Customer Reviews

Little Rainman: Autism--Through the Eyes of a Child

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

WE HAVE AN AUTISTIC 9 YEAR OLD CHILD, DIAGNOSED AT AGE 3. TO DATE, WE HAVE YET BEEN ABLE TO FIND A BOOK THAT IS NOT OVER-ANALYTICAL, NOT TO MENTION WAY OVER OUR HEADS CONCERNING HOW TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE EVERYDAY REASONING AND ACTIONS OF OUR SON. AFTER READING THIS BOOK, I HAVE IMMEDIATELY GROWN CLOSER AND MORE APPRECIATIVE OF MY CHILD AND HIS DISABILITY. I HAVE FOUND MYSELF, SINCE READING THE BOOK, NOT GETTING SO EASILY UPSET WITH HIM. THERE ARE "AUTISTIC" THINGS HE DOES THAT UPSET ME SINCE I KNOW THEY ARE THE BY-PRODUCTS OF HIS CONDITION BUT AFTER READING THE BOOK, I BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS SOMETHING INSIDE HIM THAT IS CAUSING THIS, NOT HIM TRYING TO HURT OR IRRITATE US WITH CERTIAN ACTIVITIES, EVEN DOWN TO HOW HE RESPONDS TO HIS ENVIRONMENT AND OTHERS. OF COURSE I HAVE AM AWARE OF ALL THE "SYMPTOMS" AND I AM LIVING THEM, BUT THIS BOOK IS SO REAL AND INTIMATE IN ITS DEPICTION OF AN AUTISTIC CHILD'S MIND THAT EVERY PARENT OF AN AUTISTIC CHILD (NO MATTER HOW MILD) AS WELL AS THOSE CLOSE TO THEM, MUST READ THIS BOOK! CONGRATULATIONS KAREN FOR A SHINING ACHIEVEMENT! WHAT A REWARD YOU WILL RECEIVE FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND WILLINGNESS TO HELP OTHERS UNDERSTAND.

This is a terrific book! It helped my in-laws understand my son better. They had thought autism was as it is in TV movies - silent, non-responsive, unreachable children. Their grandson certainly wasn't like that, he got good grades, so he wasn't autistic. Now they realize that when I say my son is autistic I'm not insulting his intelligence, but refering to the way his mind works.

I applaud the author for her attempts at telling a story through the eyes and words of her son. The concept is correct, the method is not. The story rambles, often jumping from topic to topic. The "handwritten" font is creative, but actually hard to read. It could have been so much more effective to have this book written by someone with more legible printing. The photos are at times compelling, but others are too obscure for children to interpret. I bought this book for my seven-year-old son, to help him understand my four-year-old autistic son. There were some helpful thoughts, but this book seemed to create more confusion and questions for him.

I was thoroughly disappointed in this book and plain didn't like it. The handwritten font was the least of my objections regarding this work. It is easy to see where and how the pictures could cause some confusion. One of the challenges many people on the autism spectrum have is being able to decode facial expressions.

My chief complaint about this book is the title. I think the 1988 movie "Rain Man" has done more to reinforce stereotypes about autism than it ever did to foster understanding. The term "Rain Man" is considered highly offensive in many autism/Asperger's circles and is best avoided.

I am good and tired of people with autism being portrayed as rocking; staring fixedly at something; spinning objects or watching anything that rotates; demonstrating savant abilities and having no viable social skills. That stereotypical behavior simply does not apply to the entire autistic population. Savantism applies to roughly a little less than 10% of the autistic population. Autism is a neurobiological condition that affects sensory processing and communication. The range and variations are as great as there are individuals with autism. Seriously, I rue the release of the movie "Rain Man" and sincerely hope the term and image of "Rain Man" will not be so liberally applied to people with autism. That hurts all and helps no one.

I didn't think this one was helpful at all and would recommend "Autism Through a Sister's Eyes," "All About My Brother," "Views From Our Shoes: Growing Up With a Brother or Sister With Special Needs," "Ian's Walk" and "My Brother Kevin Has Autism" instead. These are excellent books that explore sibling issues and foster understanding and acceptance of autism.

If this book helped others understand the underlying rationale for behaviors associated with the condition and provided understanding, that is to the good.

This book really provides an insight into Autism from a child's point of view. It provides the opportunity to see it from an alternative perspective and how a child might be feeling as a result of our own actions. I would definately recommend it to parents or those working with children on the Autistic Spectrum.

I absolutely loved this book. It lets you knowwhat a child with autism is going through

This book really touched my heart. Not everything in it is comparable to what my son has but there were some similiar attributes. It is so nice to know that there are similiar people in the world going through what we do. It really warmed my heart and let me know that we are not alone. I recommend this book as a gift for anyone in ASD.

This could have been much better. I admire parents who use their experiences to write stories to help us learn about children with disabilities. However, in this case it seems like it was only done to make a buck. More thought should go into a book than what appears to have happened here.