Title: "Don't Call Me Special" A First Look at Disability
Written by: Pat Thomas
Illustrated by: Lesley Harker
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
Year: 2002
ISBN: 0-7641-2118-9
Reading Level: Preschool-2nd grade
Number of pages: 22
Genre: Non-fiction
Summary:
Don't Call Me Special is a book that explores physically disabilities as well as some learning disabilities. It shows that children with special needs don't like to be called "special" because it makes them feel different from everyone else. This book is interactive as it asks questions throughout the book if you have ever met someone with a disability and things such as that. It talks about making the world a more inclusive place by having them in the classroom with everyone else. It is a great introductory book to dip kids' toes into the thought of disabilities.
Critical Review:
Strengths: (Authors Perspective) Pat Thomas was born in California but lived in London for 30 years as an author and a journalist. She has spent most of her life in health and environment and has written many books for adults to help them to take action on social issues. Her First Look at Series has 30 titles in it now. Many of these books came from conversations that she had with her son about disabilities and tough issues in our world. (Illustrations) The illustrations in this book are by Lesley Harker. They provide a wide variety of diversity among the children drawn in the book. There are also many depictions of children with physical disabilities, whether it be in a wheelchair or having crutches. They are very realistic for the time period. (Multidimensionality and interconnections) There is a variety of diversity in this book. All races and cultures are accurately represented in this book and each race is represented with a disability so it isn't just one single race representing them.Weaknesses: (Awards) Pat Thomas is an American psychotherapist who specializes in healthcare and environmental issues. She was appointed editor of The Ecologist magazine in 2007. Her journalism has been widely published in the national press and she regularly appears on radio programs as well as on BBC News, Sky News, Sky News, Carlton Granada Talk TV, LBC and The World Service. She doesn't have any big awards though which could be counted as a weakness.
Classroom Connections:
Main Themes: The main theme of this book is that you should treat everyone equally because deep down we are all the same. It shows that everyone has something unique about them and even if that uniqueness is a disability, it is no reason to be mean to them or judge them. It teaches young children about disabilities and what they are so that they are aware of them when they come into contact with them in the real world. This book promotes positive interactions among individuals and encourage children to ask questions.
Activities: An activity that could be completed in class would be having the students create some sort of identity web in class that tells all about them. Then put the students in small groups and have them discuss some of their things that are on their identity webs that they are proud of. With this the students can compare similarities and differences that will show them that we are not all the same and we should be proud of our differences.
Resources:
NEA- Special Education & IDEA Resources- Official Website
This is the official website of the National Education Association and shows different books, websites lesson plans, and reports regarding special education.
http://www.nea.org/tools/special-education-IDEA-resources.html
KSDE- Special Education Resources for Families and Educators- Official Website
This is the official website of the Kansas Department of Education and it offers a wide list of resources for all disabilities as well as national resources.
https://www.ksde.org/Agency/Division-of-Learning-Services/Special-Education-and-Title-Services/Special-Education/Special-Education-Resources-for-Families-and-Educators
Special Needs- Teacher Resources (Grades K-12)- Teacher Vision- Official Website
This is the official website of Teacher Vision and provides educators with resources that will help them teach students with disabilities effectively.
https://www.teachervision.com/teaching-strategies/special-needs
Category: Special EducationTitle: "I See Things Differently" A first Look at Autism
Written by: Pat Thomas
Illustrated by: Wayland
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
Year: 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4380-0479-2
Reading Level: Preschool-2nd grade
Number of pages: 28
Genre: Non-fiction
Summary:
This book is a tool to help children understand what autism may sound and look like. It shows the various ways of how it can affect an individual and things that these individuals may do. It explains that children with autism may act differently because their brains are made up differently. It tells students that autism isn't a bad thing or something that we should be scared of; rather it is a disability that some people have to live with.
Critical Review:
Strengths: (Authors Perspective) Pat Thomas was born in California but lived in London for 30 years as an author and a journalist. She has spent most of her life in health and environment and has written many books for adults to help them to take action on social issues. Her First Look at Series has 30 titles in it now. Many of these books came from conversations that she had with her son about disabilities and tough issues in our world. (Illustrations) The illustrations in this book are very diverse and show many different types of characters and families. It also shows depictions of different things that a person with autism might do. (Multidimensionality and interconnections) There is a variety of diversity in this book. All races and cultures are accurately represented in this book and each race is represented with a disability so it isn't just one single race representing them.Weaknesses: (Stereotyping) This book kind of over exaggerates things that an individual with autism might do. It shows many of them lying on the floor laying with a toy, which is true in some aspects. Not everyone with autism has fits to where they lay on the floor. They also show them being scared and alone while not playing with anybody. This is kind of false as well depending on the severity of the autism. Many individuals with autism are social butterflies.
Classroom Connections:
Main Themes: This story explores the personal feelings are social issues and show that it is a first step in teaching our children and students about social issues and how to deal with them. It shows that even though an individual might have autism, that doesn't mean that we should treat them any different than how we would treat someone who is just like us.
Activities: Something that you could do in the classroom is use those identity webs that were made previously and build off of it. You could group the students into sections where they all have one thing in common. This could be something very generic, but then go into detail asking them to talk about some of their difference that they have. The moral of this activity would be that we are all the same because of this certain thing, but we are all different because we have unique things that make us, us!
Resources:
Home | Autism Speaks- Official Website
This website contains the home of autism awareness and tells about what autism is, ways you can help, and different resources that are available.
https://www.autismspeaks.org
Lesson Planning in the Autism Classroom: How to Make it a Success
This is a website of a teacher who is highly trained in the area of autism. She has created a blog on how to effectively write lesson plans for a classroom that would have students with autism in it.
https://www.autismclassroomresources.com/lesson-planning-autism-classroom/
Autism Resource Center- Official Website
This is the official website of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and has a wide variety of resources including, clinical resources, videos from top rated professionals, frequently asked questions, facts for families, and research conducted on autism.
https://www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/resource_centers/autism_resource_center/home.aspx
