3 stars
Good book that describes one boy’s experience with Asperger’s syndrome. One of the things that is so difficult about writing books about those on the autism spectrum is that each person is so different in terms of strengths, deficits, stims, interests, and needs. I have been working with children on the spectrum (including a few diagnosed with Asperger’s before it was discontinued) for the past six years and have never met two children who experience autism in the same way.
This book goes through some of the most well-known traits of Asperger’s such as difficulty with eye contact, fixation on specific items/topics, sensitivity to sound, difficulty picking up social cues, and knowing what to say and not say. It would be impossible to write a book that applies to every person on the spectrum or even all those diagnosed with Asperger’s (although now it is just lumped in with ASDs in the DSM), but this one gives some good perspective on some aspects.
I did like the simplicity of the illustrations. They are easy to see what is happening without having too many confounding details. I really liked the eye contact page, which features a close up of a face with eyes staring right at the reader. It is honestly unnerving, which is a perfect way to illustrate what Isaac is saying about feeling uncomfortable making eye contact.
I liked that the book framed Isaac as having superpowers, but wish the author had gone into more detail about why such traits would be considered superpowers. I recently read Julia Cook‘s Uniquely Wired: A Story about Autism and Its Gifts. What I really liked about that book was that she gives specific ways Zak’s autism was considered a “gift” (taught people to be accepting, taught that what is fair is not always equal). I think this one kind of falls into the trap of saying those who are different have advantages without actually saying what some of those advantages are.
Good intro to Asperger’s though. I think this would be helpful for siblings of children with Asperger’s. Also a great book to read to children who are neurotypical to give them a better understanding of people who have Asperger’s or those on the autism spectrum.