Autism Awareness Through Children’s Literature

Inquiry Project

Advance Study of Children’s Literature

Dr. Robin Groce

Susan Hines


“A new government study published in October 2009, estimates the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to be about one in every 91 children, a significant increase from the previous 2003 estimate of one in 150. That currently translates to about 673,000 American children with some form of autism. This new study suggests that the number of ASD have nearly doubled since the last survey conducted in 2003” (Ellis). “ASD is the fastest growing developmental disability, increasing at a rate of 10 – 17% annually. Each day, approximately 50 families in the United States will find out that their child has autism” (Jacob). This definition includes various disorders on the spectrum including Asperger Syndrome. As alarming as these statistics are for children and families, they are as alarming to our schools and educators. Teachers face the daunting task of teaching curriculum standards under the pressures of high stakes testing, dwindling economic resources, and growing and diverse populations. Helping students meet their potential is what teachers strive for. In meeting the needs of all students, especially students with disabilities, teachers need to be armed with tools and resources to assist them in this responsibility.

Creating an environment where children can meet their potential is one of the first steps in reaching all students. Resources are available for teachers on autism awareness and instructional strategies that are effective for teaching students on the autism spectrum. Understanding and a positive attitude from teachers is vital to student success. However, if there is not that same understanding from fellow classmates, a student with ASD can have a difficult time functioning in the social and educational environment of the school setting. They are often the victims of bullying stemming from ignorance of their disability. “The problem is not always with the student with ASD, but the ignorance of the ones around them.” (Attwood)

An effective means to raise awareness and knowledge of autism among students can be achieved through the use of children’s literature. Using literature that introduces characters with ASD and their special challenges and distinctive traits can facilitate student understanding. There are a number of books for children that have autism as a central theme. These books can be read to a class or read by students and explored through group discussions and activities. “In order for these books to be a positive experience, the depiction of ASD needs to be realistic and positive” (Weaver). The aim of this study is to illustrate the accurate portrayal ASD characteristics in six different children’s literature books as well as positive experiences. The characteristics of students with ASD that will be explored are: difficulties with social interaction and understood rules of behavior, distorted or heightened sensory perceptions, dependence or insistence with structure, routines and rules (due to difficulties with organization, planning, and inflexible thinking), difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication, development of a special interest or talent, and no fear of real danger. Positive social values that will be explored are: enhancing positive contributions, building on strengths, and expanding on relationships (Weaver). What is important to remember is that every person with autism is an individual, and like all individuals, has a unique personality and combination of characteristics.

CHARACTERISITCS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Difficulties with Social Interaction and Understood Rules of Behavior

“A hallmark characteristic of these children is their inability to build and maintain social relationships marked by a lack of understanding of social cues.” The social rules considered

second nature by most of us are not innately understood by many children with ASD (Baker, p.11). They often engage in one-sided conversations not sensing the feelings or interests of others. Their idea of a conversation is sharing information about something that interests them, with no interruptions from others. Sean Barron states, “I controlled the conversation’s flow and was drawn more to its rhythm and predictable outcome than to a need for information” (Grandin). They may inadvertently say or do things that may offend or annoy other people. These social behaviors were found in all six of the books. In Rules (Lord), David, after reading the backs of the videos, will announce loud enough for the whole store to hear, “Rated PG-13 for language and some violence!” David’s sister, Catherine writes down rules of social understandings for him to remember and follow. These are things that we usually don’t think about, such as, “say excuse me after you burp, don’t stand in front of the television when other people are watching, a boy can take his shirt off to swim, but not his shorts, you can hug mom but not the clerk at the video store.” In Al Capone Does My Shirts (Choldenko), Natalie is a teenage girl “who lives in her own world.” Her younger brother, Moose, has to convince her that she can’t wear her bathing suit to go out. When he tells her to go change, she comes out with nothing on. All she knows is that she is hot. When out for a walk, she stops just to make piles in the dirt oblivious to everyone around her. In My Brother Charlie (Peete), Charlie plays alone in a group of children with no interest in interacting. In Ian’s Walk (Lears), Ian stops on the sidewalk where people are walking to lie down and feel the stones on his face. He seems unaware of the people walking past him. In Playing by the Rules (Luchsinger), Josh seems rude to his Aunt Tilda when he seems to ignore her, but he does not know how to react to new people. His response is to walk away. In Andy and His Yellow Frisbee (Thompson), Andy plays alone on the playground at school spinning his frisbee. When a new girl, Sarah, decides to try to befriend him, he lets her spin her frisbee beside of him, but he does not interact with her.

Distorted or Heightened Sensory Perceptions

“Children with ASD can be very sensitive to particular sounds and forms of touch” (Attwood, p. 130). They can also be sensitive to tastes, lights and smells. “One or several sensory systems can be affected such that ordinary sensations are perceived as unbearably intense” (Attwood, p. 131). This symptom was found in five of the books. In Rules (Lord), David is disturbed by the sound of the windshield wipers on the windshield. He must cover his ears to block out the loud and irritating sound. He can’t stand the little squeaking noise that Catherine’s guinea pigs make. In Al Capone Does My Shirts (Choldenko), Natalie has aversions to many foods and will only eat a limited variety of foods, with lemon cake being her choice for breakfast. Oddly, when she is feeling stressed and having a meltdown, she is comforted by being rolled up in rug. The pressure of the rug soothes her. In Ian’s Walk (Lears), Ian is attentive to things that other people don’t typically notice. He watches the ceiling fan blades go around. He doesn’t pay attention to the fire trucks siren, but tilts his head to notice a sound no one else can hear. He does not like the smell of flowers, but sniffs the bricks on the wall of the florist. He pushes away from a feather tickling his chin as if it is painful, but lies on the ground to feel the stones. He doesn’t like average food that a child usually likes. In Playing by the Rules (Luchsinger), Josh has to cover his ears when his sister is celebrating winning a game. She is too loud for him. In Andy and His Yellow Frisbee (Thompson), Andy gets overwhelmed by people, new situations and noises and will wrap his arms around his ears and scream.

