Customer Reviews

There's a Boy in Here

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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, he does well, and he 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.

As an individual with an autism diagnosis, I found this book to be fascinating. I went through many of the same challenges. Both Sean and I had social problems growing up. Sean was diagnosed by medical professionals in the 1960's as being of "dull-normal" intelligence; I was diagnosed in 1987 at age 2 with mental retardation because I was nonverbal and ignored the tester. Both of our mothers stopped trusting what they were told. While our childhoods did also have some major differences, Sean gave a perspective that was easy for me to empathize with.

I too had a rough time socially. I can remember being very young and thinking my mom could read my mind. My parents sent me to private school in order to prevent me from being placed in a special ed class for mentally retarded children. I still had major social problems similar to Sean's, though adolescence was much less socially stressful for me than early-mid childhood because I had more choice of who I could hang out with, more ability to develop my social skills, and less fear of bullying. Being a girl may have had something to do with that as well. I still have strengths and weaknesses; I think GRE tests and my college classes are easy, but job interviews terrify me.

I liked the "outside in" perspective given by Judy Barron because it helped me see the other side of the story. I identified with a lot of the "inside-out" perspective Sean gave; Judy's "outside-in" perspective helped me understand what my family went through. An excellent read.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Having reading essentially all memoirs of mothers with kids of the spectrum, I have to say this is the one that really "tells it like it is." Judy Barron pulls no punches on the difficulties of managing her son. Sean, her adult son, provides wonderful insight into what his often maddening behavior meant. Mother and son find tremendous respect for each other's strengths and weaknesses. Truly an inspiring book.

This book is a powerful story written by the mother of a boy with autism and compulsive disorders. It is helpfully interspersed with reflections by the now adult Sean and the mother's style is straight forward, non-melodramatic and a very honest voice pushing no particular political barrow which is a welcome relief. This book came out the same year as Nobody Nowhere and both pushed the boundaries of existing autism stereotypes in mainstream society, perhaps particularly broadening our awareness of compulsive disorders and impulse control problems in people with autism. When these books first came out, both challenged existing belief in one pure form of autism and forced the autism field to begin to explore co-morbid conditions complicating what was being labelled as autism. There's a Boy In Here was a brave act of publishing in its time, being one of the first autism accounts to hit the bookshelves in High Street bookshops and bring awareness of autism to a far wider audience. A good read.

I am the Mom of a 13 year old boy that was diagnosed with Autism at 3. I have read several great books over the years, but this is my favorite!
I found it very helpful in understanding my non-verbal son. After reading this book I discovered that I can see things through his eyes and understand why he does what others would think of as odd. It also helped me to see that he is communicating to me in his own way.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that is a parent or works with a child/children with Autism. (I actually suggest to everyone that works with my son to read it)