Why Johnny Doesn't Flap: NT is OK!

Here’s a very smart picture book about Autism Spectrum Disorder.

 

Instead of the usual format of such books, which feature a “normal” narrator talking about a person with autism, this story flips that convention 180 degrees and is instead told by a boy with autism relating the challenges of being friends with Johnny, who is neurotypical (non-autistic).   For example, “Johnny doesn’t have a topic that he knows everything about,” says our narrator, “like World War II or dinosaurs or hydraulic forklifts.  I try to share in-depth information with him, but he seems uninterested.  He may never be a real expert at anything.”  But still, the narrator assures us, “he is a good person, so that’s OK.”

 

This book offers a great new angle on an important subject.