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Suzanne Bartlett is the mother of a now eleven-year-old son with autism, as well as a practicing physician, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology.
She is currently President of the Autism Society of Iowa, a member of the Autism Center Advisory Council at the University of Iowa, as well as a member of an Adult Transitional Services Committee of the Iowa Governor’s Autism Council. She served as a member of the Act Early Autism Summit sponsored by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2008.
Dr. Bartlett speaks regularly to university and community groups on the subject of autism. She is also actively involved with the organizations Autism Speaks and the International Society for Autism Research.
About the Book
A Friend Like John; Understanding Autism is intended for elementary-aged peers of children with autism, and is based on the life and traits of the author’s son, John, age 8.
Unlike other children’s books, which do an excellent job of presenting autism, this book illustrates the fact that children with autism have many similarities to typically-developing children. On each page, questions are posed to the reader such as, “have you ever felt like that?” The goal is to foster acceptance of children with autism by their typically-developing friends, family and classmates.
Whereas the differences children with autism have are often obvious to others, sometimes we forget that we all do have many things in common.
Reviewed by Molly Edwards for Readers' Favorite
I don't have a child with Autism, but I have one diagnosed with ADD so that I am always looking for books, or similar children or adults or ways to cope with and handle the disabilities. When this children's book became available for reviewing, I jumped at the chance to read it. Ms. Bartlett's skill in portraying John through the eyes of a child, and making it an easy to understand children's book, is stunning.
Children are very loving and accepting individuals. But, when someone has a problem, or disability like Autism, it's not easily understood among young minds, so often they find themselves shying away from that child. Through John's character in the book, Ms. Bartlett shows the young readers how sometimes, even though one may be different, they still have individual feelings and wants. Things like friendships, understanding, acceptance and love are all what that child longs for.
Through this unique and vibrant child's book, Ms. Bartlett shows how children can understand and accept a child with a disability, with Autism, if given the chance to understand.
If you are a parent of young children, or a teacher of little ones, this is a wonderful addition to your children's library of books. It can be used as an everyday read for the young ones, or it can be used as a learning tool within the classrooms. Not every child will always understand what it means to be different, but after reading this book, the child may have a better perception of what it's like to be different, and the longing for a simple thing such as a friend who cares.
With vibrant visuals and easy to understand words, Ms. Bartlett has created a wonderful and meaningful children's book. Though ADD is nowhere near Autism, it's still a hard disability to cope with when you have a child who doesn't understand why one is a little different. But, all they long for is hope, love and a friend. Ms. Bartlett portrayed all that in a wonderful, HIGHLY recommendable children's book. Well done, Ms. Bartlett!!
