Just This Side of Normal: Glimpses Into Life with Autism
by Elizabeth K Gerlach
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Book Summary Information
Author: Elizabeth K GerlachEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-12-01
ISBN: 1932565035
Number of pages: 144
Publisher: Future Horizons
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Book Reviews of Just This Side of Normal: Glimpses Into Life with Autism
Book Review: Stuck Inside a Cloud
Summary: 4 Stars
Nicky Gerlach was diagnosed with autism as a toddler and his behavior clearly placed him on the spectrum. Scant mention is made of his brother Ben, some 18 months his junior. Early in the book Gerlach and her husband parted company. Readers learn that she has two siblings; a father who had alcohol issues and a grandfather who taught her to drive on a really cool car, a Ford Falcon! I just loved that part. I always did love a Ford Falcon, a Better Idea car! (That Falcon netted this book an extra star).
My only real disappointment is that this book impressed me as being more of a desultory stroll through life with autism as opposed to offering more insights. I also thought the tone was more from the cerebrum than heartfelt; it seemed to be written in a rather impersonal "reporting" style. Not that I find that bad; it's just that given the subject matter, the skimming through Nicky, Ben and Gerlach's lives together seemed rather rushed than fleshed out.
Nicky was plainly a bright boy who did thrive in social settings. Luckily he was able to remain mainstreamed with the help of an aide. He also enjoyed birthday parties, whereas his friend John did not because John did not like the smell of latex balloons.
One of Nicky's hard won victories was being able to shift, albeit slightly from rigid adherence. For example, he could not sing, "sailing on the ocean purple" whent the correct color/lyric was blue. With the help of a capable therapist, he could sing, "sailing on the ocean blue, but NOT purple." I wonder if he could have sung the 1966 classic "Yellow Submarine," with "sky of blue and sea of green, in our yellow submarine." He was also rigid about following his verbal playbacks of videos he enjoyed to the last syllable.
Nicky's behavior made sense. When he appeared to be randomly quoting a passage he had heard or read about sheep being sheared, his grandmother asked him if he meant by that if he was hot. Nicky said he was hot. That was his way of opening the door to try to communicate that message. That was an eye opener. So was his wish, at age 6 to be a screwdriver because as a screwdriver, he could spin with impunity as much as he liked. That made perfect sense.
I like the way Gerlach was hyperalert to other children with autism. Her compassion toward a stranger's daughter on a plane was especially inspiring; I like the way she first thought of the girl's discomfort and how unfair other passengers were to sit in harsh judgment of a nonverbal child with hyper sensory issues.
Parts of this book were funny. I loved the part when Gerlach bought fixings to make a gingerbread house, ostensibly for the boys and all they were interested in was eating the frosting and decorative candies. Although it sounded as if the gingerbread house was more for her, it was funny how the shopping expeditions turned into a real comedy of errors.
Nicky made incredible strides. For years he feared climbing mountains because he thought his head would get stuck inside the clouds. Repeated explanations as to why this was impossible allayed his concerns. This made me think of the 1997 (posthumously released in 2002) George Harrison song, "Stuck Inside a Cloud."
A good, albeit short book about living with autism. This is a good companion book to "Bye Bye Balloon: An Introductory Guide to Asperger Syndrome" and a good companion CD to this is George Harrison's "Brainwashed" with the song "Stuck Inside a Cloud."
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