Wow! I have never read a book that discussed the topic of autism from a child’s point of view, and now that I have read Rules by Cynthia Lord, I am extremely glad that I did. Rules explores the difficulties that autism causes from the view point of an older sibling. Catherine is a twelve year old girl and David, her younger brother, has autism. In order to help David, Catherine creates a list of rules to help him cope with autism. Growing up with David made Catherine mature quickly and learn to accept responsibility although she doesn’t always like it. One of my favorite parts of the book was Catherine meeting Jason, a fourteen year old boy with a disability that prevents him from being able to talk. In order to help Jason express himself Catherine makes communication cards to give him words. Although my siblings don’t have autism or any other disability, I grew up in a home led by only my mom, and as an oldest child I had a tremendous amount of responsibility that I didn’t always want. I really liked the way this book explained disorders in terms that weren’t scientific but very descriptive from a personal point of view. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is close to an autistic child, and anyone who is looking for a good read.
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