Rating: 
Summary: Eating an Artichoke
Review: This is perhaps the best book I have ever read on a parent's experiences with a "less than perfect" child. I cried, laughed, and related to everything Echo wrote about her son. This is an excellent book for the parent who has a child with Asperger's Syndrome or any Autism Specturm disorder. Thank you Echo for giving me strength!
Rating: 
Summary: Know That Artichoke Well - Have Eaten it Many Times
Review: When James Fling III ("Jimmy") was born, the only thing that really distinguished him from other infants was his jaundice, Bilirubin levels and a possible problem with his hips. He also slept days and wailed nights. He accomplished developmental milestones within normal limits.Jimmy showed distinctive behavior from early toddlerhood. When he received a stuffed Big Bird toy for his first Christmas, that segues into an obsessive interest in collecting all Sesame Street Figures. Thomas the Tank soon followed, along with Woody, the cowboy marionette from "Toy Story." Jimmy appeared to be upset by any changes; when Ringo Starr left "Shining Time Station" in 1992, it took Jimmy weeks to reorient himself to Ringo's replacement so he could continue watching his beloved Thomas the Tank Stories. Noises upset Jimmy; he could hear sounds from great distances. He did not play easily with other children and his nursery school teacher suggested that Jimmy be tested. It is during the battery of tests that it is discovered that Jimmy's special brand of speech, e.g. quoting whole passages from favorite videos and using excerpts of recorded dialogs as a method of communicating; his way of approaching people; his tenuous concept of ownership; his extreme adherence to routine; his general inability to shift focus or direction or position and difficulties in taking turns pointed to a possible diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. In time this diagnosis was confirmed and Jimmy spent years in a special program for communication challenges. It was in this program that Jimmy made progress in learning how to demonstrate empathy, deciphering nonverbal cues, e.g. body language and facial expressions. Using examples from favorite TV programs helped Jimmy learn how and why people reacted the way they did. In one especially poignant exchange, Echo asks Jimmy if he remembers how "Terrence the Tractor" helped Thomas the Tank when he was in a jam and to apply that "help others" concept to his sister Caroline. Jimmy also learned to follow a set routine by breaking each task down into steps. That is not uncommon for people on the spectrum. He went through a period where he would "talk" to Echo through a puppet. Mother and son bonded during these bedtime chats and in time, Jimmy no longer relied on the puppet. Many people with spectrum issues display an extensive knowledge of certain esoteric matters. Jimmy was quite conversant on matters concerning artists and their works. Like his paternal grandfather, James Sr., Jimmy found the touch of certain fabrics unbearable. As a result of this, he would only wear certain types of materials. His grandfather was described as having these same clothing preferences and from the telling, it does indeed sound as if Jimmy's grandfather was on the spectrum as well. Jimmy would also have meltdowns in public places such as amusement parks because he found the stimuli intense and overwhelming; certain sounds also set him off. Family outings often came to a grinding halt because Jimmy found the bombardment of stimuli painful to the point of severe meltdowns. One thing that bothered me was the way Echo talked to Jimmy. I didn't like the infantile way she referred to herself as "Mommy" and spoke of herself in the third person. It really bothered me that she was still talking to Jimmy in this babyish fashion even after he reached the age of ten! I also didn't like Caroline's nickname of "Girly," which sounded as if she was merely being reduced to her gender. Jim Jr. lamented Jimmy's seeming lack of affection toward him. In time, Echo pointed out that Jimmy did not like "loud and grabby" and overly demonstrative displays and found them overwhelming. I like the way she observed this and explained this to Jim Jr., who later told Jimmy he would not be "loud and grabby" and would, like Echo, allow Jimmy to approach him quietly in his own fashion. He could still indulge in the loud, demonstrative displays with Caroline, who loved them. Jimmy's behavior, while plainly indicative of the austistic spectrum sounded as if he operated closer to the autistic end of the spectrum. His social naivete and tendency to flap his hands indiscriminately point up to this. Jimmy had to be "taught" to flap his hands (a typical spectrum behavior closer to the autism end) in private due to social constraints. Another good example of autistic behavior was his extreme rigidity and adherence to routine. Still another was his litany of repetive questions over routine activities. One very poignant example was when Echo broke to then 10-year-old Jimmy that one's parents were really Santa. It took a series of questions and answers before Jimmy finally understood and it was only natural that he would feel lied to. His "black and white/all or nothing" view of issues is also typical of people on the autistic/Asperger's (a/A) spectrum. I like the way Echo explained that although Santa was just a "fairy-tale grown-ups make up for their children to bring them happiness through giving" and her explanation that while Santa was just a myth, her faith in God and Jesus were real. I like the way she said that she would NEVER lie to him about believing in God and the conviction of her faith. The "artichoke" comes into focus when one thinks of peeling back the thorny layers of an artichoke to get to the "heart" or edible part. Echo uses this analogy in the book. Peeling back layers of Jimmy's behaviors reveal a bright boy whose behavior certainly did justify a diagnosis of Asperger's helped empower them to understand spectrum behaviors and how to cope with them.
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