Could this investigation ruin Natalia's life?
I don’t believe Homeland Security was actually investigating Natalia. I think the mother is a liar. It sounds far fetched. Most of what she has said does.
Most reviews were flowing and effusive in their praise of the mother’s book. Here are some reviews of her book from before this whole thing with Natalia happened that sparked my interest when this story broke and I went digging:
1.
More about the mother than the son
It was hard to get past the feeling that the mother is a major egomaniac. The book felt like it was mostly about her, not her son. Much of it felt impossible. Time frames etc. I really find myself not caring at all after finishing it.
2.
just an interesting story
I was hoping this book would help me with my autistic child, since the author is a mom of an autistic child just like me and not
a psychologist or counselor.
But no, she has very good points like to find out what is you child's passion and to always advocate for him
Basically her autistic child is not like most. He is a genius and she is a super mom with a super husband it was hard to
believe at times all his support. As a book is very interesting but a little unrealistic and like I said if what you are looking for
is a book about support from a parent experiencing what we really go thru with having an autistic kid you won't find it here.
3.
Ughh just ughhhhh
The writing isn’t great but I’m willing to overlook that except she’s so boastful and braggy. I don’t think i can finish the book
4.
Tedious
The always-right mother tells us how to raise our kids while she lauds her son's accomplishments. It was too much for me.
5.
I would love to read the true story
We all love miracle - success stories but this is too much. It would have been very interesting to know the true story. (I read about a third of a book - really not one meltdown of an autistic kid?).
6.
I can't finish this book
I am about 75 pages into this book and I have to stop reading it. I am literally becoming ill from the ridiculous super-woman theme that is ratcheting up further with each subsequent page. Having had a child with Down Syndrome who lived to 14 months of age with a sever seizure disorder (infantile spasms), I know what life is like when days are filled with unfruitful therapy sessions and a child who is in pain and has lost all her emotions.
I simply do not believe this mom could have given Jake the type of attention she says she gave him, researched her son's condition to the extent she did, plus cared for her severely ill infant Wesley, plus ran a daycare from her home. The hours do not exist in the day to do what she says she did. What clinched it for me is that she claims she stayed up transcribing a story one of her 8-year-old daycare charges told her that she recorded on her cell phone, took the time to print it out and bind it into a volume, and give it to the child, and then every day found a new picture for the child to create a story from. When could this have happened? She was already not sleeping a wink because she had to stay by Wesley's bedside because of his breathing issues and because she was reading all kinds of textbooks and articles about autism that were strewn about her bedroom. The pace that she claims to have kept up would have resulted in a breakdown of her own health and/or mind. But instead she says she took on creating a "night school" for autistic kids in the community. As another reviewer has said, the fact that her son navigated them through downtown Chicago because he had memorized an atlas of the United States when he was not yet four, but he still wasn't talking--it's not ringing true. I feel a fair amount of license has been taken with this story to make it sound perfect and impressive--and we're never allowed to forget just how brilliant and superior her son is to all those "typical" kids out there. Not only that, she keeps finding ways to throw in how brilliant her family of origin was, with her wealthy inventor grandfather and artistically precocious sister. There is a performance orientation here that I've spent many years trying to break free from, and I am recoiling at the pride and perfectionism I'm picking up from this book. I can't read any more of this.
BBM
7.
Here's the thing
[SNIPPED]
Here's what I didn't like.
There's a lot of problems with the time line in addressing the actual amount of time he "had autism". It sounds like maybe a year total, at most. Her son was diagnosed (informally by the birth to three system) at age two some time. Her turned three before the summer, started special ed preschool in september, then she took him out around age 3.5. So he went to special ed it sounds like for a few months. At 3.5 she says, or just after he stopped preschool, he was using words, not conversationally though, and one example was him directing them through a urban downtown area by looking at a map or something. So words at 3.5. At this point he also knows how to read. Then- before he is four, she tells him about a mars special at an observatory, he "nags and pesters her" until the day comes (which requires language and interaction), then by the time they get to the observatory, again, before he is four, because they mention he is three, he is having lengthy conversation about mass and mars and planets and rotation with the lecturer in complete sentences.
I don't really have a problem with his development, because its interesting and part of his story. I don't love though that she seems to take credit for his recovery and play up her "muchness" paradigm which seemed to have him virtually not autistic in just a few months. I buy that this happened, but I think it probably would have happened with or without her in his case, and I don't love that there is so much hype about her sacrifices and awesome parenting. I practice muchness with my autistic son all the time...and I think it is good for everyone, but I don't think you can attribute a turnaround of that magnitude within 1-5 months as being solely based on play therapy. I don't love the school system either, and may not send my son, but to be fair, he only went for a few months and that results in a lot of special ed bashing in their publicity and in the book. I agree that special ed sucks in this country. But...just saying.
Too- and I know people are going to freak out. It doesn't seem to me like this kid was ever really accurately diagnosed with severe autism. I don't think the book makes the claim that he had severe autism...maybe it does, but I know I heard them claim that in an interview about the book. My son had autism, now PDD NOS and talks and interacts less than this kid seemed to at the same age. It sounds to me like this kid had a speech/developmental delay and some autistic (eccentric?) features.
Then this kid- who has all these talents is doing all these interviews all the time, and it just comes across more as a ploy for book sales than....you know...passion for science all the time always.
Its an interesting story. I dunno. I just felt bull s-worded a little after reading it.
8.
Self serving book -can I get my money back??
This seems to be a very self serving book. Kristine never leaves a chance to brag about her self & some about her child. Her kid was way too high functioning, if at all autistic. I hardly think it was any of her doing that helped the child. I didn't get any inspiration or ideas from this book to help my brilliant yet autistic child. Her situation was totally different from what a general family with an autistic child faces. Sorry, I hate to bash this book up.
9.
Two Stars
Sorry but I just dont believe her, not everything of course but most of it is bulls***!
The reviews like this go on an on. The ones who rave about the book far out number the ones who didn’t. But in light of this story, the bad reviews are quite interesting.
I think Kristine Barrett is a liar and a good actress.
