Maria Hughes from Children's Book Store is here to talk about using books to teach students about kids with special needs. Maria is an active children's literature enthusiast, a mom, and an online publisher for Children's Book Store. She enjoys blogging and reading about kids' books at childrensbookstore.com.
Teaching your special needs child about who they are through books
Years ago, when my children were younger, there was a very
delightful little girl who had autism in my son’s kindergarten class. Meredith had giant, round blue eyes,
made even larger than I thought possible with her thick glasses and a mop of
unruly curls who would seek me out every day to ask me about my other
children. Unbelievably,
she knew the names of every family
member of every family that attended the school. Years later, I watched as she performed in the school talent
show in front of friends and family and couldn’t help but reflect upon her
amazing transformation, from socially awkward to one of radiating confidence
upon the stage. Her mother, her
teachers and a team of therapists, no doubt played an instrumental part for
helping Meredith find the grace and courage to be the person she was ultimately
meant to be, but of course, the crux lay upon Meredith herself.
If you too, are fortunate enough to know a very special
person like Meredith, or perhaps have personal knowledge because one of your
own children or a family member may have received a diagnosis like Autism or
Asperger’s then you might relate. At first, it can seem initially overwhelming and can throw your normal
world and routine into a tailspin.
Once you’ve completed all your research and educated yourself and family
members on what to expect, it may be time to sit down with your child and
explain how special they are to you. Chances are your child may still be very young
as the average age of diagnosis, according to the Centers of Disease Control,
is four years old, but they may already have a feeling that they look at the
world in their own way.
Whether they are aware of their ‘differentness’ or not, it is never too
early to start talking about who they are.
Below are some books that might appeal to your child
as you respectfully explain what Autism or Asperger’s means:
·
Russell is Extra Special: A Book About Autism for
Children – Charles
A. Amenta, III. This book was
written by the father of a child with autism, who also shares his medical
expertise as a practicing physician.
Ages 4-8.
·
What It Is to Be Me!: An Asperger Kid Book – Angela Wine. Another parent/author Ms. Wine talks
about her son Danny who has Asperger’s.
Ages 4 and up.
·
To Oz and Back: A Bones and the Duchess Mystery – Alexandra Eden. This quirky mystery, who-dun-nit is a
humorously entertaining book, that introduces the reader to Verity Buscador, a
12-year-old, pseudo-detective who also has Asperger’s. Ages 5th- 8th
grade.
·
A is
for Autism F is for Friend: A Kid’s Book for Making Friends with a Child Who
has Autism – Joanna
L. Keating-Velasco. Inside this
book the reader meets Chelsea, a young girl with autism and shows how Chelsea
struggles to fit in and play with other children. Young children with Autism or Asperger’s may relate to a lot
of what Chelsea feels, too. For
children of all ages.
·
All about my Brother – Sarah Peralta. Written and illustrated by an eight
year old, little Sarah Peralta presents to the world an honest account of life
with her brother who has autism.
From his quirky habits to his unique ways of communication, this book is
a must for siblings who are dealing with an autistic brother or sister.
Yes, children with special needs have unique perspectives to
the world and anyone who has been blessed to have one touch their own lives,
then you too, can begin to understand what living in their world is like. Instead of constantly reinforcing special needs children to
conform to our standards, it’s nice every now and then to take a deeper look
into how their world works, too.
* * *
Thank you to Maria for sharing her insight into using books to help students navigate their unique needs or to support kids as they learn about others who have special needs. Please feel free to share other books that you believe would be great to add to Maria's list in the comments!
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