There's a Boy in Here: A Mother and Her Son Tell the Story of His Emergence from Autism

As an individual with an autism diagnosis, I found this book to be fascinating. I went through many of the same challenges. Both Sean and I had social problems growing up. Sean was diagnosed by medical professionals in the 1960's as being of "dull-normal" intelligence; I was diagnosed in 1987 at age 2 with mental retardation because I was nonverbal and ignored the tester. Both of our mothers stopped trusting what they were told. While our childhoods did also have some major differences, Sean gave a perspective that was easy for me to empathize with. I too had a rough time socially. I can remember being very young and thinking my mom could read my mind. My parents sent me to private school in order to prevent me from being placed in a special ed class for mentally retarded children. I still had major social problems similar to Sean's, though adolescence was much less socially stressful for me than early-mid childhood because I had more choice of who I could hang out with, more ability to develop my social skills, and less fear of bullying. Being a girl may have had something to do with that as well. I still have strengths and weaknesses; I think GRE tests and my college classes are easy, but job interviews terrify me. I liked the "outside in" perspective given by Judy Barron because it helped me see the other side of the story. I identified with a lot of the "inside-out" perspective Sean gave; Judy's "outside-in" perspective helped me understand what my family went through. An excellent read.

I loved this book. It was interesting and kept my attention throughout. I feel it is a must for parents dealing with children on the Autism Spectrum.As we all know none of our children in the autism spectrum are the same. The boy in this book was more "severe" as a child than my son, but it still gave me a better understanding into why and how my child thinks. Although never explicitly stated in the book it gave me insight to easily find ways to ask my son questions as to why he does certain things. I never would have understood certain issues about my child for lack of a good way to ask my son questions about his problems & confusion had it not been for this book! The book also comes with a happy ending and good closure to this inspiring man's journey living with Autism. Even if you are not a parent or educator with a child on the Autism Spectrum, I think you would find this book interesting and worth the read. As the Author grows, his determination to succeed is inspiring for anyone.

Having a son on the spectrum myself, I found this book to offer such a genuine perspective into the mindset of both the parent and the child. In particular, having the added insights and explainations of Sean Barron, himself, in reference to the often bizarre and seemingly unexplainable behaviors that are associated with autism, gave me a unique new set of eyes to see my son through. What a gift this,is in terms of the insight it provides and the hope it inspires.

While many books on autism tell either from a family or individual's viewpoint, this story is unique in that it presents the perspective from both sides. Paired with the mother's account is one of her son with autism. This was written during a time when autism was still between psychoanalysis & neurology so some of the interventions seem misguided (although acceptable at the time). When Sean reaches high school & begins to recognize himself as an autistic indiviual, it is an unusual awakening. Good family-account/personal-account reading.

I teach children with a variety of behavioral handicaps, and this book explains the behaviors of children with autism from the point of view of the parents and the child himself as well as any I have ever read.