Entering junior high school can be stressful and daunting for any kid, but for Nick Hansen, who is non-verbal because of his autism, it would be doubly hard. Joanna Keating-Velasco, author of In His Shoes, takes us through that year of transition with Nick, sharing his experiences, feelings, and rea... more

Entering junior high school can be stressful and daunting for any kid, but for Nick Hansen, who is non-verbal because of his autism, it would be doubly hard. Joanna Keating-Velasco, author of In His Shoes, takes us through that year of transition with Nick, sharing his experiences, feelings, and reactions to a variety of scenarios encountered by the typical seventh grader, including Nick’s first dance, track practice, and changing for gym in the locker room with the other boys in his gym class. Throughout the story, written as a resource for middle school students, Joanna Keating- Velasco provides strategies that help students with autism cope, as well as ways their peers and others who work with them can help. Even as a teacher who worked with students with autism and a grandmother of a boy with autism, I learned several new strategies, such as the use of sun glasses to help with light sensitivity and visual over-stimulation. Teachers and others working with junior high or middle school students will find In His Shoes a great resource for the classroom, not only for the story, but also for the thought-provoking discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Joanne Keating-Velasco has provided a wonderful service in writing Nick’s story. It can’t help but promote better understanding of autism and empathy for those who live with it every day.