Daisy has Autism

For April, Autism Awareness Month, I read Aaron J. Wright's non-fiction Daisy has Autism. 

Arthur brings home to his wife Annie and son Charlie a Labrador puppy from an animal shelter, and life with Daisy begins.  

It was fascinating to hear about Daisy's behaviours that lead Arthur to suspect autism, like lining up the tennis balls, making no eye contact, and not interacting with other dogs. I could feel the frustration and concern when Wright details the horrific boot camp experience, and unsuccessful attempts to go for walks. Just as more and more people are being diagnosed with being on the spectrum, I wonder if it's the same with our pets, that an autism diagnosis will become common. 

"Both Daisy and Magda were mostly internalizers, generally incapable of displaying the normal outward signs of distress like barking or screaming only when in full duress." said Wright. "For them, adrenaline meant it was time to inhibit, not excite." 

Something else I also wondered about was if how the dog park bullies pick on the periphery dogs was a foreshadowing to future schooling for Magda...

Arthur describes his easy spontaneous social life before Magda getting together with friends. But after Magda, "In essence, we as a family had become autistic, our social capacity functionally diminished. Our events had to be planned, discussed, and put on Magda's picture schedule as well as on her poster-sized calendar mounted next to the front door." Unplanned trips meant tantrums or shutdowns. Their daily routine couldn't be ambiguous. This is something quite familiar with a nephew of mine who has Asperger's. 

The long and torturous process of testing Magda for placement into special education at school was difficult to read, demonstrating to me how stressful and emotionally draining it was for their family. 
Just when you think you've heard it all, and that things couldn't possibly get worse for them, it does. It all left me thinking the Davis school system showed such unprofessional disregard because they didn't have the money for special education. The YUSD website even stated how they needed to limit the number of special education children. Their solution was to put kids with special needs in regular classes to fend for themselves. It's downright scary how they predetermined Magda wouldn't get any help.

Poetry and a three act play are also in the book. Arthur shared a couple of touching poems about an IEP team meeting and Magda's school's reaction to a bullying incident. The anger and utter frustration was definitely felt in their friend Feather's spoken word poem about how her son with autism was treated by his school.

Arthur pointed out, imagine if he took blood pressure of Magda's tester and lied about what actually it was in his medical record.   
The insinuation is that autism isn't life threatening, when it is, because Magda's at risk for self-injury, and as with others with autism, has a higher suicidal risk. 
Most people have coping skills when stressed, but Magda deals with it by harming herself.

Theory of Mind was a fascinating chapter with Arthur zeroing in on all the household sounds as a way of identifying more with Magda since "as is true with autism, everything shares equal volume, and not one nerve impulse is less important than another." 

Perhaps the most heartbreaking moment was to hear from Magda herself, telling her dad her brain was crying and then at another time, how it's hard to have friends.

I'm left with many thoughts from reading Daisy has Autism, mainly outrage towards the Davis school system. I also have hope though that this book has helped to spark them to change their testing, placement and teaching of special education children. No small feat, but it sounds overdue. I feel such sadness over the continued misunderstanding of autism, and think we've got a long way to go. Ultimately, I smile when I think of how fortunate Magda is to have Arthur and Annie as her parents. 

I received Daisy has Autism from author Aaron J. Wright - thank you.

https://www.daisyhasautism.com/


Until next time,

Kara 

Lake Town

Lake Town Nicole M. Burrell 

Ryan's life is spiraling out of control. She is struggling with a mysterious illness, has lost both of her parents, and even had to watch the man she loves fall for her best friend. More and more, she finds herself hiding out in her lakeside childhood home, soaking up the peace its familarity brings. 

Then one day, it is gone. The lake, which stood outside the cottage her entire life, does not exist. In its place stands a prison camp called Lake Town. When Ryan's curiosity drives her into the camp, she meets a captivating inmate named Adams who helps her uncover a deep layer of corruption within the prison. She decides she has to do something about it, but the question is... how?    

The disappearance of your secluded home and appearance of a prison. An undiagnosed illness that leaves you tired and sore. Your long time love marrying your best friend. An Old family enemy cropping up again. 
Some bizarre and troubing circumstances that Ryan finds herself in in Lake Town. I liked her take-no-crap, sassy personality, and was always interested in finding out what would happen with her next. 
When Ryan discovers a prison in her backyard and meets an intriguing prisoner Adams, I thought, alright, things are going to perk up in her safe, hum drum life. 
What's really going on in Lake Town, and why Ryan can't stay away from the prison is the hidden mystery.

Lake Town was suspenseful, and had the right amount of tension without being over-the-top. 
Oh, I'm definitely #teamadams. 
This was the kind of story that left me wanting more. I hope there will be a sequel! I can also easily picture it on the screen. 

I received Lake Town from author Nicole M. Burrell, thank you.

Until next time,

Kara