get into and squeeze herself to get gentle. She went on to have a great career and still teaches apparently at a University in Colorado.
Grandin, Temple. (1992) Calming Effects of Deep Touch Pressure in Patients with Autistic Disorder, College Students, and Animals JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
Volume 2, Number 1, 1992 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers http://www.grandin.com/inc/squeeze.html
When we were talking about LMS in the #PLENK session in SL after the Elliminate session today, it struck me that many people like the comforting self-imposed squeeze of the LMS. Maybe they feel it gentles them. No LMS for me, I much prefer the wild wooly west of the open range.
1 comment:
OK so I am late, late, late in getting to readings but when is as irrelevant at where and under what formal auspices. In this case LMS. I'd read about Grandin - used to work livestock too and used cow squeezer with nearly wild horses (used to people but unhandled, never haltered). Slapping myself on the side of the head for not having seen that connection. Thanks. I prefer the wild and woolly too but have had students that wanted it, needed it to learn. Mixed group can be a challenge.
And while I'm here, thanks for the "creepy tree house" ... just posted to creepy tree house...
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