Comments on: Talking about Autism in Daniel Isn’t Talking

By: Paige

Paige — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:06:17 +0000

I am not desiring to pick at you, but I am really having trouble with your comments. Do you have a child with Autism? If not, are you close enough to someone with an affected child to see what life entails on a daily basis? It is an endless struggle to find the type of care that these kids need and once it is discovered, the struggle is then to afford such appropriate care since insurance companies provide little to no reimbursement. Children with Autism NEED an advocate willing to tirelessly fight on their behalf for each and every service received and the quality of that service. My desire is that people would look at this with a curious, open heart. Families with children on the Autism Spectrum are subject to enough scrutiny and challenge; please consider this before you pass biased judgments backed by an obvious lack of understanding.

By: Paige

Paige — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:49:02 +0000

Mel,
I must say, if you’d like your opinions to be taken seriously, perhaps you should read the book before forming opinions about it. I don’t believe I would have wasted my time responding to a comment made by a person who has not even bothered to read what they are commenting on either.

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:39:56 +0000

I’d be curious to know how you think the representation of autism in the novel compares to that in a non-fiction work.

By: Candice

Candice — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:12:35 +0000

no, i’m not reading about autism in any other books. this is my first book about autism.

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:19:47 +0000

Candice, I’d like much to see your website when it is finished. Are you reading any other books about autism?

By: Candice

Candice — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:15:07 +0000

funny thing is, i’m actually reading this book for my AP class in school. it’s for a project where i have to create a website about the book. It’s coming along pretty well.

I really like the book! the drama between melanie and stephen over daniel whether he should go to a school with kids just like him. Stephen seems to be the type of person who disagrees with melanie all the time! i feel bad for melanie because she’s sooo stressed all the time and doesn’t even have time for herself in the book. but then i understand she cares for her kids and loves them dearly and just trying to do what’s best for them.

By: Marti Leimbach

Marti Leimbach — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 12:06:33 +0000

Hi,

My husband came across this site and said that there was a comment that written to my website which I failed to post on my blog. I am so sorry that this happened. Either I didn’t receive the comment or all the awful spam I keep getting lately hid it from my view. So, Mel, please do repost anytime you can and I promise I’ll put it up. You can also write to me, personally, at marti@martileimbach.com if you don’t see it. I don’t mind putting up just about any comment. I sometimes get comments people ask me not to post as they are very personal!

Thanks so much and sorry for the mix up.

Marti

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:13:56 +0000

That is a funny coincidence about your husband and you having the same names—-Daniel, the autistic child in the book, seems to start doing ABA and then to be doing play therapy (his one therapist is a “play therapist), plus various biomedical interventions (gfcf diet, supplements). There’s a gentle sense of humor throughout the book and I rather felt, as the novel progressed, there was less about Daniel and that Melanie’s story took over. Not trying to “rewrite” the novel, of course, but I’m always curious as to how autistic children are written about.

Thanks for commenting!

By: mel

mel — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 10:32:09 +0000

one more thing, hahahahahaha
the autistic child in the book undergoes “an ecletic form of aba” and Marti says that to do nothing and hope for nothing is bad for your child. I doubt any child with autism gets “nothing” they all go to school etc…..

By: mel

mel — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 10:30:19 +0000

I wanted to add I commented on her blog ( a nice comment disagreeing with her reponse to a dr. and she did not choose to print it) this gives me a slight negative view as to her fairness.