Sand in My Sandwich

Sarah Parshall Perry has written a memoir describing her life with her two autistic sons and her neurotypical daughter. This was an intriguing book to read because I know parents of autistic children, I have an autistic nephew, and I have known some autistic people.

What I have brought away from reading this book is that there is no manual for raising children, but even more so for raising autistic children. One of the more poignant things that Sarah has said in this book is that if you've met an autistic child, you've met ONE autistic child. There is no "typical" autistic child, each one exhibits his brain synapses differently. I have a friend with seven children, three with sensory processing disorders (but not the same ones), two with autism, and these five neuro-differences encompass only three of her children. One thing that my friend is vocal about is that autistic behavior is not always a spoiled child acting out, it is a matter of sensory overload and the inability to process what all the senses are saying. Sarah Perry says this too.

At one time, autism was a rare and baffling condition, but now, while it's still baffling, it's not rare, about 1% of all children have some form of autism. With no known cause, there is no known cure--not that an autistic child needs to be cured, but it is in some cases a debilitating disease that prevents the sufferer from having a normal life or even normal human interaction. I have a degree in Elementary Education which means I don't know much about a lot of subjects, and what little I do know is incomplete. I thank Sarah for writing this book that gives a glimpse into her day-to-day life with two autistic children, and into her desire to raise them to be followers of God. It's a hard thing she does, even with the help of her husband and I hope that her children will rise up and call her blessed.

For mothers everywhere, this is a five star book!

I thank Revell for allowing me to read and review this book. You have done a great service by publishing it.