Customer Reviews

In His Shoes, A Short Journey Through Autism

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

 

 

As the mother of my own Nicholas, who is high functioning Autism, I found this book to not only to be educational, but to also be very interesting. I could picture my son in similar situations, and trying to overcome his difficulties. I love how Joanna put the words behind his confusion explaining why things don't make sense when we talk using IDIOMS, instead of just saying what we mean. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an Autistic child in their lives.
Thank you Joanna for giving our kids a voice others may understand!

Nick Hansen, 13 has severe autism. Marginally verbal, Nick is dependent upon a 1x1 aide at his school and a job coach at the Rec Center, where he has a nominal job. Luckily his job coach is able to piece together Nick's disjointed verbalizations to defend him when Nick needs it most.

Nick, while fully aware of what is happening around him has difficulty in expressing himself verbally. When a kind sitter makes him a sumptous breakfast, Nick hurls it to the floor instead of saying that he didn't like the color of the apple skins or that he didn't want his food touching. It was really very sad. Nick did not have the verbal tools at his ready reach to express his wishes.

Many people have trouble understanding Nick. His sister Karen, 17 does her best to include Nick on outings. She takes Nick shopping with her and a misguided friend asks Nick to "perform," clearly demonstrating a lack of awareness about people with autism. Nick does not appear to have any special skills or discernible talents. He is simply a boy transitioning into middle school with very poor verbal and social skills.

Indeed his skills are so lacking that he is unable to tell a parent he dislikes 80s pop, especially REO Speedwagon (I understood as I am no fan of 80s pop either and I never liked REO Speedwagon); he could not accept an impromptu trip to the grocery store en route home as it was not part of his routine. So great was Nick's displeasure and build up of tension that he had a meltdown in the grocery store. Fortunately a kind and quick thinking manager was able to allay other shoppers' concerns and meet Nick's needs equitably.

Nick is a very plausible character with autism. Descriptions of his special needs class and the kind peers who volunteer there make for some very interesting reading. Luckily he has a kind mentor who works 1x1 with him and who helps ease him into gym class, which is loud and noisy and confusing to Nick. Nick flourishes under his mentor's guidance and would later excel on the school track team.

Other successes for Nick include attending his school dance (with plenty of accomodations); his birthday party, heralded by the Beatles' 1968 classic, "Birthday;" his being able to save his allowance and money from the Rec Center to buy the sneakers he has been eyeing.

All huge successes, but the biggest success of all is how Nick tries to cope with a world that he finds very confusing. Nick's love for those sneakers remains a common thread throughout this book. In fact, seeing perspectives from others is often difficult for people with autism who often have to be taught to "walk a mile in/place themselves in somebody else's shoes." What I liked about this book is that it teaches the neurotypical world to place themselves into NICK's shoes and get a better understanding of how Nick navigates in a world filled with confusion and turmoil.

This is an excellent teaching tool for educators and families alike. Each chapter has a set of relevant questions that help neurotypicals gain a better understanding of what a person with severe autism contends with and how better to offer accomodations and inclusion.

In His Shoes: A Short Journey through Autism
By Joanna L. Keating-Velasco
Autism Asperger's Publishing Company

Entering junior high school can be stressful and daunting for any kid, but for Nick Hansen, who is non-verbal because of his autism, it would be doubly hard. Joanna Keating-Velasco, author of In His Shoes, takes us through that year of transition with Nick, sharing his experiences, feelings, and reactions to a variety of scenarios encountered by the typical seventh grader, including Nick's first dance, track practice, and changing for gym in the locker room with the other boys in his gym class.

Throughout the story, written as a resource for middle school students, Joanna Keating-Velasco provides strategies that help students with autism cope, as well as ways their peers and others who work with them can help. Even as a teacher who worked with students with autism and a grandmother of a boy with autism, I learned several new strategies, such as the use of sun glasses to help with light sensitivity and visual over-stimulation.

Teachers and others working with junior high or middle school students will find In His Shoes a great resource for the classroom, not only for the story, but also for the thought-provoking discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

Joanne Keating-Velasco has provided a wonderful service in writing Nick's story. It can't help but promote better understanding of autism and empathy for those who live with it every day.

Judith Mammay is a retired exceptional education teacher, a grandparent of a child with autism, and the author of Knowing Joseph, a good companion book to IN HIS SHOES.