Edition Pictures

Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism
$15.00
Many useful insights about children with autism, recommendations and suggestions of programs here, but I think the book oversteps. It seemed rather audacious to specify fields appropriate for people with various thinking patterns and skills. That is a highly complex subject that didn't seem appropriate for a work such as this--basically a description of the author's own unusual experience.

I attributed the flat writing style to the author's condition and looked past that, but had trouble getting past all the bragging about successes, accomplishments and abilities. Overcoming various difficulties is certainly something to be proud of, and maybe it was just presentation style, but I tired of the repetitive discussions of superiority over colleagues and others in the field of animal management.

The author's experience may not be as unique as she'd like to think. Her situation may be complicated by her more limited ability to communicate what she sees, however, and I can understand that. In my experience, many, many people 'think in pictures', myself included, and yes, it's often hard to describe the pictured solution to a problem verbally to others whether you are autistic or not. The best take-away here is the realization that the human brain has vast circuitry that allows for all different sorts of thinking patterns. Recognizing that others don't necessarily 'see' what we see, opens a huge door to learn from them and share our own insights in a way that gets our vision across. Quite possibly, for those with autism, this is a one-way street, which makes it extra important for others to provide more sensitivity and flexibility in the communication department.

I found the second half of the book more readable and useful--the part suggesting books, programs and teaching methods that had proven successful with children diagnosed with various levels of autism. I felt I understood autism better for having read the book, but do worry that the spectrum has become so broad that too many children are being labeled thus, when in fact they are simply less social and more creative than the average person. Isn't it dangerous to assume everyone who is somewhat different from the norm has some condition?

Dumbo and Timothy Mouse Walt Disney Limited Edition Animation Cel, Framed
$354.95
I had always wanted to pick something like this up for my wife and when I saw these go on sale on amazon I gave it a shot. First, there are 2 pieces to this item. 1) The sericel is a transparent sheet with dumbo and the mouse painted as described. 2) The background is a laser jet color printout of a background.

I was disappointed that the background looked like something I could print off at home as opposed to something more special. That said, once the item is framed I think that it will look very nice.

Cinco Monitos Brincando en la Cama/Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (Five Little Monkeys Picture Books) (Spanish Edition)
$5.95
Got it for my two year old son and soon became a favorite for everybody. We are raising him bilingual and, unlike other books we have got, the words were carefully chosen to have the same simple lines, fun history in both English and Spanish. Beware... your kid will also want to jump on the bed, though ;-)

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions) [Blu-ray]
$99.98
people! dont buy the theatrical versions...of course there great(its lord of the rings)! but when you experience the extended versions the story is broader..more details and even new characters!
THE LORD OF THE RINGS are my favorite films and trust me the extended versions are INCREDIBLE AND WAY EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1