Review of Professional Resource

Review of Professional Resource

The article, Children’s Literature and Disabilities provided useful information about using literature in the classroom to talk about disabilities. This professional resource was created by the National Dissemination Center for Children with Autism. This article covered the wide spectrum of disabilities including autism. Incorporated into the article is an extensive list of books that can be useful when discussing various disabilities in the classroom or at home. In this article Kupper says, “Books can offer an excellent vehicle for communicating with children about disabilities, for providing children and young adults with stories about persons like themselves, and for featuring the personalities, friendships, challenges, accomplishments, and daily lives of people with disabilities” (2001, p. 1). I agree that books are a critical part in informing children about issues such as disabilities, including autism. It is important that children see themselves in the books that they read in order for them to connect to the issues and extract strategies to apply in their own lives. The article also includes a list of things to consider when selecting books about disabilities/autism. It suggests contacting local disability organizations for recommendations about quality books. It stresses the importance of researching books before introducing them to children because not all books provide accurate information and may contain stereotypes. Overall, this article is a great resource to explore if you are looking for books about disabilities/autism, or want to know why integrating literature about disabilities/autism is important for all children to be exposed to.

Kupper, Lisa. "Children's Literature and Disabilities." National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (2001): 1-15. 29 Nov. 2007 .

Reflection on Text Set as a Whole

Reflection on Text Set as a Whole

After reading the three books, Poems and Short Stories about my Brother Kevin who ahs Autism, Ian’s Walk, and The Flight of a Dove, I feel as though I have a good start to a literary collection about autism. These books can be read to, and understood by children in elementary school. I feel as though it is extremely important to provide children with valuable and accurate knowledge about autism because it is become more and more prevalent. It is most likely that all children will come into contact with a person who has autism, whether it be at home or in daycare, school, at the park, etc. Exposure to books such as these will give children an idea of what to expect from other children with autism. It will also provide them with tools for how to interact, communicate, and understand different behaviors displayed by children with autism.

My search for children’s books about autism was challenging. I had a hard time fining books about autism that were not purely informational, research findings, or learner’s guides directly targeted at adults. However, the text set that I was able to create will be a useful resource in my future home and classroom. I feel that children will be able to put themselves in the shoes of the various characters, and personally relate to them.

It is always better to be aware of what to expect when meeting someone different than yourself. This text set allows children to become familiar with characteristics and behaviors often displayed by individuals with autism. In fact, the note about autism, which is included in the front of each of the three books, provides useful information aside from the text itself. These passages could be used to teach about autism in general, and then use the story as a supplemental resource to apply the information learned in the introduction.

The theme of acceptance and support runs through each of the books. The books illustrate how patience and understanding can help establish an environment that supports all different kinds of people. Within this text set, every child could find at least one book to relate to. If a child has a sibling with autism, they would be able to relate well to Ian’s Walk. If a child has a classmate with autism they could relate to The Flight of a Dove. Lastly, any child who knows someone with autism could relate to the stories and poems about Kevin in Poems and Short Stories about my Brother Kevin who has Autism. Each book includes accurate information and feasible situations that one might experience when encountering a child with autism.

Book Review #3-Flight of a Dove

Day, Alexandra. The Flight of a Dove. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004.

Flight of a Dove, by Alexandra Day, is a book that was considered for the Dolly Gray Award for Children’s Literature in Developmental Disabilities. It is about a girl named Betsy who began to show signs of autism at the age of one. She became withdrawn, did not like to be touched, and did not interact with other people. After spending time in a special school, Betsy did not seem to make any progress. She became over stimulated easily, and often made clicking noises to communicate dislike, or discomfort. Betsy was not comforted by her parents, teachers, or children from school. Throughout the book the author describes Betsy’s need for routine, and inability to cope with change. She does not play with other kids, and often sits in a corner by herself for hours on end. By the end of the book, Betsy starts playing with toys by herself, creating patterns and lines with blocks. She also becomes intrigued by the class pet dove. She likes to watch its wings flap, and see the dove fly around the room. Betsy’s parents and teachers were ecstatic to see her make progress. After Betsy’s progress with the dove, she started to break out of her shell, and make small steps toward interactions with others.
The author of this book spent time in a rehabilitation centers and hospitals with her therapy dog. In the hospitals she saw how animals could have positive effects on individuals with disabilities such as autism. Her experience and involvement with therapy animals inspired her to write this book. The illustrations are colorful and detailed with the text wrapping around them. They accurately depict the characters expressions and feelings which are described in the text. Children with autism are accurately depicted in this book without integrating stereotypes. Overall, this book provides children with an accurate example of what they may see in another child with autism.

