Interviews/ Reviews

Tony Attwood, world renowned psychologist and author of The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome said:

There are many facts within fiction. This captivating story provides invaluable insights into the childhood of a girl who has Asperger's syndrome. Fiction allows the author to explore different perspectives and add poignancy to the experiences of sensory sensitivity and being bullied and teased of someone who has Asperger's syndrome. The title Delightfully Different describes Asperger's syndrome but also the qualities of this novel.

 

Kirkus Review

Ben Long, a successful Hawaiian pediatrician, and his wife Francesca have high hopes for their first child...born with Asperger's syndrome, a mild, often undiagnosed variant of autism...Walker does a remarkable job illuminating Mia's offbeat perspective from within; she makes it more a personality than an affliction.

The book's advocacy impulses occasionally overheat, as when Francesca goes ballistic over an incident in which mean girls tease Mia at school...Walker dispels much of the mystery of Asperger's kids while revealing the richness and promise of their lives.

A poignant and enlightening coming-of-age saga.

 

Lorna at Special Needs Book Review said: 

D.S. Walker found a delightfully different approach to portray the struggles of a young girl and those of her family arising from raising a child with special needs. Mia, the daughter, is finally diagnosed with sensory sensitivity with Asperger’s traits. While all the characters in her book exist only in the author’s imagination, Walker’s novel, Delightfully Different, brings them so well to life that any parent, teacher, or young girl, dealing with the same issues can relate, learn and find hope....

 

Appearing on Autism As They Grow on Special Needs Talk Radio:

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Interview with D. S. Walker on Special Needs Book Review 

What prepared D.S. Walker to write this novel? Let’s see what she has to say... 

 

Feature Article by Jade Moon in Midweek 

Sue Kam knows what it’s like to have a child who marches to a mental beat not in sync with most others. Her daughter has Asperger syndrome, which is a type of high-functioning autism. Her daughter is smart, musically talented and has a good heart. The other things that set her apart make her different, but in a good way. And that is why Kam, who writes under the pseudonym D.S. Walker, titled her book Delightfully Different...

...Kam's goal in writing the book was pretty simple: “Kids being more tolerant, not just of Asperger’s, but in general. I’d like them to see the heart of the person.”

“It’s not the mainstreamers who change our world,” says Kam, “It’s people with differences.”

 

Goodreads reviews

Trish said: ...It is as much the story of the mother who is trying to figure out how to understand and help her daughter as it is the story of the young girl who sees the world in her own unique way.

 The book also delves into the complexities that arise when two people from different family backgrounds and cultures marry. Along the way, we encounter some of the fascinating aspects of life in Hawaii, including a competitive private school system that seems to rival that of New York!

 There were several things I really appreciated about this book. One is how the story goes back and forth between Mia (the daughter) telling of her experiences growing up and Francesca (the mother) recalling what she thought and felt...

Morgan said: I thought this book did a great job of helping the reader/audience understand what it is like to live with Aspergers. ... This would be a good book for fourth or fifth grade to read. 

 

Kim Wombles of Autism Blogs Directory  

It's an interesting short novel, told from both Mia and her mom's perspective and covers a span of more than two decades and ends on the happy note of Mia going to Julliard. It was an enjoyable way to spend the morning.

Many of us parents will be able to relate to the confusion in trying to understand things from our child's perspective and how they perceive the world differently compared to many. Some of us, I know, deal with the same kinds of sensory issues and will recognize ourselves...

 

Review by K at Floortime Lite Mama 

...Its really not just the sensory sensitivities, but the lack of tolerance from the people that are around her. 

This lack of tolerance ranges from, the preschool teacher who insists that 3 yr old Mia must have a bite of hamburger or stay in extended timeout –to the awful school counselor who dismisses her distress at being bullied.

Mia's difficulties in school - despite having no problems with academics – come to a head in fifth grade when a group of mean girls make it their mission to make her life miserable...