Autism from a Kindergartener’s View
7-year-old Jace Richards and his mother, Donna Richards, have written a book about autism from a kindergartener’s perspective, “My Brother’s Keeper: A Kindergartener’s View Of Autism. In an interview with , Mrs. Richards speaks about her two sons, Jace and his younger brother Justin, who has autism: 
“Jace Came Home From Daycare One Day And Said, ‘Mama, Kids Are Making Fun Of Justin. They Don’t Know What Autism Is And I Need To Help Them.’“Jace Put Together A Book And The Original My Brother’s Keeper Is A Construction Paper, Three-Hole Punch, Book With Taped-In Pictures.”
The My Brother’s Keeper website notes that the book is “for siblings and [my emphasis} autistic children—to let them know, they aren’t alone”—-suggesting that Jace and Justin are each other’s keepers.
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22 opinions for Autism from a Kindergartener’s View
Ballastexistenz
Jun 16, 2006 at 11:29 am
Uh… “help find a cure for autism by fishing”???
Ballastexistenz
Jun 16, 2006 at 11:34 am
And… the website for the book has the first “autism fact” as that it is an epidemic, the first three “autism facts” are prevalence statistics, there is cure rhetoric throughout the site, the fact that the boy had to be allergy-tested with 100 needles is seen as a bad side of autism in particular, there’s photographs of massively puzzle-pieced cars all over the place, and there’s links to places like DAN and Unlocking Autism in the links section (and little else).
Thanks, but no thanks.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 16, 2006 at 12:27 pm
I was wondering about the fishing business myself.
I suppose we can say it’s an “elementary autism” book. The question would be, what would be an alternative for children? What do you think of Ian’s Walk?
Mom of Kindergartener on spectrum
Jun 16, 2006 at 12:42 pm
There’s a book called My Friend With Autism that does a nice job. It it specific about children being born this way, etc. It looks like a coloring book. It also has nice explanations for adults in the back. I asked my child’s kindergarten teacher to read it to her class this year and it seemed to help. The last thing I think my kid needs is for other children to get the idea that she is “toxic” or part of an “epidemic” or what have you. Yecchh.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 16, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Thanks for the recommendation. Charlie has no siblings so I have not addressed these issues directly. But we occasionally meet another child on the playground who asks me questions and I’ve usually said, very straightforwardly, “Charlie has autism” or “Charlie is autistic” and tried to get the other child to ask questions of Charlie rather than of me.
Ballastexistenz
Jun 16, 2006 at 3:55 pm
Sometimes no book at all is better than a bad book. I haven’t read a lot of children’s books about autistic people, let alone a lot of good ones. I doubt that any of them are that great, but I bet there’s better than that one out there, for certain. But if none of them are good, then I wouldn’t use any.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 16, 2006 at 3:58 pm
I’m not the person to write one—–”children’s books about special needs children” is a whole genre that needs to be revised, it would seem.
Penny
Jun 16, 2006 at 5:03 pm
To me, the best kid books to use wouldn’t be specific to autism–the goal isn’t to learn the latest theories and labels, but to teach kids to be open and patient and even celebrate about all the different ways kids can communicate, solve problems, enjoy the playground, etc. Todd Parr’s “It’s Okay to be Different,” and Robert Kraus/Jose Aruego/Ariane Dewey’s “Little Louie the Baby Bloomer” have worked great here for that purpose.
Laura Cottington
Jun 16, 2006 at 11:11 pm
“Sibshops” are classes offered to siblings of those with developmental disabilities. The are funded through most ARC organizations. They are a great “hands on” interactive experience that beat any book any day.