Book Review #2-Ian's Walk

Lears, Laurie. Ian’s Walk: A Story about Autism. Morton Grove: Albert Whitman & Company, 1998.

I chose to read Ian’s Walk, by Laurie Lears as part of my project about autism in literature. It was awarded the Dolly Gray Award for Children’s Literature in Developmental Disabilities. The book is by a woman who has written many books about different issues and disabilities that children face such as epilepsy, stuttering, adoption, and cerebral palsy. Laurie Lears does extensive research on the topic she writes about in order to relay accurate information in a sensitive manner. The book is about a boy named Ian who has autism. The story follows Ian and his two older sisters as they travel to the park to feed the ducks. Along the way, the sisters face challenges because Ian is interested in different things than his sisters. The book describes how Ian’s senses are stimulated in unique ways. It shows Ian smelling bricks, laying on the cement sidewalk, and eating crunchy cereal instead of pizza or ice cream. These desires are typical of people with autism because they like their senses to be stimulated in a strong way. The book showed how everyday events are interpreted and enjoyed differently by people with autism. The book also follows the sisters on their journey from frustration and irritancy to acceptance, and support of their brother. Throughout the book Ian does not verbally communicate with others, which can be another characteristic of autism. This book accurately represents what it might be like to have a sibling with autism. It provides the reader with information about autism, and how to cope with the differences.

The way that the text and the illustrations worked together is impressive. Each picture represented the expressions of the characters brilliantly. People with autism often have a dazed look on their faces and they can appear to look through people, as if they are entering a separate world. This expression was captivated in the illustrations of Ian. The pictures are colorful, and draw the reader into the story. Another aspect of the book that was useful was the note about autism at the beginning of the book. This one page explanation about autism and its effects on families provided a wonderful introduction to the topic. This note and the book as a whole were endorsed by Carol P. Rolland, Ph.D, chief psychologist of developmental pediatrics. Ian’s Walk is an accurate and useful book to use when discussing autism with young children.

Book Review #1-Poems nad Short Stories About my Borther Kevin who has Autism

Carlson, Richard W. Poems and Short Stories About My Brother Kevin Who Has Autism: Entertainment for Boys and Girls Age 6-10. New York: Writers Club Press, 2002.

One book that I chose to read for my project on autism in literature was Poems and Short Stories About My Brother Kevin Who Has Autism: Entertainment for Boys and Girls Age 6-10, by Richard W. Carlson. This book is aimed towards children in elementary school, and is organized into chapters. Each chapter focuses on funny things that Kevin, a boy with autism, does because he has autism. For example, one chapter is devoted to Kevin eating a stranger’s French fries at McDonald’s because he is too hungry to wait for his own food. The chapter explains that Kevin eats the stranger’s food because he does not understand certain boundaries like other people do. He knows that he is hungry; therefore he eats without considering that his actions might not be appropriate. Other chapters in the book include Kevin Gave Himself a Haircut, and Kevin’s Surprise Ride on Duke Our Dog. Each chapter talks about an event from Kevin’s life, and explains how his autism played a role in the events. At the end of each short chapter there is a rhyming poem that summarizes the events that occurred. The stories about Kevin accurately represent how a person with autism may act, and feel. The book does not stereotype people with autism, and is written from the firsthand experience of a sibling of the main character who has autism.

One aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was that the book was illustrated by Kevin Carlson, who is the main character of the book. Kevin’s brother, Richard, wrote the book, and then had his brother draw the pictures. The illustrations are simple, and are composed of very straight lines. The pictures are done in ink, and lack any color. The pictures, like the text take up only about a quarter of each page, leaving much of the page blank. Another important aspect of the book is the informational page at the beginning. It tells who Kevin Carlson is, and describes the characteristics of autism. It explains that autism cannot be caught, there is no cure, and there is a great deal of research being done on the topic. It also explains that people with autism express themselves and understand people differently than others. I feel that this introduction was an effective way to provide background information about autism before reading the stories, and poems. Overall, this book would be a great resource to add to a classroom library, or to use when discussing autism with grade school children.

