With RULES, author Cynthia Lord writes about what it's like to live with autism, and she should know, since she has an autistic child. You can always tell when you're reading a book that has a basis in truth. I recommend this to anyone whose lives have been touched by autism or who would like to see how families deal with the day to day routines with an autistic child. It is such a fragile, sweet relationship and watching Catherine figure out who she is and, more importantly, who she wants to be is such a nice journey. At one point, Catherine is so angry at something David does, that she refuses to respond to his usual line, "I'm sorry, Frog." The panic that David goes through when the usual routine is messed up broke my heart. One of Catherine's rules is "If you don't have the words you need - borrow someone else's." David takes this to heart and is perpetually quoting Arnold Lobel's "Frog and Toad" book to express how he feels, and Catherine will respond back with the next line. My seven-year-old nephew is autistic and there were so many moments that felt all too familiar. It's a good story, but it really was the moments between Catherine and David that struck me so much. Catherine also starts up a friendship with a boy at David's therapy clinic who can only communicate by pointing at the pictures in his phrasebook. To further complicate things, they have a new next door neighbor who's Catherine's age and she does everything she can to hide David's behavior so that her new friend won't find out. Her parents thrust babysitting duties on her constantly, her father rarely spends time with her alone - but he will with David, her brother is constantly embarrassing her in front of friends and neighbors.
Sometimes they laugh to hurt you." Yet, as much as she cares for David, he complicates her life. Some of the rules are hilarious, "If it fits in your mouth, it's food." Some are heartbreaking, "Sometimes people laugh when they like you. She loves her brother, so much that she regularly adds to a list of 'rules' for him - things that the average person instinctively knows or learns very quickly - but David needs to be taught. Her eight-year-old brother has autism and because of his special needs, often takes the attention of their parents.Ĭatherine is in a tricky place. It's a simple story about a young girl who wants to be known for herself - not David's sister.
This book was so sweet, and at moments, heart-wrenching. Someday, when my sister is ready, I will have her read it too. I read it in a night and then forced it upon my mother -who hardly ever makes the time to read- and she finished it in a night. I've been trying to think of the best way to talk about this book.
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