There's a Boy in Here

Rating:
Summary: Educational
Review: As a grandmother of an autistic boy I am thankful there is some understanding to this experience.

Rating:
Summary: A Valuable Perspective
Review: Having a son on the spectrum myself, I found this book to offer such a genuine perspective into the mindset of both the parent and the child. In particular, having the added insights and explainations of Sean Barron, himself, in reference to the often bizarre and seemingly unexplainable behaviors that are associated with autism, gave me a unique new set of eyes to see my son through. What a gift this,is in terms of the insight it provides and the hope it inspires.

Rating:
Summary: An autobiography that gives insight
Review: I loved this book. It was interesting and kept my attention throughout. I feel it is a must for parents dealing with children on the Autism Spectrum.
As we all know none of our children in the autism spectrum are the same. The boy in this book was more "severe" as a child than my son, but it still gave me a better understanding into why and how my child thinks. Although never explicitly stated in the book it gave me insight to easily find ways to ask my son questions as to why he does certain things. I never would have understood certain issues about my child for lack of a good way to ask my son questions about his problems & confusion had it not been for this book! The book also comes with a happy ending and good closure to this inspiring man's journey living with Autism. Even if you are not a parent or educator with a child on the Autism Spectrum, I think you would find this book interesting and worth the read. As the Author grows, his determination to succeed is inspiring for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: An autobiography that gives insight
Review: I loved this book. It was interesting and kept my attention throughout. I feel it is a must for parents dealing with children on the Autism Spectrum.
As we all know none of our children in the autism spectrum are the same. The boy in this book was more "severe" as a child than my son, but it still gave me a better understanding into why and how my child thinks. Although never explicitly stated in the book it gave me insight to easily find ways to ask my son questions as to why he does certain things. I never would have understood certain issues about my child for lack of a good way to ask my son questions about his problems & confusion had it not been for this book! The book also comes with a happy ending and good closure to this inspiring man's journey living with Autism. Even if you are not a parent or educator with a child on the Autism Spectrum, I think you would find this book interesting and worth the read. As the Author grows, his determination to succeed is inspiring for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting insight into the thoughts of a child with autism
Review: I teach children with a variety of behavioral handicaps, and this book explains the behaviors of children with autism from the point of view of the parents and the child himself as well as any I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: A "Must Read" for parents and family
Review: This book answered alot of questions we had about our son. While he was diagnosed with autism, no one could explain why he did some of the things he did. It was great reading, in an autistic person's own words, why those afflicted with autism display certain behavior. Even though none of the interventions discussed have worked with my son, I at least understand him better. It was so informative, I passed it on to his grandparents so that they too could understand his behavior.

Rating:
Summary: Not Just another Autism Story
Review: This book is the first I've seen and read that was written or partially written by the person WITH autism. The mother recounts her son's life and then Sean himself interjects with what he remembers of that time in his life. I didn't know that those with Autism remembered how they acted and why they did it. It's a real eye opener to the autism world. What many autistic kids do is not longer just "weird" and "pointless" behaviour. Sean explains why he did such repititious things. For anyone even remotely interested in autism and definitely for anyone who has an autistic in the family, this a must read. I was captivated and couldn't put the book down. What also makes this an interesting read is Sean was born in the 60's. Back then, there was very little known about Autism and what people thought they knew was later proved wrong. Raising an autistic kid in the 60's and 70's was a lot harder than it is today.

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful for the parent of an autistic child
Review: When my wife and I found out that our son, Jason, was autistic, it was devastating. My wife was in denial for about a month and I felt like my whole world collapsed. I went looking for books on autism and stumbled on this one first.

Sean Barron was probably more severely autistic than my son; Jason was actually diagnosed as Pervasive Development Disorder: Not Otherwise Specified, which is a catchall for disorders that are akin to autism but less severe in nature. The book gave us an insight into what it means to be autistic: the inabiity to interpret sensory data in the normal manner. This in turn leads to everything else: the loss of language (or failure to pick it up), the great difficulties in socializing, etc.

The fact that the book provides (in italicized segments) Sean's own insights makes it invaluable. Much of what his mother writes provides insights into how wearing it can be on a family, but so much has changed since Sean was a child that I could not say that it provides much useful advice in the therapies to seek for a child with autism.

The good news is that many children CAN improve significantly. Jason is now 8-1/2, he is mainstreamed in school, does well, has some friends. My wife and I have reached our dream: hearing him talk so much that we wish he would take a break.

The bad news is that not every child will succeed like that, and the road is still a very difficult one, leaving parents short on cash, time and attention to spare on their other children.

This book still remains a great place to start.

Rating:
Summary: a family account from both sides of the glass
Review: While many books on autism tell either from a family or individual's viewpoint, this story is unique in that it presents the perspective from both sides. Paired with the mother's account is one of her son with autism. This was written during a time when autism was still between psychoanalysis & neurology so some of the interventions seem misguided (although acceptable at the time). When Sean reaches high school & begins to recognize himself as an autistic indiviual, it is an unusual awakening. Good family-account/personal-account reading.