The Small Outsider

In the book, The Small Outsider, I have learned many things about autism. One of the theories for why someone might have an autistic child is because the parent is not very fond of the child but I strongly disagree.   Even though a child and a parent may not have a very strong connection, this doesn't mean that the child will have a  disorder. Some parents can have a strong connection with a child and later find out that their child has autism. I also learned that most autistic children have brain damage and that their emotions will change differently than other people's emotions. For example, an autistic child may laugh while everyone else in the room might be crying because of a terrible event. I also learned that David has quite a few allergies. David is allergic to peanut butter, eggshells, and a specific type of plant. When he would touch or smell these specific items, he would begin to swell and it would be harder and harder for him to breathe. Sometimes, when I think of allergies, the first thing I think of is a little girl explaining a long list of items that she can't have or even smell. This little girl would always remain calm and know exactly what to do in case of an emergency. David on the other hand, wasn't calm. As his mother was taking him to the doctor, he kept fussing until he took something that made the swelling stop. David was turning out to be a handful and David's mother kept getting letters saying that she should come and visit her father but she simply didn't have the time. When she finally started thinking about it, it was too late. Her father had passed away. She wanted to go to her father's funeral, but she was concerned about David so she wasn't able to come.