Meet Kari Dunn Buron, Author of Adalyn's Clare, The Incredible 5-Point Scale and others
What inspired you to become an author?
I have always been an avid reader and I think writers are born of readers. In my work as a special education teacher, I gradually became a mentor teacher to other teachers. I found myself developing ‘how to’ information sheets explaining strategies that I had learned about, or overviews of recent research about autism. One ‘how to’ fact sheet that was often requested involved the use of a simple 5-point scale, a method I had developed with my fellow teachers. That particular information sheet gradually grew into an official book. Writing my chapter book evolved as a desire to develop characters with social anxiety that my students with Asperger Syndrome could relate to. My work in the area of social anxiety and explosive behavior led to some strong opinions about the extensive use of punishment in schools. I felt that a fictional story would make a gentle platform for communicating that message, by creating animals who instinctually understand the ridiculous nature of things like suspension.
What was the first book you ever wrote and how long did it take you to write it?
I actually wrote my first two books simultaneously. One being The Incredible 5-Point Scale and the other a book for highly anxious children entitled When My Worries Get Too Big! The worries book teaches young children a few basics about anxiety and introduces relaxation using the 5-point scale. The ideas included in The Incredible 5-Point Scale involved about 3 years of work between myself and my co-author, Mitzi Curtis. Actually putting the ideas together to create a cohesive book took about another year, making the process about 4 years in the making. When My Worries Get Too Big began as a way of introducing the use of a scale to a highly anxious Kindergartener. I then spent about six months working on the illustrations and putting it together as a complete book.
Because of my years of experience working with students on the autism spectrum, I was fortunate enough to have met and worked with many influential educators who were willing to introduce my work to my publisher. I was able to establish a relationship with the Autism Asperger Publishing Company early on in the company’s development.
How many books have you written?
I have written 6 books and developed several commercial-made teaching products, all published through the Autism Asperger Publishing Company. The books include three addressing the use of the scale, one textbook, and two books for children.
What was your first book to be published?
The Incredible 5-Point Scale and When My Worries Get Too Big, both published by the AAPC in 2003.
The Incredible 5 Point Scale is unique concept of helping students with autism deal with their emotions. How did you come up with this concept?
The concept of using the scale evolved from my work, my coauthor’s work and a few other teacher’s work with highly aggressive students on the autism spectrum. All teachers involved believed strongly that our job as teachers was to teach skills needed to respond more effectively to frustrating social situations, rather than use simple reward and punishment. Teaching students with autism involves breaking down tasks to make information more understandable and the scale breaks down social and emotional concepts. The idea is to use a repetitive, predictable system to teach, capitalizing on a common autism learning style.
What brought you to began helping students with autism?
Shortly after the passage of public law 94-142, which was really the beginning of our mandated special education system, I went back to Graduate School to earn a Master’s Degree in Special Education. In 1979 I was hired to start one of the first autism elementary school programs in Minnesota. At that time there were very few educators specializing in autism and to be honest, we didn’t know much about what we were doing. I became actively involved in Minnesota’s educational initiatives for educators working with students on the autism spectrum and have continued to learn and grow for over 30 years.
What do you hope readers and/or educators will learn from your books?
More than anything, I hope my books inspire other educators to think about root causes of challenging behaviors they observe in their students. Neuroscientists are beginning to map the brain and are discovering that social thinking (including interpersonal problem solving) is a developmental part of learning, the same as other areas of cognitive development. I hope educators will begin to think about challenging behavior as a learning disability and seek out systematic teaching approaches to support those students.
Are you currently working on any other books?
I am submitting Adalyn’s Clare today (my early chapter book) and I just completed the Second Edition of The Incredible 5-Point Scale. I am leaving for a month in Trinidad, where I work with the Autistic Society of Trinidad and Tobago. I will refrain from starting any new projects so that I can give myself time to market Adalyn’s Clare when it is launched in August. I have also committed to doing some work in Nigeria in November. I have an idea for a second chapter book but I will wait and see how the world receives Adalyn’s Clare.
Find out more about Kari Dunn Buron and her books by visiting www.5pointscale.com.