confessions of a closet catholic meeting

Our group decided to meet on Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. to discuss Confessions of a Closet Catholic. We had a rich conversation partially focused around the question: How did Justine’s relationships influence her self image and religious identity? We discussed how her relationship with her mother had a profound impact on Justine’s self image. The repeated negative comments about her weight undoubtedly affected how she saw herself. Her mother’s criticism about her appearance reinforced Justine’s own negative thought about herself. On the other hand, our group discussed the special relationship that Justine had with her Bubbe. Their relationship, we decided, was positive and unique, and helped Justine through hard times. Although Bubbe’s stroke had a major impact on Justine, she was still able to find strength and reassurance through her grandmother at a time of great confusion. Bubbe’s religious, spiritual, and emotional support came through at Justine’s time of need. Another relationship that our group talked about was between Justine and the rabbi from the Center for Jewish Understanding. This man provided clarity and helpful suggestions that provided Justine with important knowledge without pressuring her. Justine’s relationship with the rabbi form the center for Jewish Understanding was important because he listened to her thoughts and feelings. He did not show bias and did not have a personal agenda that he was pushing. He was there for Justine when she really needed it. As our discussion wound down we talked about personal experiences that we have had involving our own religious identity. It seemed that most of us had questioned our religious identity at one point or another. Our personal experiences helped us relate to Justine as we read the book. We also talked about the impact that the adults in our lives had on both our self image and religious identities. This book did a good job of showing how personal relationships are so influential in shaping the lives of children and young adults.

I felt that our meeting in the library was just as meaningful and rich as our discussions in class. Everyone showd up on time and we were able to cover all of the material we had to talk about. I do not feel that anything was lost due to us meeting ourside of the classroom. I think this experience was useful because it showed me that it is okay to conduct classes in ways that may be different than normal.

boy meets boy

I thought that Boy Meets Boy was a good read, but I question how accurate the representation of leading a gay lifestyle was. I feel like this book romanticized the way that society as a whole responds to alternative lifestyles. The homecoming queen/football star/drag queen, the motorcycle cheerleading team, and the gay comments on the kindergarden report card seemed a bit far fetched. I wonder how this representation affects teens who are questioning themselves, or are trying to find comfort and reassurance through books. I wonder how other gay teens can relate to this book because the majority of the characters in the book were very supportive and open to the gay lifestyle? In addition, the way that Paul's parents reacted to his being gay might not help an individual that may be struggling with the idea of telling their parents about being gay. They might feel that their supportiveness is unrealistic. Does this book lend support, or inflict further questioning about an individual's choices because it seems to easy? These are just a few questions that I thought about as I read this book.

confessions of a closet catholic cover

After I read the book Confessions of a Closet Catholic I paid particular attention to the front cover. All throughout the book there was reference to Justine's appearance. She often commented on how she felt that her hair was big and frizzy, she was overweight, and she got the short, brown, dumpy genes. I began to develop a mental picture in my head about what Justine looked like. I also feel that Justine's negative self image, and low self esteem played a part in the image that I developed. A couple of days after I read the book I noticed the picture on the front cover as it sat on my desk. I can only assume that the picture is of Justine. If it is in fact Justine, my mental picture did not at all match up with the picture on the book. The girl had tamed, pretty, curly brown hair completely lacking any frizz. Her skin was clear and her face was not chubby. I thought that the girl on the front cover was attractive. I don't know if everyone's book has the same picture on it, but I was just wondering if this picture went against the image that the text created for you? For me, after reading the book, my view of Justine changed because of the front cover.

becoming naomi leon

After reading Abagail's post about Becoming Naomi Leon, I found that we had a lot of the same ideas about the book. I, like Abagail wasinterested to see taht in this book it was the mother who had left the family, not the father. I agree that too often it is the fathers who are seen/portrayed as the neglectful/absent parent. This book in a way went against that stereotype. In addition, i wanted to mention that I was very proud of the fact that naomi did not want to leave her brother behind when her mother returned. I was glad that Naomi did not want to be separated from her brother. This book did a good job of showing how oftentimes children with disabilities are not wanted because they seem flawed, but at the same time showed that there are special people in the world such as Gram and Naomi that can give their love to all people despite differences. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and would like to read others by Pam Munoz Ryan in the future.