A friend picked up this delightful little book for me, a story about a little girl with autism who becomes obsessed with pushing the buttons on the microwave. She doesn't want to go to school or do anything else for fear that someone will use the microwave without her.
The family decides to temporarily get rid of their microwave to help her to overcome her obsession. They encourage her to focus on other things instead.
Any family with autism will recognize the challenges of dealing with obsession. Something which can seem so trivial can end up becoming a hugely inconvenient rigidity.
I think this book would also be helpful for siblings and classmates to understand how and why their friends with autism become obsessed with certain things. It's not that they can't share or don't care about other people's feelings, it's something much bigger that isn't entirely under their control. I think it would be a good starting point to open up a discussion.
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