Looking After Louis

Ely, Lesley. Looking After Louis. First. London, England:
Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2004.

Placed in a elementary school class, Looking After Louis follows a classmate of an autistic child as they interact with in the class. Louis is a student with autism, who is continually doing activities, as well as expressing behaviors in class that are very different from the other classmates. It is his desire to play soccer at recess that comes as a welcomed surprise to his teachers, as well as a learning experience for the narrator of the story.

Over all, I feel this is a really good resource to use in a classroom, especially one in which their may be a child with autism. Not only does it shed an encouraging light on inclusion in classrooms, but is also features a message for all readers. Also, a psychologist wrote a short section at the end of the book which includes information specifically about autism,along with specific characteristics, and an explanation for Louis's placement in a general education room. There are also suggestions for teachers with a student with autism in their classroom at the conclusion of the book. Another wonderful aspect of the book is that the setting is at a school, but because of how the illustrations are matched with the literature, the setting is less likely to be dated any time soon, so it could be used for years to come. Furthermore, according to the author's biography in the beginning of the book, the characters in the book are based off of students that she had in the past (as she was an English teacher) which makes a lot of sense when considering the placement of the story.

So many parents are concerned with the education of their student, let alone a students with autism. Finding the appropriate resources for their families, as well as making sure the child reaches all potential academically and otherwise is very important. Therefore, when going through the articles on the Autism Today website, I found the information in "Combating Autism" very interesting and helpful in developing my respect for families, as well as for teachers who are working to provide as much help as possible for this growing disability. This relates and compliments the comments at the be back of the book, which focused on helping parents, teachers, as well as other students understand and deal with autism.