Just Give Him the Whale!: 20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students with Autism

by Paula Kluth, Patrick Schwarz

SAVE when you ! When learners with autism have deep, consuming fascinations—trains, triangles, basketballs, whales—teachers often wonder what to do. This concise, highly practical guidebook gives educators across grade levels a powerful new way to think about students' "obsessions": as positive teaching tools that calm, motivate, and improve learning. Written by top autism experts and nationally renowned speakers Paula Kluth and Patrick Schwarz, this guide is brimming with easy tips and strategies for folding students' special interests, strengths, and areas of expertise into classroom lessons and routines. Teachers will discover how making the most of fascinations can help their students Just Give Him the Whale ! is packed from start to finish with unforgettable stories based on the authors' experience, firsthand perspectives from people with autism themselves, research-based recommendations that are easy to use right away, and sample forms teachers can adapt for use in their own classrooms. An enjoyable read with an eye-opening message, this short book will have a long-lasting impact on teachers' understanding of autism—and on their students' social and academic success.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Education, Nonfiction, Parenting, Psychology

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2008

Reviews

[Beck Sanchez]

Gosh, this book was both so invigorating to read as I envisioned all the possibilities of utilizing passions AND it was such an emotional experience. I'll elaborate in a bit. I wanted to take notes on the ideas expressed but I just flew through the book and never wanted to pause for even a second to pull myself away from it.

It makes me emotional to think about how life-changing this book would be if well-intentioned public school teachers working with autistic students read it. It's such a quick and simple and yet thorough read that I imagine it wouldn't take a lot to do (I know we all have so much going on). I think about the brilliant and amazing autistic kids I work with and how their passions and joys are mesmerizing and how I want so desperately for them to be perceived as the intelligent beings they are and to feel this way about themselves and be able to be empowered. I myself have pondered how academics can be taught to autistic students who are often labeled as "rigid" in their focus and this book answered every uncertainty I held even though I knew most of it and it feels a bit like common sense.

I truly loved how the author spoke about educating the people in the autist's life about the joy and satisfaction that fascinations can bring, even if their obscurity can seem to not have a "purpose" or "function". It's enough for interests to just amuse, delight, or bring joy!

And I felt emotional in how the author of this book talks about autistic individuals, as these highly sensitive and creative beings. I saw myself in it and how my passion for my work really does "make my life worth living" as the last section states about autistic passions and fascinations. I think about the joy and fulfillment I find in coming up with and noticing creative ways of engaging children while utilizing their passions.

This book is autistic empowerment.

[Lauren Ellzey]

An absolute must-read for anyone who has the joyful opportunity and inclusion responsibility of educating autistic students. As an autistic person myself, and an educator, I strongly believe in the methods and mindsets that Kluth and Schwarz spell out so clearly throughout this easy-to-read guide. While educators may feel that the content is a touch too elementary school, the content is easily adaptable to middle and high school; any lack of applicability only goes so far as the secondary educator is tied down to traditional practices. This a transformative book about embracing special interests, and it belongs in the hands of every educator who is ready to part ways with what will never work in order to embrace a truly inclusive future.

(Note: Some of the language in the book is not 'up-to-date,' but given that this was written in 2008 and that the content of the book is on point, I encourage readers to give grace to where outdated language is used.)

[Susan]

I LOVED this book! I do wish all the educators of kids with ASD were required to read it. I think it would spark a great discussion about how we educate our kids. Sure, direct instruction is sometimes needed, but I wonder if this approach would reduce meltdowns and tantrums. Sure, it would take a great deal of creativity on the parts of teachers and related service providers, but it would reduce the number of demands placed on a child. Not that all demands are bad, but when a child has no choice in his day, it's a sad state of affairs.

[Julie]

A great resource for families and therapists who love and work with children with autism. Much for the book was geared toward school-age kiddos, but I plan to keep much of the dynamic information in the forefront of my mind when working with my littles.

[Marcia]

This was a good read for parents of a new diagnosed child, but not really informational for an educator.

[Erin]

Good premise, mediocre execution. Poor language choices and autistic voices were noticeably missing.

[Annette Varcoe]

Excellent book for those who work with autism across a wide variety of settings...I highly recommend.

[Rachel]

This book was recommended to me by the Autism Awareness Centre. I went to a seminar and the book looks really good.
here

I also saw it on the chapters.ca site for cheaper but they aren't releasing it until July 2008.

[Michelle]

Seeing as I get an increase of kids with autism in my classroom, I am trying to increase my knowledge base on how I can effectively teach these students. I attended a seminar last school year and was referenced to this book as well as one other. I'm learning that sometimes it's ok to perseverate on certain interests when it can be used to help a student.