|
Post by greer on Sept 14, 2011 2:06:47 GMT -5
^That freaked me out too. I envisioned it as a cold metal machine that would literally trap Susan in its grasp for whatever duration it was set to? That sounds so wrong and I'm sure (hope) that is far from the actual case. Definitely scary and could have been better explained. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hug_machineThey made a movie last year with Claire Danes about the woman, Temple Grandin, who invented it.
|
|
|
Post by booboobrewer on Sept 14, 2011 8:36:58 GMT -5
Yeah, it was a great movie!
|
|
|
Post by zoar3 on Sept 14, 2011 11:05:36 GMT -5
Thanks for the info and link Greer.
|
|
|
Post by virgoscorpio on Mar 12, 2012 21:29:50 GMT -5
I always skip this book because of its subject but I re-read it again yesterday and enjoyed it. When I was 13 myself, I babysat for an autistic boy and his older sister. He was in senior kindergarten at the time and was still in diapers. I remember one time he shat himself and smeared it all over the walls and their SHAG carpet (the worst!) and I ended up getting a 25 cent tip - haha. But he was a bit different than Susan. He was affectionate and you could touch him. One night he even signed "I love you" to me and it made my heart melt. His family loved him a lot and his older sister was very good with him. He knew sign language, and I learned some too, and when I still babysat him they were setting him up with one-on-one care. He went to a regular school, though, so Kristy would have been pleased (haha).
I enjoyed the Hobart subplot but think the fact that they got so ridiculed was a bit unlikely. Where I come from, in Canada at least, Australian accents are adored. Stoneybrook can be such a great town but at the same time it can be a small, mean old town, too.
I thought it was sad how David Michael and Susan stopped playing together as kids. I wonder what happened there (from the parent's perspective). Maybe they just drifted away?
|
|
celaeno
Sitting For The Papadakis's
I have to share a room with Vanessa
Posts: 1,514
|
Post by celaeno on Mar 12, 2012 22:05:56 GMT -5
^Yeah, one of my least favorite aspects of the books is how AMM and the ghostwriters gave completely unrealistic views of prejudice in US suburbs - the Jessi example is discussed to death, and the example of the Hobarts in this book is even more ridiculous. Why do the ghostwriters think that kids would actually be like "OMG, those new kids have Australian accents??? SHUN THE FREAKS!!!" When I was around that age, we had a couple kids from other English speaking countries (like Australia, and England, etc) in my grade and the result was completely opposite from this book. Kids usually thought the new kids' accents were cool, and lots of kids wanted to be friends with the cool new international kid. I have this nagging suspicion that AMM wanted to be viewed as totally unracist and openminded, so she just made all the 'bad' characters irrationally racist and prejudiced so she would look good in comparison.
|
|
supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
|
Post by supprazz on Mar 13, 2012 7:40:59 GMT -5
virgo: it sounds like that boy may have been high functioning on the autism spectrum and/or PDD maybe? He sounds sweet. David Michael and Susan probably drifted away cause of Susan no longer being able to connect with her peers and by the time she came back, he lived at Watson's. I know Canadians are kinder to those from the UK and Australia than Americans though I know not all are like that. Maybe it has to do with the same monarchy, eh?
|
|
|
Post by virgoscorpio on Mar 13, 2012 8:36:17 GMT -5
Yeah, it might! Either way, Stoneybrook kids take things to the extremes -- either too nice or too mean!
|
|
starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
|
Post by starrynight on Mar 28, 2012 12:09:40 GMT -5
I never really though about it, but you guys are right; it IS a little weird that the Hobarts got so much grief because they were from Australia. Maybe it's a small town thing? Here in Seattle, we get a lot of international students from all over the world. No one really cares one way or another.
|
|
supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
|
Post by supprazz on Mar 29, 2012 23:52:42 GMT -5
Or it could be like people not understanding the culture of people who grew up in other states, cities or towns of the same country, like the in the show Suburgatory , or Tai in Clueless going to Beverly Hills from Brooklyn
|
|
|
Post by Honeybee on Apr 5, 2012 3:48:46 GMT -5
So, I looked up what the hugging machine look like. To me, it looks like their squishing the person instead of hugging them. That's my theory. The machine looks creepy to me.
|
|
|
Post by wenonah4th on Apr 13, 2012 13:57:42 GMT -5
Temple Grandin came up witht eh squeee machine. Certainly odd looking but it met her needs/
|
|
supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
|
Post by supprazz on Jul 17, 2012 2:21:41 GMT -5
Has anyone here worked with autistic kids? I'm considering it in the future
|
|
|
Post by zoar3 on Jul 17, 2012 8:49:53 GMT -5
I taught one boy who was dealing with some degree of autism. He did speak, have a couple friends, and was much more actively into being around people than Susan seemed to be. While he as at the preschool I worked at, I remember myself and another teacher would walk him over a couple blocks to some sort of center where he worked with a counselor. Aw, I can clearly picture him now. He used to love Grape Otter Pops, of all things and playing running/climbing on slide games at our center.
|
|
sarish
Sitting For The Papadakis's
Posts: 1,618
|
Post by sarish on Jul 17, 2012 12:30:29 GMT -5
I am currently working with two twin boys with autism. They are about 8 years old in age. Ask them anything about trains and they can tell you. They are fascinated with them and talk/draw/build them continuously. I technically work with preschool aged children right now, however when the 'big kids' from the camp come back from the field trips I work with them also. The autistic twins are quick to tell stories (some of which are not true - like one said he put his hand in the water at a pond and an alligator was staring at him - on one of the field trips), hard to get their attention at most times, and really seem to be like my preschoolers rather than 8 year olds. Everyday they ask the same questions of me (whether they can play with the balls on my side of the building and everyday the answer is no - they will ask me at least 10 times). Regardless of their eccentricities they are some of the sweetest boys I know and have both taken to not leaving for the day unless they give me a hug - which I find funny since I'm the only ones they do this with and I am also the most strict with them. I make them clean up after themselves and treat them like I do any other child. Maybe that's why they respect and want to be around me so much.
|
|
oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,263
|
Post by oldhickory on Jul 17, 2012 13:00:31 GMT -5
^ to both of you, that sounds like an incredibly rewarding job. no wonder kristy wanted in on it :]
i read an article this morning about a seven-year-old girl with autism who climbed onto the ac unit in the window when her mom was in the other room, and she ended up falling three stories. her neighbor caught her, but how scary is it to think that you can't even step out of the room to go to the bathroom or make a snack. if my future kids turn out to have any disabilities, i would still love them so much, but i could see how easy it would be to feel overwhelmed. even kids without complications can be overwhelming. i guess i knew that all along but reading that article reminded me how difficult that must be. i really feel for the felders.
|
|