A Is for Autism F Is for Friend. A Kid's Book for Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism

Editorial Review
A Is for Autism, F Is for Friend provides a unique glimpse of life from the perspective of a child who has severe autism. It is told through the voice of Chelsea, an 11-year-old girl, who has severe autism. Chelsea sees kids on the playground and at the park and wants to get to know them, but social interaction can be tricky for her. As Chelsea explains some of her behaviors and challenges, she compares them with issues that all kids face. By demystifying her autism, she underscores the many things she and her schoolmates have in common, prompting a typical child to think, Hey, I experience that, too! Giving Chelsea a voice provides a rare insight into what a child with autism faces daily. Chelsea discusses issues of eye contact and explains echolalia. Chelsea cheerfully shows us that if we look closely, we are sometimes more similar than different. She brings a fun and clear voice for children who cannot articulate the challenges that autism presents. A Is for Autism, F Is for Friend provides an enjoyable discussion-oriented format for teaching our youth about autism.
Cached date: AWS Called=true

Customer Reviews

A is for Autism F is for Friend: A Kid's Book for Making Friends w/a Child who has autism

2008-01-23
Might be helpful for a class in which a child w/ autism is mainstreamed. Not a book typical kids would be inclined to chose on their own.

A is for Awesome Book! B is for Behind the Autism Curtain!

2007-08-12
Chelsea, 11 has autism. She takes readers on a Magical Mystery Tour with her as she explains her sensory responses and how autism impacts on her every day life.

Autism, as readers will quickly learn from Chelsea is a neurobiological condition that affects sensory processing and language based on the severity of the condition. Readers will identify with Chelsea on some of the things she describes. People with autism and neurotypicals alike will find a literary friend in Chelsea. She is quite the tour guide!

This is the ideal book for classrooms and families. In fact, this is a book for everyone. Magical Mystery Tour is the ideal sound track for this book.

A is for Awesome!

2007-06-03
A Is for Autism, F is for Friend is a great read for people of all ages. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about Autism definitely check out this book! Easy to follow & fun too, this would be an excellent book for the classroom or to share with your kids at home. My favorite part of this book is that it gives so many great examples that really shine light on what it might be like to have Autism. I am currently working on my Masters in Counseling and am adding this book to my resources and sharing it with others in my program. I know I will use this book when working with families that have a member dealing with Autism. Thank you for this wonderful book!!! I highly recommend it!

A Great Book for My Class Library!

2007-05-07
Finally, a book that will break down the day to day struggles of a child with autism into comprehensible bites. Ms. Velasco presents information that is vital to all students (and teachers) to understand the actions of an autistic child. When an autistic child enters the classroom, it can be distracting to the other students. "A is for Autism" helps explain why autistic students sometimes act differently than their classmates. This book went straight into my classroom library and has been checked out by students ever since.

Excellent Autism Resource for Kids

2007-04-25
This book provides a wonderful introduction to autism for children and adolescents. The main character, eleven year old Chelsea, takes us inside her world of autism. She guides readers through the challenges she faces each day and facets that are both usual and special about her life, allowing us to better understand this mysterious disorder from her point of view. She helps kids to see that each child with autism has different talents and abilities, just as we all have different talents and abilities. We may be different but we are also very much the same. Friendships can begin and grow when we try to better understand those things that make us different.

While this book was written with kids in mind, it held my interest and I definitely learned a lot more about the disorder than I knew before. I would suggest this book for anyone who is interested in finding out more about autism or reaching out to someone who happens to be autistic. I definitely recommend this book for children and youth as well as classroom discussion.

Very insightful

2007-04-23
A Is for Autism, F Is for Friend provides a unique glimpse of life from the perspective of a child who has severe autism. It is told through the voice of Chelsea, an 11-year-old girl, who has severe autism. Chelsea sees kids on the playground and at the park and wants to get to know them, but social interaction can be tricky for her. As Chelsea explains some of her behaviors and challenges, she compares them with issues that all kids face. By demystifying her autism, she underscores the many things she and her schoolmates have in common, prompting a typical child to think, Hey, I experience that, too! Giving Chelsea a voice provides a rare insight into what a child with autism faces daily. Chelsea discusses issues of eye contact and explains echolalia. Chelsea cheerfully shows us that if we look closely, we are sometimes more similar than different. She brings a fun and clear voice for children who cannot articulate the challenges that autism presents. A Is for Autism, F Is for Friend provides an enjoyable discussion-oriented format for teaching our youth about autism.