The Spark
I've just finished reading a book called 'The Spark' but Kristine Barnett.
The Spark is Kristine's story of her son Jake, who has autism. She recounts how he withdrew into autism when he was very young, and the techniques she used to draw him out. When Jake was diagnosed at age 2 years Kristine was told he would never speak, couldn't learn and would never be able to read.
Kristine's goal was for Jake to be able to go to Kindergarten, and she she made the very difficuly decision, against the advice of the the medical and therapy teams, and even her husband, to stop therapy and to 'treat' him herself.
Kristine describes the journey to 'find' her son, the challenges she faced, and the further tough decisions that had to be made to continue challenging Jake once he was able to communicate and attend school again.
Jacob Barnett is a child prodigy. His IQ is higher than Einsteins and he taught himself to recite Pi to 200 digits forwards AND backwards in the time it took him to return to class. Jake started attending university lectures at age 9 years, and it has been suggested that his work will put him in line to receive a Nobel Prize.
After I'd finished ready the book I checked out the Wikipedia page for Jacob. There is some controversy about the claims made in the book regarding Jake's original scientific theory and the suggestion of a Nobel Prize. However, this is not significant to me..........
This book was an emotional read. There were many times throughout when I had to stifle the sobs, from reading about both joyous and devastating events.
This is s story of how a mother knows her child best, and how her own childhood experiences played a huge part in her 'therapy' with Jake.
It is the story of how tapping into and nurturing the extraordinary abilities found in a person can result in extraordinary outcomes, and that if you believe and trust in your own instincts anything is possible.
I love this book. Not only because it tells us about the powerful effects and results that can be achieved when you actually acknowledge and focus on a childs inate abilities, but also because it reminds us that children, and indeed
adults, don't fit into the boxes prescribed by our educational and medical organisations, and the cultures we live in.
Not only that, but 'The Spark' is a stark reminder that you can achieve anything if you are determined enough and believe that you can, even in the face of huge adversity.