Our oldest son has his last “Sibshop” class today. He is very sad, as he has been going since September and has LOVED it. He has learned about his brother, how his brother might think with Autism, why he might do some of the things that he does, but the MOST important thing that these Sibshops teach is to appreciate differences and to embrace diversity that we all bring. It teaches the siblings how to cope when they are teased or their sibling is teased, it teaches them how to be an advocate for their sibling. Our son has had other kids that he could share similar experiences with in having an autistic brother. That also is something no book could ever do. I strongly recommend Sibshops to those with siblings. It has meant the world to our oldest. http://www.thearc.org/siblingsupport/sibshops-about
As to the “Kindergarten” book. For some of the things said, I like to chalk up to lack of education and “unawareness”. While some of the words may not seem appropriate, it is hard to fault them on an attempt to create an understanding for those that may not otherwise have one.
Ballastexistenz
Jun 17, 2006 at 4:05 am
But how can they create understanding if they don’t have understanding themselves? It’s not a matter of fault, it’s a matter of whether the book and the ideology behind it is a suitable thing to teach children.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 17, 2006 at 6:11 am
Did you see the Nightline segment on Sibshop, Laura? The family was in Wisconsin.
Ballastexistenz, what it all means to me is that a lot of education needs to be done about autism, starting at the earliest level.
Laura Cottington
Jun 17, 2006 at 7:28 am
Kristina,
Didn’t see the Nightline on Sibshops. Hope it was good. I know Zach is understanding so much more, learning patience and becoming an advocate for his brother. We have been members of ARC of Minnesota and they are great. They will even go to IEP meetings if needed.
We have tried to educate Zach’s friends on autism, as they have told Zach they don’t always like to come over because of Sam’s behaviors. Our fear is how Zach is impacted by his friends not understanding autism. You can only educate their parents so much and their children. Our hope is that in Zach becoming an advocate for his brother, that Zach will educate kids his age (since their parents don’t get it) and in turn learn on his own who his real friends are. The ones who don’t just “tolerate” Sam, but who “accept” him and Zach.
Ballastexistenz~ I like to think “innocent until proven guilty”. That people can only be accountable for what they have been taught, experienced and know. That until the “kindergartner parent” has seen or heard what it means to say an autistic needs cured (website), that they may not truly understand. If they can not relate to their sibling/child or understand them, then of course they are going to want them “cured”. It is until they understand, can accept and view life through their sibling/child that their eyes may be opened.
My neurotypical son has screamed in rage before, “I wish Sam didn’t have autism!” He has done so during those times when Sam is being aggressive towards him, for reasons my NT son doesn’t understand. Sam will scream at him for being in “his space” which took us a long time to figure out (that some days Sam needs a 10′ perimeter around him and other days not). It is just now, at 8 1/2, that my NT son is understanding Sam, becoming an advocate for, and accepting even his challenging behaviors. I also believe in journalling to allow expression of oneself. So, I credit the kindergartner in attempting to understand. We can’t just wipe them off because they don’t view autism like we do. It takes us compassionately educating them, so that they too can one day learn about the joy and acceptance that autism can bring, not the need to cure autism. Please don’t give up on those that don’t think the same as you and I. You have much to share.
Mom of Kindergartener on spectrum
Jun 17, 2006 at 9:38 am
I’m trying to follow this conversation and not doing very well, I don’t think…trying to figure out if ballasexistenz’s comment #6 above is about the book I recommended or another one. Also trying to figure out if Laura C is referring to me in #12 above as the “kindergarten parent.” Probably neither…I hope not anyway.
As far as books, I understand the feeling of “no book is better than a mediocre one.” But, we fought hard for inclusion for our child. She has a lot of accomodations and modifications in the inclusive classroom. It’s awfully hard for 5 and 6 year olds, however, to understand why one kid gets to “break the rules,” by sitting away from the group, skipping the noisy cafeteria, not having to look teachers in the eye and say “yes Ma’am”, etc. etc. So a book read to them by the teacher about differences and needs is helpful. No explanation at all would just cause more problems, IMO, for my child in this situation. She had to deal with this group of kids every day, all day. “My Friend With Autism” was not ideal, but nothing much in life is.
Sometimes I think about writing my own damn book!
Laura Cottington
Jun 17, 2006 at 9:41 am
Mom of Kindergartener on spectrum, definitly NOT referring to you but the book written by the kindergartner. So sorry!!
