Regarding education and friendship, significant learning is not able to develop without meaningful relationships. This idea is prevalent in Rules, a novel by Cynthia Lord. Rules tells the story of twelve-year-old Catherine and her struggle to find a balance between caring for her brother David, who has autism, and discovering her place in life. Preteen Catherine yearns for a “normal” life; one that doesn’t include frequently babysitting her brother and one not worrying about other people’s judgments of her family. Rules prove to be important in her family, as shown by Catherine, as she creates a set of rules for her brother that exceed the average house rules, such as “no taking off your pants.” After befriending a boy named Jason, who uses
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Throughout the story Catherine overcomes her fears of being viewed differently, and she finds a balance between being a sister to David, and establishing her own identity. This novel challenges the idea of what makes a family or a person “normal.” The author attempts to bring down the barrier between most typical families, and those who are seemingly different.
The author, who has a son who has autism, wrote the book in attempt to show inclusivity in literature. After coming home from school, her daughter would ask why authors never showed families like her in stories. Cynthia Lord knew that it was time to showcase the diversity in what is means to be “normal” and display a family similar to hers, in hopes other kids could relate. In the novel, the different ways the character’s use language and communicate evolve and form an imperative theme in Rules. Two of the main characters, the brother David, and the friend Jason, have distinct barriers with communicating. David, who has autism, has trouble forming his own opinions and feelings into original phrases, while Jason, who cannot communicate verbally, only communicate by pointing to the word cards he carries around with him. …show more content…
It displays the need for communication about the differences between people. Although this book can help inform teaching or students about kids with disabilities, there needs to be a discussion behind it as well. The book alone isn’t a good enough measure to explain special needs or inclusion. By challenging the notion of normal, and contributing to the idea behind what it means to be a friend, Rules does a sufficient job in setting the stage for a discussion about inclusion. It reiterates the idea that everyone learns and communicates in different ways. Additionally, it is helpful in explaining differences to kids and showing that being different is ok, because everyone is unique. It can be used to show inclusion and adaptation. Rules connects to Heward’s article What’s in a Name, which reinforces the idea that labels aren’t necessarily bad, it is how they are said and used that make them negative. In the novel, Catherine’s new neighbor’s word choice that makes her come across as judgmental and snobby. Social problems are reflected in the way that people speak, and it is the language that she uses that makes other characters uneasy and creates conflict. One way that people can dissolve conflict and make everyone more included and less individualized is to say “has” rather than “is.” This simple swap in words can make someone who has a disability feel less
Throughout the story Catherine overcomes her fears of being viewed differently, and she finds a balance between being a sister to David, and establishing her own identity. This novel challenges the idea of what makes a family or a person “normal.” The author attempts to bring down the barrier between most typical families, and those who are seemingly different.
The author, who has a son who has autism, wrote the book in attempt to show inclusivity in literature. After coming home from school, her daughter would ask why authors never showed families like her in stories. Cynthia Lord knew that it was time to showcase the diversity in what is means to be “normal” and display a family similar to hers, in hopes other kids could relate. In the novel, the different ways the character’s use language and communicate evolve and form an imperative theme in Rules. Two of the main characters, the brother David, and the friend Jason, have distinct barriers with communicating. David, who has autism, has trouble forming his own opinions and feelings into original phrases, while Jason, who cannot communicate verbally, only communicate by pointing to the word cards he carries around with him. …show more content…
It displays the need for communication about the differences between people. Although this book can help inform teaching or students about kids with disabilities, there needs to be a discussion behind it as well. The book alone isn’t a good enough measure to explain special needs or inclusion. By challenging the notion of normal, and contributing to the idea behind what it means to be a friend, Rules does a sufficient job in setting the stage for a discussion about inclusion. It reiterates the idea that everyone learns and communicates in different ways. Additionally, it is helpful in explaining differences to kids and showing that being different is ok, because everyone is unique. It can be used to show inclusion and adaptation. Rules connects to Heward’s article What’s in a Name, which reinforces the idea that labels aren’t necessarily bad, it is how they are said and used that make them negative. In the novel, Catherine’s new neighbor’s word choice that makes her come across as judgmental and snobby. Social problems are reflected in the way that people speak, and it is the language that she uses that makes other characters uneasy and creates conflict. One way that people can dissolve conflict and make everyone more included and less individualized is to say “has” rather than “is.” This simple swap in words can make someone who has a disability feel less