8 THE AMAZING ABILITIES OF MIND

Collier talks of ‘lightning calculators’ – young children who can calculate mathematical problems faster than a calculator or people who listen to a piece of music once and immediately play it perfectly. He refers to their special gifts as part of the subconscious mind. Today, sadly, we would probably label them autistic.

Temple Grandin is an internationally respected expert in animal behaviour with a doctorate in animal sciences. At the time of writing she is an associate professor at Colorado State University. Grandin has designed cattle handling facilities all over the world. Half the cattle in North America are handled using her designs and she consults to firms such as Burger King and McDonald's. Her unique contribution has made a huge difference to the welfare of cattle, reduced the stress of the animals and led to more humane slaughter. Temple Grandin is also autistic – highly autistic.