There's a Boy in Here

3.5 stars. This is the story of one family's experience raising a son who has autism. That son is now an adult, and the book switches point of view from the mother's to the son's. This was the perfect format for the book - it gave a real sense for both the mother's frustrations and the reasons behind the son's behaviors. If you are looking to gain some understanding of what it is like to raise a child with autism, I can't think of a better book to recommend. It is at turns heartbreaking and hopeful. If you want ideas for how to help your own child break through the mystifying confines of autism and out into the greater world, I do not see this book providing a useful path to follow. It seems that one day Sean just realized why he acted show more the way he did and then was willing to work hard to overcome those obstacles himself. (The book is more about the journey to that point than about the work that went on afterward.) As a parent of a child on the spectrum, this was almost discouraging as up until Sean found the motivation himself, the parents' actions seemed to have no impact on him. show less

I felt for the family of this young man. What we know about autism grows every day, but Judy Barron suffered through our dark days when we blamed the parents for poor parenting instead of understanding that this was beyond their control. It was interesting to read Sean's take on situations that were painful. It is surely a wonder that he was able to stay in school and emerge into the world of the neurotypicals. I applaud their writing.

When my daughters were first diagnosed as having autism, I was in utter despair. This book gave me hope.