I recently won a copy of author Christina Dagnelli’s book, Little Squares with Colors: A Different Way to Look at Autism. Written from the light-hearted perspective of a mom to a little boy with autism spectrum disorder, Dagnelli gives us a clear, insider’s view of what new parents can expect and hope to learn from their special children.
If you’re having trouble understanding your child, or if you’re thoroughly exhausted and just need to feel like you are not the only one going through the challenges and frustrations involved, this book can help you see what you might be missing. Life with an autistic child is difficult; no doubt about that. It’s described as a puzzle for good reason. But life on the spectrum doesn’t have to shatter your world like glass. It can be rewarding and uplifting in its own unique way. Christina Dagnelli shows us how.
Little Squares with Colors Teaches Parents What to Expect from a Child with Autism
The insights and tidbits we learn as we watch others go through similar trials can teach us more about our own situations and ourselves. Parents of kids on the spectrum will easily identify with the stories Dagnelli chooses to share in her book, and will learn tips for handling their own unique situations from watching the scenes unfold. From birth through the age of around 7, you can learn what to expect from a child with autism, what is typical childhood mischief and behavior, and how to sort it all out, if possible.
Each autism path for both parents and child is a one-of-a-kind drama. But seeing Noah from the view of his mom can make your own one-act play a little easier to deal with. As you travel the path along with mom and child, parents have the opportunity to pocket the author’s valuable strategies, and glean some useful wisdom from the answers she’s found to some of the endless questions and problems that continue to surface throughout the journey.
What Parents Can Learn from Their Autistic Children
If new to autism, a diagnosis can feel like the end of the world. Life as you currently know it will change. For some autistic children, dietary treatments and behavior modifications work wonders. Tasmanian Devils can turn into what the public believes to be typical children and adults who can benefit society. However, those who fully recover are comparatively few.
While Noah drastically improves on a gluten free casein free diet, life’s rocky lessons for both parents and child continue. There is still autism’s:
- literalness
- unpredictability
- erratic behavior
- anxiety
- communication problems
- sensory processing disorder
- meltdowns
- and social ineptitude
These must be dealt with on a daily basis. There are difficulties with so-called professionals who don’t seem to be able to incorporate autism's peculiarities into their methods. However, Dagnelli chooses to look at the world she has found herself in a little differently than most.
Refusing to accept her son’s lack of communication skills, she presents the idea that there is always something new to learn – either about her child or herself. With each additional potential problem, strange behavior, or Noah's over-the-top reactions she offers an amusing, down-to-earth voice through which parents can learn how these typical autism behaviors play themselves out in the real world. In addition, she also confides what parents can realistically hope to fix (like her son’s nonverbal behavior), and what they cannot.
We see the stress triggers and results of those triggers as if we are right there in the same room with them. We see what works for Noah, what doesn’t work, and why. We become privy to the author’s inner world, her secret thoughts that few ever get the opportunity to hear. And we walk away from those special moments feeling like maybe – just maybe – there is hope for a better life ourselves.
Our Attitude and the Judgments We Make Colors the Outcome for Children with Autism
Autism teaches a parent (and sometimes society) how to be more tolerant and patient; but most of all it teaches parents to never give up hope. Working with autistic children takes many hours of repetition. It takes waiting, and then waiting some more to see lasting results. It takes consistency and a caring heart, as well as the curiosity and drive to dig into the whys and hows.
On the surface, those diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome are thought of and defined as high functioning autism; yet Dagnelli reveals that the end result of all of that hard work totally depends on the attitude and judgments of the parents. All children on the autism spectrum are difficult to raise; being labeled high functioning doesn’t mean that a parent’s job will be easy. However, Christina Dagnelli comes to the table from a different perspective.
Rather than spend her days chasing after why her child has autism, she prefers instead to live in the moment: “Why this happened isn’t important – what we learn from this experience is what matters.” While autism’s journey often brings discomfort and judgment from others, soaring above and beyond the pain, our selfish tendencies, and caring about what others think – is the key that will open up the door to a wealth of possibilities. Little Squares with Colors is a book that helps us do exactly that.
Source
- Dagnelli, Christina, Little Squares with Colors: A Different Way to Look At Autism, Crusty Productions, 2010.
Vickie Ewell - Vickie has worked with autistic individuals for 9 years. She has celiac disease and specializes in gfcf living.
