Susan M. Baum

This book is a mixed bag. There are a lot of good aspects. There is a significant need for a way to teach children who can be labeled as both gifted and learning disabled. Very few schools have anything in the system that can be adapted for these children to teach/train them with the proper type and level of support. The book covers several ideas and ways to reach them. There are also some aspects of the book I really did not like. It really seems like the authors don't understand what autism really is. It's a broad diagnosis but they seem to lump it all under one label. I feel they are way off mark with their comments about autistic kids and the interventions and educational recommendations they offered. As a parent of two very different children, both labeled under the autism umbrella, I can say without a doubt that they required much different methods. Had they been taught the same way, or how this book describes, neither would have been successful.
That said, there are some good ideas for teaching unique children. It's just not very accurate with how they place these children or how they classify learning styles. A child can have multiple personality patterns and learning styles, not just one as the book implies.… (more)