Cynthia Lord– “Rules”

1. Cynthia Lord– “Rules” Little Read 2013

2. The Little Read • The Little Read is an elementary education community-wide reading initiative of L-R University’s Visiting Writers Series “In Their Own Words.” • “It is designed to provide quality literature for classroom use and to involve in meaningful ways parents and other community members in the educational process.”

3. Cynthia Lord • Born in New Hampshire and lived beside a lake. She and her sister played there year-round. • First work of fiction she ever wrote was a ghost story in high school, but she scared herself to death doing it, and NEVER finished it! • Attended the University of New Hampshire and was an Education Major • Married, with 2 children (Julia who’s 22 & Gregory who’s 20) Julia is a librarian! • Lives in Maine now near the coast • Was a classroom teacher and taught 1st grade & 6th grade

4. More about Cynthia Lord • She gets up every morning between 3:30 and 4:00 AM, turns on her coffee maker and then sits down at her desk to write her thoughts. It’s her quiet time. • “On my desk, I keep a dictionary, a grammar book, books of photographs, a field guide of animals and plants, and other reference books, as well as objects and pictures from my settings”. • “On top of my computer monitor, I keep one object from each book I’ve worked on:  a doll’s teacup for RULES, a toy lobster boat for TOUCH BLUE, and a moose for the book I’m working on now”. • “Stuck to the front of my monitor is a fortune from a fortune cookie.  “Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded.”  I taped it to my monitor as a joke, but then I sold my first book right afterward, and now I’m afraid to take it off!”  • “I have a note that tells the themes of the book I’m currently working on.  Every chapter, I look up at that note and make sure I am writing about those themes”. 

5. Things Cynthia Lord Learned… Books can never have enough conflict! Books need a bully….(Ryan) because they are always around so don’t pretend they aren’t Sometimes had to write 2 chapters in a day because of the editors changes and deadlines Had to leave friend in the book (Melissa)…even though she didn’t play a major part because you always need someone who knows your story so you don’t have to explain everything to. Originally had Melissa in the book more, about 8 pages single spaced….but had to take out because with her there, there wasn’t a chance for conflict Deleted entire book file and started over because she didn’t want to copy and paste. She was afraid she would miss a detail and something wouldn’t make sense. When you write….you need to know what you are writing about. She rolled around a suitcase in a parking lot to see how it would feel to push someone in a wheelchair. Overall prevailing theme of the book…..FAIR DOESN’T MEAN EQUAL!

6. Rules • Rules is her first novel and she began writing it in 2000 and took almost a year to write • Setting: Maine • Characters: Catherine is based on daughter Julia, David is based on her son Gregory, and Jason. • Wrote the book based loosely on her own children because at 10 years old, Julia asked why no family in a book was like hers • Also wrote to share how family life is when you have a child with a disability: “the happy moments, the heartbreaking ones, the ones that make me laugh” • Some things in the book came from real experiences, for example Gregory always threw toys in their fish tank (it was always people) and he loved hearing stories of Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel just like David does in the book • She gave each chapter of the book a “social rule” for David instead of giving it chapter numbers (may be helpful to number them)

7. As we read Rules • David’s and Jason’s disabilities are never said in the book, why? • book is written in 1st person by Catherine who doesn’t know what Jason has and doesn’t want to tell what her brother has • What is David’s disability? • Autism –Every day, our brains interpret (understand) the things we see, smell, hear, taste, touch, and experience. But when someone's brain has trouble interpreting these things, it can make it hard to talk, listen, understand, play, and learn. • A kid's symptoms could be very mild, severe, or somewhere in the middle. For example, some kids might be upset by too many noises or sounds that are too loud. Kids who have milder symptoms don't mind loud noises so much. (Gregory still wears earphones) • Kids with autism often can't make connections that other kids make easily. For example, when people smile, you know they feel happy or friendly; when people look mad, you can tell by their face or their voice. But many kids who have autism have trouble understanding what emotions look like and what another person is thinking. They might act in a way that seems unusual, and it can be hard to understand why they're doing it.

8. What is Autism? A kid with autism might: • Have trouble learning the meaning of words • do the same thing over and over, like saying the same word • move his or her arms or body in a certain way • have trouble adjusting to changes (like trying new foods, having a substitute teacher, or having toys moved from their usual places) • Imagine trying to understand what your teacher is saying if you didn't know what her words really mean. It is even more frustrating if a kid can't come up with the right words to express his or her own thoughts, or tell a parent what he or she needs or wants. Sometimes this can make a kid very upset and frustrated. • Some issues — like not wanting to try new foods or not wanting anyone to move your toys — affect lots of kids, not just those who have autism. But kids with these disorders have more trouble "growing out of it" and learning to handle stuff that's challenging and annoying. • David takes things very literally, why? • One of the many things that are typical for children with autism

9. What Causes Autism? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 88 kids has an autism spectrum disorder, but no one knows what causes them. Scientists think that there's a connection to genetics and the environment. Some kids might be more likely to get autism because it runs in their families. Other kids get it even if nobody in their family has these types of problems. Knowing the exact cause of autism is hard because the human brain is very complicated. The brain contains more than 100 billion nerve cells called neurons. Each neuron may have hundreds or thousands of connections that carry messages to other nerve cells in the brain and body. The connections and the chemical messengers they keep the neurons working as they should. When they do, you can see, feel, move, remember, experience emotions, communicate, and do lots of other important stuff. In the brain of a kid with autism, some of those cells and connections don't develop normally or don't get organized like they're supposed to. Scientists are still trying to understand how and why this happens. http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/brain/autism.html “We are all different, but the feeling of being different is the SAME!”

10. Lets read Rules!

11. More Rules…. • Catherine is a deep thinker and imperfect. She doesn’t always handle things the best way when it comes to her brother, why? • Showing that it is okay to be imperfect…kids can’t be perfect! • Catherine has problems…but does she contribute to them? • Yes, because she doesn’t confront people and lets it build up • Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy all help children with autism. Who are these individuals in our school? What do they really do? • Lets visit!