Differences Make No Difference

This past week I had the honor of reading a book to our second and third graders that my nephew, Jackson, wrote about his brother, Chase. Jackson is in fifth grade and, when given a school assignment to create something, sell it, and donate the profits to a charity, he decided to write a book. His decision to write about his brother, Chase, was made in the hopes that his book will open the eyes of both children and adults around the world. Chase is six years old and he cannot talk or communicate as most six year olds do. Chase has a severe form of autism and because of that, he acts much differently than other six year olds. But Jackson wanted to point out, through his book, that though Chase acts differently, he is still a little boy and he still is similar to every other little boy in the world. He loves to run outside, play with his siblings, and listen to music, just like other children. The title of Jackson's book is "Differences Make No Difference" because he continually represents how he and Chase are the same and how they are different. Yet these differences make no difference in how much Jackson loves his brother and how much God loves both of them. Jackson is selling these books for $10 and all profits are going to be sent to Africa in the hopes that the money can help children attend school and purchase medicine needed for certain illnesses.

Before reading the book to the second and third graders, we watched this short video about an older child who has autism. This video gave students a glimpse into the life of a child with autism and what it would be like if they were not able to communicate with others as they do now. In case you are interested in this video, here it is!

We discussed what they saw in the video and then I introduced the story I was about to read to them. While reading the story, we discussed how Jackson and Chase are very different, but there are also many ways in which they are similar. It was amazing to watch students as they thought of ways that they were like Chase as well! After reading the story, we discussed the meaning of the story; God made all of us perfect in His image and, yes, we are all different from each other, but we should love each other because of those differences. Life would be so boring if we all had the same interests and strengths! After reading the book together, I gave students the opportunity to read the book during free read time at the carpet. They loved looking at the pictures of Jackson and Chase as they read the book themselves!

I feel that, in discussing this book and in looking at children with special needs, our second and third graders learned a special lesson in how they should treat others that are different from them. If you or other family members are interested in purchasing this book or donating money to Jackson's project, please don't hesitate to let me know!