Hello Everyone,
This month’s BLOG will continue the opportunity to view my slideshow GALLERY of Books and focus on the offered Extended Book Reviews. The slideshow shows the book covers, divided into the following categories ~
AMAZING ADVENTURES
DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS, DENIAL
SAVVY SOLUTIONS
SCHOOL ON THE SHORT BUS
Hopefully, these stories will help parents, clinicians, academics, and all people #Autism, in connecting with those who have gone before us on their Autism Journey. This April's 2025 BLOG will continue to give snippets of my Extended Book Reviews; find full Extended Book Reviews on the website MENU; along with a LINK to purchase the eBook. You will find each Autism story to be engaging, compelling, and as different as each family's Autism journey.
From the Category – SAVVY SOLUTIONS. Read my full Extended Book Review, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker; plus, LINKs to eBooks, on this website, www.sarasautismsite.com.
This month’s BLOG will continue the opportunity to view my slideshow GALLERY of Books and focus on the offered Extended Book Reviews. The slideshow shows the book covers, divided into the following categories ~
AMAZING ADVENTURES
DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS, DENIAL
SAVVY SOLUTIONS
SCHOOL ON THE SHORT BUS
Hopefully, these stories will help parents, clinicians, academics, and all people #Autism, in connecting with those who have gone before us on their Autism Journey. This April's 2025 BLOG will continue to give snippets of my Extended Book Reviews; find full Extended Book Reviews on the website MENU; along with a LINK to purchase the eBook. You will find each Autism story to be engaging, compelling, and as different as each family's Autism journey.
From the Category – SAVVY SOLUTIONS. Read my full Extended Book Review, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker; plus, LINKs to eBooks, on this website, www.sarasautismsite.com.
Excerpts from book by E.M. Bonker & V.G. Breen, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
4% Beauty bursts forth in the most unexpected places. Tiny flowers push their way through cracks in the asphalt of city streets. And often we glide past these quiet miracles without paying them much heed.
But I can’t anymore, because I live with one of those miracles: my thirteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. She is profoundly affected by autism and cannot speak. Yet she has summoned the courage to remain optimistic. She has shattered the silence of autism and found an escape from its shackles in the beauty of her poetry. Her poetry tells us about the inner world of autism and shines a light on the world around us.
5% When I asked Elizabeth how she wanted to introduce her book, she wrote:
Book Introduction
by Elizabeth M. Bonker
I want people to find peace in my book.
I want them to read my prayers
with understanding. Be at peace.
God loves you.
As usual, her words are better than mine and for that reason we have put all of Elizabeth’s writings in boldface so you can easily pick them out.
< My Thoughts > “Be at peace. God loves you.”
Some children on the autism spectrum talk about their love of God, angels, and praying, or other spiritual connections. This has always piqued my curiosity because many of these believers do not come from a family that has ever visited a place of worship, and they may not even be aware of the child’s faith.
9% You may wonder how such a young girl with autism and unable to speak found a way to communicate at all, much less with poetry. Seven years ago, in our desperation to connect with Elizabeth, we traveled to Austin, Texas, to see Soma Mukhopadhyay, who had taught her own son, Tito, to “write” by pointing out letters arranged alphabetically on a piece of laminated paper; commonly referred to as a “letterboard”.
< My Thoughts > "...found a way to communicate..."
From Soma’s HALO website – http://www.halo-soma.org. –
“Soma raised and taught her severely autistic (non-verbal) son Tito (who is now an adult) with little professional guidance. Although Soma held advanced degrees in chemistry, she had no formal training in autism before having her son.”
Note: For further information on ‘Rapid Prompting Method’, go to MENU for – Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Read online here, under – UNIT 7 – 0 Who May Help? UNIT 7– 7 CAMs, Section 7: CAMs Complementary & Alternative Medicine, PART 4 – 8. facilitated communication. Also, there is an Extended Book Review to read on this website about Soma and her son Tito in How Can I Talk If My Lips Don’t Move?: Inside My Autistic Mind by Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay.
10% When Elizabeth finally learned to compose complete sentences, one of her first was, “I finally got to talk.” It represented the end of years of tantrum-filled lonesome isolation. For me, it was an intense moment of both joy and heartbreak. It was like Helen Keller’s signing “w-a-t-e-r” for the first time.
Years later, Elizabeth wrote a poem in which she tries to explain her daily battle:
Me Revisited
by Elizabeth M. Bonker
I can’t sit still.
What’s wrong with me?
My body is doing things I can’t explain.
My dignity I am trying to maintain.
People stare at me
When I rock and shake.
I don’t know how much
More I can take.
So much to deal with
Going on inside me.
I wish I could get better.
I want to be set free
From my silent cage.
11% Elizabeth’s autism has been a barrier and a connector as well. In many ways, I am connected with her more deeply because of her autism. What thirteen-year-old goes for walks in the woods with her mom? Elizabeth has taught me, words are not needed.
22% The autism journey is an emotional roller coaster of hard decisions. We hear about a promising new treatment and have to decide whether it is worth the risk. The data may say that it only helps a small percentage of children, but if it helps Elizabeth, that’s all that matters. With the hard decisions of starting treatments comes the hard decision of stopping those treatments.
25% In our autism journey, I see it as a sign of great integrity when a doctor tells us, “I don’t know.” Elizabeth is on the road to recovery, but the road is long and winding. Unlike with other ailments, the autism road is not paved or well traveled with the proven treatment options clearly marked. Maybe someday science will catch-up.
< My Thoughts >
Reading all of Elizabeth’s poems will help you understand how truly amazing and insightful she is. I hope you will take the opportunity to find the book and read each one of her beautiful poems.
End of excerpts from this book by E.M. Bonker & V.G. Breen.
