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The Spark A Mother Story of Nurturing Genius and Autism Kristine Barnett 9780812993370 Books

Download As PDF : The Spark A Mother Story of Nurturing Genius and Autism Kristine Barnett 9780812993370 Books

The Spark A Mother Story of Nurturing Genius and Autism Kristine Barnett 9780812993370 Books

I feel a bit like a grinch for only giving this 3 stars - it is an amazing story of one family's triumph over autism. It's non-fiction of course, so one can't analyze a plot line or character development - but my problems with this book were many. First and foremost, I fear that it will create guilt in parents who aren't blessed with the incredible network of friends, family and community that seemed to be working here, often without overt recognition by the author. Guilt, because some may feel that if only they devoted all their time and energy to their autistic child, they too could create a high functioning math genius. Most do not have this luxury, and the truth about genetics is that most children, autistic or completely "normal" will not achieve what this fellow did. I applaud and admire this family and the incredible outcome...but wish there were more recognition of their extraordinary circumstances and caution that others, no matter how hard they work may still have a child who will always need some extra help. the call to all parents, to trust their gut to know their children, to fight for them, and to at least try what the parent thinks will be best, is a good one. But it doesn't get everyone such a happy ending.


Tags : The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism [Kristine Barnett] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Kristine Barnett’s son Jacob has an IQ higher than Einstein’s, a photographic memory, and he taught himself calculus in two weeks. At nine he started working on an original theory in astrophysics that experts believe may someday put him in line for a Nobel Prize,Kristine Barnett,The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism,Random House,0812993373,Autism Spectrum Disorders,Autism in children;Case studies.,Autistic children;Rehabilitation.,Mothers of autistic children;Case studies.,Autism,Autism in children,Autistic children,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & Autobiography Medical,Biography & Autobiography Personal Memoirs,Biography & Autobiography Science & Technology,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,Case studies,Child Development And Rearing,FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS Autism Spectrum Disorders,Mothers of autistic children,Personal Memoirs,Psychopathology - Autism,Rehabilitation

The Spark A Mother Story of Nurturing Genius and Autism Kristine Barnett 9780812993370 Books Reviews

This unusual tale of a family struggling to meet the needs of their brilliant, but autistic son was well written, but I left with the feeling that the events were too good to be true. How did the author manage her very needy older children, recover from a stroke and care for an infant all while running a preschool. Even with the support of her husband and friends, life was pretty tough. I was left wondering about reality. However, having worked with autistic children mainstreamed in my classroom, I think that the results achieved by the family and supporters do prove that if the needs of the child are observed and recognized, not just pigeonholed, that child has a better chance of reaching his/her potential. The author expresses in the clearly, well written memoir.
The Spark is well worth reading. While you are following the story of how Kristine Barnett was able to connect with her son and release his gifts, you will be thinking of how you can strengthen the relationship with your own children, and how you can help them develop their own special talents. Too often in life we are told that we are not enough. That we have to fix our weaknesses and change who we are, in order to succeed. The Spark shows us a different way to raise our children and maybe even a different way of looking at ourselves. The author's advice can be summed up into the following

1) You are not alone. Build a community. Believe in your kids, and in each other's kids. Do it together. Don't wait for the system to come and save your kids. "Through resilience and hard work, we'd done it ourselves, and we'd done it together." (101)

2) Focus on your child's gifts and do whatever you can to nurture his or her passion. "Any child will outperform your expectations if you can find a way to feed his or her passion." (73)

3) Give your child a place to be himself or herself – an art studio, a cooking place, a construction area – but "give it freely and without any expectations." (70)

4) Watch and really listen to your child. Then get out of their way. "Showing a child that you take his or her passion seriously and want to share in it is the most powerful catalyst in the world." (76)

5) Gifted children are afforded much more time in their day to focus on the things they care about. Give your child that time. (95)

6) Get into your child's world, instead of expecting him to come out to you.

7) Follow your intuition and trust yourself. "Every parent has to be a fighter on behalf of his or her kid, not only the parents of kids with autism or developmental disorders." (102)

8) In all things, there has to be a balance. Don't forget the importance of childhood and of simply having fun. "I believe it's a parents job to close up the chess board and send the kid outside to play. The child needs to have friends his own age; he can't discover who he is in a vacuum. (134)

9) Whenever you feel depleted, connect with your senses. Make your house smell like a home. Make yourself physically warm and comfortable. Nourish yourself and your family with a home-cooked meal. "Indulging the senses isn't a luxury, but a necessity." (160)

10) It's hard to trust your child to find his or her own path, especially when we are told every day that children must fit into rigid boxes. But take the leap. Celebrate your child's passions. "If you fuel a child's innate spark, it will always point the way to far greater heights then you could ever have imagined." (250)

In the author's words "Don't ever be afraid to be who you are. Find out what you love to do and do it." (x)
I got this book because of my own ideas about autism and teaching. Both the mom and boy, as well as dad, are the heros in this book that is a pleasure to read as well we educating. But to me, the mom is one in a billion. She had an insight into her son and it ended up being an insight into all autistic kids and does apply to regular kids, too. They keys seem to be rather than focusing on what you want the child to learn, focus on what they can handle and want to learn. The boy ended up being a genius. Her 2nd insight was that play was vital and important and that if they got play, they were able to end up doing the regular learning that everyone wanted. Everything falls into place when you resolve their needs. There other things, too. But this is, in my opinion, a great Psychology book and how to teach book. On e of the better books I have read in some time that was easy to read and yet full of revelations. Do not hesitate to get this book and read it. There is no way you will regret it and if you have an autistic child, this is essential for your child and you.
I was hoping this book would help me with my autistic child, since the author is a mom of an autistic child just like me and not
a psychologist or counselor.
But no, she has very good points like to find out what is you child's passion and to always advocate for him
Basically her autistic child is not like most. He is a genius and she is a super mom with a super husband it was hard to
believe at times all his support. As a book is very interesting but a little unrealistic and like I said if what you are looking for
is a book about support from a parent experiencing what we really go thru with having an autistic kid you won't find it here.
I feel a bit like a grinch for only giving this 3 stars - it is an amazing story of one family's triumph over autism. It's non-fiction of course, so one can't analyze a plot line or character development - but my problems with this book were many. First and foremost, I fear that it will create guilt in parents who aren't blessed with the incredible network of friends, family and community that seemed to be working here, often without overt recognition by the author. Guilt, because some may feel that if only they devoted all their time and energy to their autistic child, they too could create a high functioning math genius. Most do not have this luxury, and the truth about genetics is that most children, autistic or completely "normal" will not achieve what this fellow did. I applaud and admire this family and the incredible outcome...but wish there were more recognition of their extraordinary circumstances and caution that others, no matter how hard they work may still have a child who will always need some extra help. the call to all parents, to trust their gut to know their children, to fight for them, and to at least try what the parent thinks will be best, is a good one. But it doesn't get everyone such a happy ending.