I have always been an avid reader and I think writers are born of readers. In my work as a special education teacher, I gradually became a mentor teacher to other teachers. I found myself developing ‘how to’ information sheets explaining strategies that I had learned about, or overviews of recent research about autism. One ‘how to’ fact sheet that was often requested involved the use of a simple 5-point scale, a method I had developed with my fellow teachers. That particular information sheet gradually grew into an official book. Writing my chapter book evolved as a desire to develop characters with social anxiety that my students with Asperger Syndrome could relate to. My work in the area of social anxiety and explosive behavior led to some strong opinions about the extensive use of punishment in schools. I felt that a fictional story would make a gentle platform for communicating that message, by creating animals who instinctually understand the ridiculous nature of things like suspension.
What was the first book you ever wrote and how long did it take you to write it?
I actually wrote my first two books simultaneously. One being The Incredible 5-Point Scale and the other a book for highly anxious children entitled When My Worries Get Too Big! The worries book teaches young children a few basics about anxiety and introduces relaxation using the 5-point scale. The ideas included in The Incredible 5-Point Scale involved about 3 years of work between myself and my co-author, Mitzi Curtis. Actually putting the ideas together to create a cohesive book took about another year, making the process about 4 years in the making. When My Worries Get Too Big began as a way of introducing the use of a scale to a highly anxious Kindergartener. I then spent about six months working on the illustrations and putting it together as a complete book.
Because of my years of experience working with students on the autism spectrum, I was fortunate enough to have met and worked with many influential educators who were willing to introduce my work to my publisher. I was able to establish a relationship with the Autism Asperger Publishing Company early on in the company’s development.
How many books have you written?
I have written 6 books and developed several commercial-made teaching products, all published through the Autism Asperger Publishing Company. The books include three addressing the use of the scale, one textbook, and two books for children.
What was your first book to be published?
The Incredible 5-Point Scale and When My Worries Get Too Big, both published by the AAPC in 2003.
The Incredible 5 Point Scale is unique concept of helping students with autism deal with their emotions. How did you come up with this concept?
The concept of using the scale evolved from my work, my coauthor’s work and a few other teacher’s work with highly aggressive students on the autism spectrum. All teachers involved believed strongly that our job as teachers was to teach skills needed to respond more effectively to frustrating social situations, rather than use simple reward and punishment. Teaching students with autism involves breaking down tasks to make information more understandable and the scale breaks down social and emotional concepts. The idea is to use a repetitive, predictable system to teach, capitalizing on a common autism learning style.
What brought you to began helping students with autism?
Shortly after the passage of public law 94-142, which was really the beginning of our mandated special education system, I went back to Graduate School to earn a Master’s Degree in Special Education. In 1979 I was hired to start one of the first autism elementary school programs in Minnesota. At that time there were very few educators specializing in autism and to be honest, we didn’t know much about what we were doing. I became actively involved in Minnesota’s educational initiatives for educators working with students on the autism spectrum and have continued to learn and grow for over 30 years.
What do you hope readers and/or educators will learn from your books?
More than anything, I hope my books inspire other educators to think about root causes of challenging behaviors they observe in their students. Neuroscientists are beginning to map the brain and are discovering that social thinking (including interpersonal problem solving) is a developmental part of learning, the same as other areas of cognitive development. I hope educators will begin to think about challenging behavior as a learning disability and seek out systematic teaching approaches to support those students.
Are you currently working on any other books?
I am submitting Adalyn’s Clare today (my early chapter book) and I just completed the Second Edition of The Incredible 5-Point Scale. I am leaving for a month in Trinidad, where I work with the Autistic Society of Trinidad and Tobago. I will refrain from starting any new projects so that I can give myself time to market Adalyn’s Clare when it is launched in August. I have also committed to doing some work in Nigeria in November. I have an idea for a second chapter book but I will wait and see how the world receives Adalyn’s Clare.
Find out more about Kari Dunn Buron and her books by visiting www.5pointscale.com.
Stacie Theis / beachboundbooks@yahoo.com / copyright 2012