Mom of Kindergartener on spectrum
Jun 17, 2006 at 2:26 pm
No no, it’s OK — just me being anxious and self-centered as usual. I was afraid that perhaps I had come across as someone who wished to cure my child of being herself, and so I asked about it. Thanks.
Ballastexistenz
Jun 17, 2006 at 4:28 pm
Oh, I totally believe that a person can learn. I’m not talking about a person, though. I’m talking about a book. If a book is written in a time of ignorance, even if that ignorance is understandable in the authors or promoters, it does not necessarily make the book good.
I’ve seen books published by people who later understood certain things they did not understand in their first book. But what the reader reads, is not the person later on, they read the book. And the book contains information, which turns out to be misleading, even damaging.
I find it very difficult to discuss books, though, because most people seem to have a good deal of trouble disentangling the book (which is a fixed set of statements that stay the same from publication onward and are all most readers will know about the book) from the author (who is an evolving person and may change their mind later). If I talk about liking or disliking a book, or even a particular author’s books, people so often make the assumption that I like or dislike the author as a person, or am judging the author as a person, that it becomes very difficult to discuss them without a lot of sidetracking comments.
If someone were to write a book about how horrible autism was, how it was a fate worse than death, etc, I would not like the book. Even if the person changed their mind after writing the book. Even if I liked the person and became good friends with the person.
Gunilla Gerland is someone I have known online and like. I like one of her books. I don’t really like her other book. It has nothing to do with her beliefs, I just don’t think the other book will serve its intended purpose very well. (It is a children’s book for autistic people about autism.) And it has nothing to do with whether I think she has good ideas about autism or not (she does, I just don’t like the way they were formulated in that book, I don’t think they’re effective that way). Etc. Nothing to do with the author outside of the book. Just the book. Most people won’t know the author, ever.
I once wrote something that was published in a newspaper. It was horrible, and contains nothing I believe now. I would expect someone to respond as if what I said was horrible. Because it was.
Now, of course, I was brainwashed (in that case, I mean that in the actual sense of the word, not in terms of hyperbole) and what I was saying was something I had been taught under years of torture (again, I’m talking literal here) to believe. And I later threw off a lot of that brainwashing and came up with my own opinions on the subject. And anyone who knows me now would probably not hold what I wrote against me.
But.
I’m sure that if they encountered what I wrote to that newspaper, being seen as something to distribute to a lot of people, and being seen as a good thing, they would go “Hold on, that’s not a good message to be sending, at all, I don’t think you should use that.” And I would totally agree with them.
People will read the content of the writing. If the book is good, or bad, that will be about the book, regardless of whether the author changes their mind (in one direction or another) later. It’s the book we’re talking about here. Not the author.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 17, 2006 at 4:29 pm
I think (and Ballastexistenz please correct me if I have this wrong) that (in comment #6) she was referring to children’s book about autism in general. And Mom of K. on spectrum, you are not being self-centered at all—-as for anxious, I am frequently that too!
Julia
Jun 17, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Has anyone read Keisha’s Doors?
If anyone whose blog I read and who lives in the US puts it on an amazon.com wishlist and gets me the link to the wishlist, I’ll have a copy sent. I’ll do this for up to 2 people, and I want for at least one of them to be on the spectrum.
I just want to know what you think of it after you’ve read it.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 17, 2006 at 9:51 pm
I will look into it, Julia; thank you!
Ballastexistenz, you raise some age-old and serious issues about the “authority” of books. It makes me think, how carefully we have to tread in writing about autism—-we meaning us non-autistics. There is so much to learn that we may always be in a state of revision.
Donna Richards
Apr 25, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Hello, I am Donna Richards. I am sorry that you did not like our book. Our web-site has been updated since the book first came out. Please take a look and let us know if there is ever anything that we can do to help you.
Donna
natalia
Apr 25, 2007 at 10:44 pm
How about https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=30728
Sara the Famous.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Apr 25, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Thanks for the tip—Ms. Richards, I look forward to looking at the newer version of the book; thank you for letting me know.
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