Uniquely Wired – Book Review

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As some of you know, my oldest child displays somewhat mild social and emotional behaviors that place him on the Autism Spectrum. To a casual observer, you may not think there is anything abnormal about him, which is what makes Autism such a tricky phenomenon. To be honest, we have never had a conversation with him to explain his differences and what makes him slightly unique from his peers. He is aware of his issues, but we’ve never sat down and said, “You are autistic. That’s why you struggle.”

The icebreaker for that conversation is now in my hands. I received a copy of Uniquely Wired, A Story about Autism and Its Gifts by Julia Cook to review. I jumped on this offer because I can relate so personally to this topic.

Uniquely Wired is written from the perspective of a little boy named, Zak. Zak guides us through many of his unique behaviors with vivid explanations as to why he thinks or does the things he does. Zak explains that he doesn’t like loud noises, a common trait of Autistic children, because it floods his brain all at once. He explains that his arm flapping helps him organize his thoughts. He even says that he loves to hear himself talk and often he becomes “like a word copy machine” because he often copies words he hears other speak.

Throughout the book, everyone who observes Zak’s behaviors comes up with a positive learning experience for themselves. They say things like, “Because of Zak, we’re able to feel the air against our skin, organize our brains and get some great exercise! Thank you, Zak, for sharing your gift with us!” Instead of seeing Zak’s behavior as annoyances or detriments, this book encourages readers to see the characteristic Autistic behaviors as gifts; Gifts that we can learn from and enjoy.

The last page of the book is a list of 9 tips for understanding children with Autism, who are uniquely wired. It’s a great list of ideas and explanations. I think my favorite of the 9 tips is “Every behavior has a purpose.” As a parent of a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, it’s easy to be aggravated with the repetitive actions, constant talking, or even the frustration he feels when things are loud and he’s trying to focus on a task. What a great reminder that all of his behaviors serve a purpose in how his brain and his body are responding and organizing themselves for action!

I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to review this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is trying to understand a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder or even to help a child on the spectrum understand that they aren’t alone in their uniqueness. There are other children around them that think and feel a lot of the same things that they do. This book would also be a great resource for teachers to be reminded that each of their students are unique and have different gifts that we can learn from and celebrate.