A little nine-year-old boy looks down at the gymnasium floor. The room is filled with children who like and respect him, but he has no real friends. He can barely name anyone in his class, and has trouble with the simplest things - recognizing people, pretending, and knowing when people are happy or angry or sad. Much of his life has been filled with anxiety. He is out of step with the world, which to him is mostly a whirlwind that must be actively decoded and put into order. Yet he was one of seven fourth-graders in the United States to ace the National Math Olympiad. In fifth grade he finished second in a national math talent search. That boy is autistic. He is also loving, brilliant and resilient. In this volume, his father writes about the joys, fears, frustration, exhilaration and exhaustion involved in raising his son. He writes about the impact on his family, the travails of navigating the educational system, and the lessons he has learned about life, what it means to connect with people, and how one builds a life that suits oneself.
1. A Fair-Haired Boy. 2. 'You're a Father Now, Damn itl'. 3. The Wild Goose Chase. 4. A Different Sort of Boy. 5. Daycare. 6. An Addition to the Family. 7. Doors Opened and Closed. 8. 'You want to do it!'. 9. Taking Turns. 10. 'I Know, Mom, I Know'. 11. My Parents. 12. A Team. 13. Off the Charts. 14. The Evaluation. 15. 'My Son, the Doctor'. 16. 'Believe Me, They'd Have a Schedule!'. 17. An Integrated Classroom. 18. Crazy, Incomprehensible Rules. 19. Exhausted. 20. On the Town. 21. 'That's Just Backwards Multiplication!'. 22. Frame of Reference. 23. Spreadable Fruit 24. Diabetes. 25. Off to School. 26. Such A Bright Boy. 27. Mathematical Marvel. 28. Simon. 29. Cateers. 30. 'Daddy, Look What I Can Do!'. 31. 'Don't Mourn For Us'. 32. Moving to D.C. 33. New kid on the Block. 34. Such Sensitive Children. 35. A Blessing. 36. Stamping Out Ambiguity. 37. Going Hazy. 38. Learning to Cope. 39. Black History Month. 40. Mr Hustle. 41. Front Page News. 42. Life. 43. Mathematical Marvel. 44. Connections Gained and Lost. 45. Graduation. 46. Becoming Self-Aware. Epilogue.
""'A Different Kind of Boy' is a heartfelt, candid and ultimately inspiring tale of the struggle of a father to teach his gifted child the awareness the boy needs to survive and connect with others, while making the most of his prodigious talents. A Different Kind of Boy is highly recommended reading for any parent of an autistic of specially gifted child.'
