Ido in Autismland: Climbing Out of Autism’s Silent Prison Paperback – October 25, 2012

I purchased this book to better understand an autistic boy that I work with at school. I could not put the book down once I started to read it. The amazing thing to me is that it is written so professionally by Ido Kedar who is now 17 years old. He has great insight to his condition and has so much to share with the so-called "experts" who deal with the condition. It is pretty apparent, however, that the experts have MUCH to learn about how to treat these autistic individuals. They are far more intelligent than most of the rest of us, and have potential to be great contributors to society! Thank goodness he kept his thoughts in diary form starting at 7 years of age so that he could share his story with the world. People have NO CLUE what autistic people are like "inside." They are perfectly normal people who simply cannot communicate their thoughts and needs with the world. I can see now that the teachers and aides at school have been approaching our autistic student in the wrong way for so long. I am hoping they all choose to read this book to improve their teaching strategies for our autistic students! In my estimation, this book should be REQUIRED reading for evey special education teacher and administrator who deals with autism. It will bring HOPE to parents and families of autistic children! THANK YOU, Ido, for sharing your heart!

This book written by a non-verbal autistic boy provides parents of autistic children some very powerful insights into the two mysterious worlds they are desperately trying to understand: what is going on in their child's mind, and how to navigate the world of autism treatment methods and approaches. The foreword by Ido's mother detailing their bewilderment in trying to find the right path for their child, the frustrations in working with people almost ideologically committed to a rigid system of behavioral training and the solutions they eventually hit upon is an eye opener for parents trying to figure out what's best for their child. The articulate essays by Ido himself, describing his inner world and how it governs his external behavior, is an invaluable guide for parents who are trying to cope with the many challenges presented by an autistic child. Between Tracy Kedar's story of their exhausting struggle to provide effectual help for their son, and Ido's description of how the experts' methods and their assumptions about his capabilities affected him, this book leaves you with the huge question: do the experts know what they are doing? One very pertinent point of controversy is, or should be, the belief that a distinguishing autistic disability is that they lack a theory of mind. That the reason they are socially inept is that they don't understand other peoples' reactions and therefore can't respond appropriately. With his essays Ido demonstrates convincingly that he understands other people's minds better than most. In this respect he is very similar to my friend Iris Johansson, who in her book A Different Childhood describes how she was able to look inside people and understand their unspoken thoughts and feelings, and in fact has been able to establish a successful career in communications consulting and conflict resolution based on this extraordinary ability. Similarly Ido's essays shimmer with his intelligent observations and speculations about other people's, and his own, thought processes and attitudes. For all these reasons I give this book a five-star rating. For anyone who has an autistic person he or she cares about, it belongs on their shelf.

Ido's book is easy and fast to read. This is the mark of an outstanding author, one who chooses words designed to make communication easy. Although it is a fast read, it is one deserving of reading and re-reading, one or two essays at a time. It should be required reading for every teacher and professional who work with bright autistic children. Even more importantly, it should be read by those who are responsible for designing teacher credential programs for moderate to severe special ed. I'm seeing a focus on behavior and NOT on curriculum delivery. I'm also seeing huge time and money requirements for a second career person to earn a credential. You want the most qualified, not the most book qualified teaching children who's adult future depends on choices made by adults during their school years.I am a California teacher, having retired from the military, I chose to work part time as my children grew. One of those children was a bright child who could not learn to write or spell and who had a very difficult time in a classroom. He was diagnosed early as ADHD, and in 6th grade as dyslexic. That year he was enrolled in a school for dyslexic and or bright children. The growth that year was huge. He was happier, able to focus better, and, he made two full years of academic growth in language skills. I was able to take their teacher training that summer as I retired from the Navy. I taught him for three years in an independent studies program offered by the county where we now live in California. As he graduated from high school, earning a "real" diploma, I was completing a general (multi-subject) credential and began to teach part time, or sub. Last year I was a long term sub in a k/1 county special ed classroom with some very bright autistic students. I discovered Ido's blog [...] last March. One of my valued resources. I struggled to find ways to meet the challenge of figuring out first, how to present grade or near grade level skills/information then, how to have the student demonstrate that knowledge. Several students were verbal, several were not. I relied on my experience with my son. When bored, at best, he tuned out. When engaged, he learned incredibly fast. He was dyslexic, not mute, and so was able to demonstrate his knowledge IF given a choice in how to do so. A written report through his sophomore year in high school would highlight his lack of great handwriting, arbitrary spelling, incomplete sentences and lack of organization rather than his knowledge. Therefore, with my students, I did look for alternates, sometimes more and sometimes less successfully than I desired.I watch this year as the students have moved on. As they get older, the classes get bigger and there is less time for the intensive work needed. The present choices are high support, low academic expectations and low support but higher academic expectations. I'm wondering if technology can help, not only with communication, but with curriculum delivery for a bright child. If you, Ido, are reading this, I would ask if you have experience or thoughts about computer based instruction. I know there are research based programs, and others are play skills programs. I'm thinking of one program, Edmark, that I used last year with a student. If done face to face without a computer, he got bored and restless. On the computer with me next to him, he could go through 5 lessons quickly, especially when I skipped the vocab lessons on words he knew. He still aced the unit tests. Do you have experience with any computer based instruction, if so, any thoughts? Thank you again. I will be sharing this book with a number of professionals.