There's a Boy in Here - Hardcover

Barron, Judy; Barron, Sean

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671761110 ISBN 13: 9780671761110

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1992

Synopsis

A mother tells how she ignored doctors' predictions about her son's fate and fought against autism to miraculously "reach" her son, who, now a recovered adult, recounts his own perceptions of his childhood. 30,000 first printing. Tour.

About this title

About the Author:

Judy Barron lives in the Pocono Mountain region of Pennsylvania with her husband. She is a lyricist and writer who divides her time between writing children’s songs and books, and painting floor cloths and faux finishes.

Sean Barron is a very interesting and intelligent young man who has faced the challenge of autism. He and his mother wrote an insightful book on their lives together. There’s a Boy in Here has won many accolades for offering the unique perspectives of two people who look at the same world but see and feel entirely different things. Mr. Barron has progressed to the point that it is difficult to even realize that he once was truly impacted by autism/Asperger’s Syndrome. He is now a freelance writer, lives independently, and recently co-authored Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships with Dr. Temple Grandin. Sean is a graduate of Youngstown State University, and works as a reporter for the Youngstown Vindicator. He’s pursuing a second degree in journalism.

From Kirkus Reviews:

An unusual point/counterpoint journal by a mother and her son, chronicling the painful years the son suffered from autism and his remarkable recovery. Rob and Judy Barron's first child was born autistic. From infancy, Sean was totally unresponsive to direction and affection. He was also hyperactive, destructive, and full of rage. In her frustration and bewilderment, Judy responded by screaming, threatening, and spanking. When the Barrons finally sought help, the professionals argued what was then the party line about childhood autism: that it was caused by ``refrigerator parents,'' especially an unfeeling mother. (Current thinking is that the cause is probably biochemical.) Medication, behavior modification, and institutionalization were recommended. The Barrons eventually tried all three but preferred having Sean at home. Both parents believed that behind the bizarre behavior was a terrified but normal child. Although age and academic success--he was able to attend public school--modulated Sean's behavior, it was not until he was 17 that the real Sean emerged. He graduated from high school, went on to college, and is now living on his own, with a responsible job. Sean's story is told in stereo, through interspersed paragraphs by mother and son. Judy is heroically honest about her own lack of control. Sean, whose memories go back to toddlerhood, makes clear how pleased he was by repetition--e.g., switching lights on and off; how angry he got when his arbitrary ``rules'' were violated; and how frightened he became when a comfortable pattern--for instance, the order of school buses lined up at the end of the day- -was disturbed. What cured him? It's not clear: perhaps his mother's bulldog determination that he could be rescued, the shock of puberty, some reconnected neurons--or a combination of all three. This book offers hope but no plan for reclaiming other autistic lives. Notable for its window into the thoughts and feelings of an autistic child--and for its gratifyingly happy ending. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0671761110
• ISBN 13: 9780671761110
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 264