Thank you for reading and sharing my BLOGs. Comments are welcomed, to be viewed and answered privately. My goal is to assist families, clinicians, educators, and all people ‘autism’, to continue their journey on the Autism Highway. At the end of each website Extended Book Review, please find a source to have the whole book to read.
Regards,
Sara Luker
Paid Link Disclosure -
These Extended Book Reviews have an Amazon Link for actual book purchases. Please read this Paid Link Disclosure AKA Affiliate Links Disclosure:
Sometimes there are paid links, also known as affiliate links, used on this site. My website, www.sarasautismsite.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I may earn or receive a small paid commission from referrals for book purchases made through posts, pages, and links on this site. But I try to remain unbiased and I do not accept paid reviews. All opinions expressed here are my own.
There is no extra cost to you when purchases are made using the provided links. By using the links I provide you agree that you’ve read this paid link disclosure statement.
Thank you!
Sara Luker
4% Beauty bursts forth in the most unexpected places. Tiny flowers push their way through cracks in the asphalt of city streets. And often we glide past these quiet miracles without paying them much heed.
But I can’t anymore, because I live with one of those miracles: my thirteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. She is profoundly affected by autism and cannot speak. Yet she has summoned the courage to remain optimistic. She has shattered the silence of autism and found an escape from its shackles in the beauty of her poetry. Her poetry tells us about the inner world of autism and shines a light on the world around us.
5% When I asked Elizabeth how she wanted to introduce her book, she wrote:
Book Introduction
by Elizabeth M. Bonker
I want people to find peace in my book.
I want them to read my prayers
with understanding. Be at peace.
God loves you.
As usual, her words are better than mine and for that reason we have put all of Elizabeth’s writings in boldface so you can easily pick them out.
< My Thoughts > “Be at peace. God loves you.”
Some children on the autism spectrum talk about their love of God, angels, and praying, or other spiritual connections. This has always piqued my curiosity because many of these believers do not come from a family that has ever visited a place of worship, and they may not even be aware of the child’s faith.
9% You may wonder how such a young girl with autism and unable to speak found a way to communicate at all, much less with poetry. Seven years ago, in our desperation to connect with Elizabeth, we traveled to Austin, Texas, to see Soma Mukhopadhyay, who had taught her own son, Tito, to “write” by pointing out letters arranged alphabetically on a piece of laminated paper; commonly referred to as a “letterboard”.
< My Thoughts > "...found a way to communicate..."
From Soma’s HALO website – http://www.halo-soma.org. –
“Soma raised and taught her severely autistic (non-verbal) son Tito (who is now an adult) with little professional guidance. Although Soma held advanced degrees in chemistry, she had no formal training in autism before having her son.”
Note: For further information on ‘Rapid Prompting Method’, go to MENU for – Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Read online here, under – UNIT 7 – 0 Who May Help? UNIT 7– 7 CAMs, Section 7: CAMs Complementary & Alternative Medicine, PART 4 – 8. facilitated communication. Also, there is an Extended Book Review to read on this website about Soma and her son Tito in How Can I Talk If My Lips Don’t Move?: Inside My Autistic Mind by Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay.
10% When Elizabeth finally learned to compose complete sentences, one of her first was, “I finally got to talk.” It represented the end of years of tantrum-filled lonesome isolation. For me, it was an intense moment of both joy and heartbreak. It was like Helen Keller’s signing “w-a-t-e-r” for the first time.
Years later, Elizabeth wrote a poem in which she tries to explain her daily battle:
Me Revisited
by Elizabeth M. Bonker
I can’t sit still.
What’s wrong with me?
My body is doing things I can’t explain.
My dignity I am trying to maintain.
People stare at me
When I rock and shake.
I don’t know how much
More I can take.
So much to deal with
Going on inside me.
I wish I could get better.
I want to be set free
From my silent cage.
11% Elizabeth’s autism has been a barrier and a connector as well. In many ways, I am connected with her more deeply because of her autism. What thirteen-year-old goes for walks in the woods with her mom? Elizabeth has taught me, words are not needed.
22% The autism journey is an emotional roller coaster of hard decisions. We hear about a promising new treatment and have to decide whether it is worth the risk. The data may say that it only helps a small percentage of children, but if it helps Elizabeth, that’s all that matters. With the hard decisions of starting treatments comes the hard decision of stopping those treatments.
25% In our autism journey, I see it as a sign of great integrity when a doctor tells us, “I don’t know.” Elizabeth is on the road to recovery, but the road is long and winding. Unlike with other ailments, the autism road is not paved or well traveled with the proven treatment options clearly marked. Maybe someday science will catch-up.
< My Thoughts >
Reading all of Elizabeth’s poems will help you understand how truly amazing and insightful she is. I hope you will take the opportunity to find the book and read each one of her beautiful poems.
End of excerpts from this book by E.M. Bonker & V.G. Breen.
Thank you for reading and sharing my BLOGs. Comments are welcomed, to be viewed and answered privately. My goal is to assist families, clinicians, educators, and all people ‘autism’, to continue their journey on the Autism Highway. At the end of each website Extended Book Review, please find a source to have the whole book to read.
Regards,
Sara Luker
Paid Link Disclosure -
These Extended Book Reviews have an Amazon Link for actual book purchases. Please read this Paid Link Disclosure AKA Affiliate Links Disclosure:
Sometimes there are paid links, also known as affiliate links, used on this site. My website, www.sarasautismsite.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I may earn or receive a small paid commission from referrals for book purchases made through posts, pages, and links on this site. But I try to remain unbiased and I do not accept paid reviews. All opinions expressed here are my own.
There is no extra cost to you when purchases are made using the provided links. By using the links I provide you agree that you’ve read this paid link disclosure statement.
Thank you!
Sara Luker
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