Children's+Literature

=Great books for/about children with disabilities: =

**The Alphabet War** This book tells the story of Adam, who, because of his difficulty with letter reversals and phonemic awareness, is experiencing his own alphabet war. Adam's frustration increases, and he begins to bother other children or escape through daydreaming. In third grade, he finally receives the help that he needs; and in fourth grade, he develops the confidence to recognize that he is not stupid, just different. The illustrations are the most intriguing and imaginative aspect of this book. For example, they show Adam in a cowboy outfit lassoing the letter A, Adam under a microscope (when he is being assessed), and Adam sitting on the planet Neptune and daydreaming.*
 * Hi, I'm Adam ** [[image:Adam2.jpg width="300" height="303"]] This is a book about a boy named Adam who has Touretts Syndrome. Adam tells the reader about what his day is like and some of the things that he does to overcome certain obsticles. One example of this would be when Adam mentions that he has a hard time focusing in school and can somtimes be a disruption when he dose'nt mean to be. The book is very good and maintains a good focus. The book is written in a way that makes it easy for small children to understand even though the subject matter can seem a bit complex. This book can be used by any teacher who needs to teach thier students about Tourette Syndrome or to maybe get a better idea about a students they have who has Tourette Syndrome.

**The ADDed Touch**

This book tells the story of Matthew, a first grader who has difficulty staying focused, following directions, and controlling his body. His mother takes him to a doctor who diagnoses Matthew as having attention deficit disorder (ADD). Matthew learns that other children in his class also have ADD and thatsome students who do not have ADD also do not pay attention. At the end of the book, Matthew's family and friends say that he is special, "with an ADDed touch." The book tells the story in rhyme, and the illustrations are simple but delightful. Teachers and parents can use this book with any young child or group of children to teach about ADD.*

**The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time**



This book tells the story of 15year-old Christopher, who finds his neighbor's dog dead on the front lawn. The police arrest him for killing the dog but soon release him. He then goes to great lengths to solve the mystery of who killed the dog. Christopher takes everything at face value and is unable to understand the behavior of others. This book portrays the thought processes of those on the autism spectrum in amazingly accurate ways. For example, because Christopher is mathematically gifted, the author uses only prime numbers to number the chapters. This book has received great literary acclaim and as won the Dolly Gray Award.*

* All reviews and summaries taken from: Books That Portray Characters With Disabilities: A Top 25 List for Children and Young Adults; Prater, Mary Anne; Dyches, Tina Taylor; Teaching Exceptional Children; 03-01-2008 found on the webpage: []


 * Ian's Walk: A Story About Autism **

Ian is a small boy with autism who "thinks differently." His two older sisters take him on a walk to the park to feed the ducks. Along the way, Ian focuses on many unusual things that he sees, hears, smells, feels, and tastes. His sisters are impatient and want to hurry him along. Bored, they ignore him for a moment, and he disappears. They realize how much they care about him, and they find him by remembering what he especially likes to do. On the way home, they walk with Ian as he wants to walk, seeing and hearing along with him although they still do not understand his fascinations. The illustrations support the story's message that Ian focuses "differently." They are colorful and bright but not outlined. Still, most of them probably could be easily distinguished. The print is large and there is adequate white space to make reading easier.

I would use this book to teach my students about Autism. Before reading the book, I would do pre-reading activities to introduce the subject of Autism. I would have them research the disorder and report their findings in a paper. We would then conduct a class discussion on the topic. This would ensure that the students are aware of the disorder and understand it. I would then read the book with the students, and have them write a review on it. I believe students would get a lot out of this book.

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