Dependence or Insistence with Structure, Routines and Rules (due to difficulties with organization, planning, and inflexible thinking)

“Children with ASD often do not have the organizational and planning skills that help them navigate successfully through their day. They don’t inherently understand routines, how to handle changes in their environment, or predict what can happen next” (Myles, p.7). “They lack self-confidence in their ability to react successfully in changing social interactions, and can fear the panic that change causes within them” (Grandin, p. 121). They typically do not handle transitions well unless they are prepared ahead of time for changes. This often causes stress and anxiety which can result in behavior problems and “meltdowns.” These behaviors were found in four of the books. In Rules (Lord), David experiences stress and has a tantrum when his father is not home exactly at five o’clock. During the scheduled trips to the video store, David must follow the same routine on every visit. He must walk down each row of videos, flipping boxes over to read the parental advisory and the rating. He enjoys putting puzzles together, but he insists on doing the pieces in lines. If you add a piece out of his order, he will remove your piece. In Al Capone Does My Shirts (Choldenko), Natalie depends on the routine of counting her buttons. Several times her buttons spilled which caused a meltdown with flailing arms, yelling and running away. Her tantrums can go on for days. When she is sent to a school that specializes in students with special needs, she regresses and has to return home. She is not able to adjust to functioning out of her routine. In Playing by the Rules (Luchsinger), Josh yells and becomes agitated when Aunt Tilda moves the animals he has lined up. They have to be lined up a certain way and no one can touch them. In Andy and His Yellow Frisbee (Thompson), Andy does the same thing every day at recess. He just spins his frisbee, around and around. This is his way of dealing with the uncertain behaviors at recess.

Difficulties with Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Children with ASD can often be very verbal, but have difficulty understanding language. They often misinterpret implied meanings. They have difficulty understanding figurative language (similes, metaphors, idioms) and sarcasm (Myles, p. 25). They don’t make generalities and often take things literally. The difficulty children have with processing nonverbal social cues often causes them to not completely receive the message of a conversation. Even when a child with ASD has learned to name a facial expression in isolation, they are often unable to integrate all of the components and interpret them in the context of a conversation (Baker, p. 11). Their speech may often be pedantic. The difficulties with language were found in all six of the books.

In Rules (Lord), when David is upset, he can’t find the words to express his feeling so he communicates with his sister by quoting dialogue from a favorite book. In Al Capone Does My Shirts (Choldenko), Natalie rarely speaks unless she is answering a question that involves math. She communicates best with numbers. In My Brother Charlie (Peete), Callie gets upset when her twin brother Charlie will not look at her or speak to her and seems far away. In Ian’s Walk (Lears), when he is asked if he wants to go to the park, he does not answer, but goes to the screen door, raps on the door and whines. This is his way of communicating he wants to go. In Playing by the Rules (Luchsinger), Josh often uses picture and word cards to help him communicate his wishes when he is feeling stressed. In Andy and His Yellow Frisbee (Thompson), Rosie, Andy’s sister, says he has a tough time talking, as if his words are stuck inside.

Development of Special Interest or Talent

Children with ASD often have an intense fascination with a special interest. These interests may come and go, but then they dominate the child’s free time and conversation. These interests or behaviors are often repetitive behaviors and frequently act as a way to control fear. They can’t predict or control people and social situations, but they can control objects. Teachers are aware of uneven profile of abilities (Attwood, p.14). The child may have a remarkable long-term memory and concentration when engaged in their special interest. This behavior was found in five of the books. In Rules (Lord), David has a favorite video about trains that he rewinds to watch the same part, again and again. He also has a favorite cassette which causes a meltdown when it is torn beyond repair. In Al Capone Does My Shirts (Choldenko), Natalie has a box of buttons that she loves. She counts them, organizes them, runs her fingers through them, and keeps them with her at all times. They are her comfort. She knows if one is missing. She has an incredible talent with numbers. She can do complicated math operations in her head instantly. She just sees the numbers. In My Brother Charlie (Peete), Charlie has many collections and can play the piano. In Playing by the Rules (Luchsinger), Josh always wins the Animals Sounds Bingo game he plays with his sister because he has memorized the songs on the CD. In Andy and His Yellow Frisbee (Thompson), Andy’s special talent is spinning. He not only spins his frisbee, but he can spin coins and tire swings like nobody else.

No Fear of Real Danger

Since children with ASD do not understand social rules, have difficulty planning and seeing outcomes, and often have poor processing abilities, they often do not recognize possible dangers in their environment. For example, if they are obsessing over a special interest, they move on auto-pilot and can easily walk into a dangerous situation or wander from safety. They must be monitored closely. This was found in four of the books. In Rules (Lord), David cannot be left alone. He either has to be with one of his parents or his sister has to babysit him at all times. In Al Capone Does My Shirts (Choldenko), Natalie also must be watched at all times. Her brother has to spend much of his free time babysitting her. At one point, when they are out and about on Alcatraz, Natalie goes missing and they find her talking with one of the inmates. She does not recognize that it may be dangerous to be that close to an inmate. In My Brother Charlie (Peete), Charlie, Callie’s brother, ruins her playmates because of his dangerous behavior on the swing set. In Ian’s Walk (Lears), Ian’s sister want to go to the park when they take Ian, they have to spend much of their time watching him to make sure he is safe. He does not see the dangers that could harm him. He wanders off in the park and his sisters have to go hunt for him.