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Autism and Me: Sibling Stories
By: Ouisie Shapiro
Photographs By: Steven Vote
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Copyright: 2009
Genre: Non-Fiction, Special Needs, Coping Skills
Grade Level: 2nd, 3rd, or 4th
Brief Synopsis:
Ouisie Shapiro- she is a writer and producer specializing in sports documentaries. She is a three-time Emmy award winner whose most recent shows include "Joe Louis, America's Hero...Betrayed" and "Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football," both for HBO sports. Ouisie is the author of " Autism and Me: Sibling Stories." She is working on a book about bullying and a documentary about Vince Lombardi. She holds a graduate degree in journalism
Steven Vote-he is an internationally recognized Australian photographer. Now, after almost 20 years of working in advertising and editorial photography, Steven’s fine art work is coming to the surface. While living in New York City, Steven saw a unique charm in taxis.
"If you see a kid with autism on the street, don't yell at her if she's doing something wrong. She can't help it. Autism is really challenging," explains Christian, who tells about life with his sister, Mary Gwen, a beautiful girl who loves to swim. In these moving essays, Christian and many other kids tell what it's like to live with siblings who have autism. Sometimes they can't talk much. Sometimes they have tantrums. It can be tough for a family, but there are happy surprises, too. "Autism has helped us to become a better family," adds Christian. "It teaches us patience and understanding." Ouisie Shapiro's inspiring book shows how children - and all of us - can grow in wisdom, acceptance, and love. Steven Vote's warm photos capture the rich emotional life of these amazing families.
About the Author:
Ouisie Shapiro- she is a writer and producer specializing in sports documentaries. She is a three-time Emmy award winner whose most recent shows include "Joe Louis, America's Hero...Betrayed" and "Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football," both for HBO sports. Ouisie is the author of " Autism and Me: Sibling Stories." She is working on a book about bullying and a documentary about Vince Lombardi. She holds a graduate degree in journalism
Steven Vote-he is an internationally recognized Australian photographer. Now, after almost 20 years of working in advertising and editorial photography, Steven’s fine art work is coming to the surface. While living in New York City, Steven saw a unique charm in taxis. Themes: - Learning about the symptoms of Autism
- A glimpse into the life of austistic children
- Siblings telling of their experience living autistic siblings
- The power of love to heal
Pre-Reading Activities:
- Have the students write a short essay about one of their siblings. If they don't have a sibling have them write it about a close friend or cousin. In their essay they will include; a description of their sibling, things they do together, and what makes them special. This will help lead into the story.
- Teach students what autism is. We will have a whole group discussion about Autism and it will be open to questions from the students once I have presented all of the information
Post Reading Activities:
- Have partners choose a sibling group from the book to read about and then have to report back to the class. This will help students practice recall and share.
- After reading the book to the class ask the students to give examples of autism throughout the book. Was it aways the same? What was different from story to story? What does this book teach you?
Reflection: I really enjoy the setup of this book and its own way of explaining what autism is. I love that it gives real life stories and experiences of children around the age of who the reader is. Some students have never encountered autism before and this will give insight on how to treat students with autism. This book reminds teachers to be empathetic to all students because you may not know everything that is affecting them all the time.
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"If you see a kid with autism on the street, don't yell at her if she's doing something wrong. She can't help it. Autism is really challenging," explains Christian, who tells about life with his sister, Mary Gwen, a beautiful girl who loves to swim. In these moving essays, Christian and many other kids tell what it's like to live with siblings who have autism. Sometimes they can't talk much. Sometimes they have tantrums. It can be tough for a family, but there are happy surprises, too. "Autism has helped us to become a better family," adds Christian. "It teaches us patience and understanding." Ouisie Shapiro's inspiring book shows how children - and all of us - can grow in wisdom, acceptance, and love. Steven Vote's warm photos capture the rich emotional life of these amazing families.
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