How Big is the Fly?

About the Book

Autism and unwelcoming behavior : If you are the teacher and a student refuses to follow your instructions, would you stop to ask questions or would you judge the behavior to be disobedient and deserving of punishment? If you are the parent or guardian receiving frequent calls about your child’s misbehaviors and destruction of school property, how would you respond? What if your child misses school regularly and truancy becomes an issue? Author Bonnie Jean Smith faces these and other challenges with determination in a straight forward, creative, and radically different approach. Her platform is inclusion and natural supports. She resists segregation, isolation, criminal action, and labels.Throughout the book, the author encourages individuals to become contributing members of society by using their unique needs, strengths, and talents. Read how a student gets a summer job by learning about the natural consequences of his choices rather than shaming or reprimanding him for his “bad” habit.By observation and asking the right questions, the author’s awareness of how individuals perceive the world around them is changed and the reasons for unusual and unwanted behaviors are uncovered. Realizing that behavior is a form of communication, Bonnie Jean learns to decode the hidden messages of undesirable behaviors and is successful in turning them into more acceptable actions. Read how a school suspension meant to eliminate negative behavior actually encouraged a student to repeat it. How Big Is the Fly? will challenge you to think before judging behaviors good or bad, right or wrong, as well as to investigate and take time to ask questions before drawing conclusions.

About the Author

Bonnie Jean Smith is an American author, advocate, mentor and parent with 42 years of Autism Spectrum Disorder experience. Ms. Smith's family moved frequently due to her father being a member of the US military; living in locales such as:France, Kansas, Michigan, and Colorado.  Upon graduating high school, she attended Wichita State University (1971-1974), majoring in Education.  Ms. Smith's professional background and resume are quite extensive.  She is the 1986 Honor Graduate of the US Army Patient Admin., a former member of Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities (1998–2006), served as a National Monitoring and Technical Review Team member for the Federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities (current), a State of Minnesota Council for Quality Evaluator (1999 - 2007), Harvard University Civil Rights Symposiums (2000-2003) and Harvard University Multiple Intelligences (2003).

Her distinguished career and training also chronicle numerous situations over the past thirty years, advocating and coordinated implementation of legal, medical, educational and social service system for children and families.  She has worked extensively developing programs/solutions for Woman's Advocate, Inc. (first battered women’s shelter in the nation).  As Supervisor of Early Learning Center (Phillips Community Initiatives for Children - Minneapolis, Minnesota), Smith supervised staff and volunteers; evaluated, improved and implemented childcare programming needs; provided advocacy for families with special needs. Working currently as a Parent Advocate Trainer PACER Center where, she teaches parents where they are and how to navigate the Special Education processes. 

Her first published book, "How Big is the Fly" (ISBN 9781434305220, AuthorHouse™), chronicles a parent who has learned to develop practical and useful problem solving capabilities based on the foundation that “asking the right questions” while working with children in crisis situations, will always yield positive results. Ms. Smith has developed a wealth of extensive knowledge to realize methods and implement workable strategies that relate to empowering other parents to better advocate for themselves and their families.