Explores such learning disabilities as dyslexia, dyspraxia, and attention deficit disorder, describing symptoms and how people live with learning disabilities.
Grade 6-10-Edwards defines autism and outlines theories of its causes and current treatments. Separate chapters deal with this disorder in children and adults. One chapter describes Asperger's syndrome and the autistic savant, citing stories of famous people such as Glenn Gould. Girod describes four major types of learning disabilities and includes discussions on diagnosis, coping with a learning disability, and current controversies. There is a vague reference to "a federal law" of 1969 but little else about the legal ramifications of being diagnosed with this type of disability. Some success stories, including Cher's overcoming her inability to read songs and scripts, are included. The black-and-white photos scattered throughout both books are functional. Elizabeth Russell Connelly's A World Upside Down and Backwards (Chelsea, 2001), which covers reading and learning disorders, is better organized and contains more engaging photos.
Linda Beck, Indian Valley Public Library, Telford, PA Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Reviewed with Michele Engel Edwards'
Autism.
Gr. 7-9. These titles in the Diseases and Disorders series offer thorough discussions of two of the most familiar brain dysfunctions. In Autism, Edwards describes the causes, symptoms, and treatment of autism, which affects half a million Americans, mostly male. She also discusses educational options for autistic children and programs that have proven successful with adults. In Learning Disabilities, Girod introduces types of learning difficulties, describes how they are diagnosed, and relates some coping strategies that have provided favorable results. She introduces several prominent adults who have learning disabilities and describes some of the controversies (e.g., the validity of intelligence testing) surrounding them. Captioned photos and diagrams illustrate each book, and both volumes have source notes, a list of organizations and Web sites, and a bibliography that will be useful for report writers, debaters, and parents of children diagnosed with these dysfunctions. Kay Weisman
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