Presleigh Keplinger SPED 201 Literature Project House Rules House Rules is novel written by Jodi Picoult in 2010

about a teenage boy, Jacob Hunt, with Aspergers syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism, who is accused of murder. This novel portrays the struggle between Jacob and his family, the law, and his disability. It shows the audience the characteristics and behaviors of Aspergers, as well as the effects it has on those with it and their family members. The plot is conveyed from the points of view of the main characters in the novel. Jacob Hunt is eighteen years old and is diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome. He lives a very structured lifestyle in a specific routine every day. Any lack of structure or unexpected events causes him to feel anxious, leading him to act out. Like many individuals with Aspergers, Jacob is obsessed with one particular thingforensic analysis. The novel opens with Jacob setting up a crime scene (in which he is the victim) for his mother to solve. Jacob's need to engage in such activities, as well as his obsession with detail, often frustrates his mother and infuriates his brother Theo. When Jacob's social skills counselor is killed, Jacob soon becomes a suspect, and later is arrested and charged with murder. The case goes to trial and in court, the prosecutor raises the issue that all of Jacob's symptoms of Aspergers are almost identical to the characteristics of those who are guilty. Also, the prosecution argues that most of the evidence, such as Jacob's fingerprints on the scene of the crime, an

unlabeled crime scene evaluation identical to the social skills worker found in his notebook, and her backpack he retrieved from her home, proves that Jacob is the murderer. At the end of the trial, Jacob testifies that he found his social skills worker dead in her bathroom and lying in a pool of her own blood. He admits to cleaning her, dressing her and placing her outside, then cleaning the original scene up and creating a new one that will lead investigators in a different direction. This is because he realized that, while an accident, Jess's death was the fault of his brother, Theo, after he was in the house and saw Jess naked. Jess slipped while getting out of the shower, and Theo fled the scene. In the end, Jess's death was in fact an accident and Jacob was obsessed with recreating the scene to see if he could be able to change the directions the police officers and investigators were searching.

Jacob Hunt is a teenager with Aspergers syndrome. Aspergers is a form of Autism. He is portrayed throughout this novel as a very brilliant individual, but is unsuccessful at reading social cues, relating to anyone sympathetically, and

expressing himself in a socially appropriate way. He also has an obsession on one particular subject- forensic analysis. The portrayal of Aspergers in this book is very accurate. The definition of Aspergers is a developmental disorder related to autism and characterized by higher than average intellectual ability coupled with impaired social skills and restrictive, repetitive patterns of interest and activities. Clearly, the definition and the portrayal of Jacob Hunt are very similar. Although Aspergers syndrome varies amongst those who are diagnosed with it, Jacob embodies a teenager with this syndrome in a very accurate, non-stereotypical manner. Throughout this novel there is evidence of labeling. Jacob is labeled as having Aspergers and is therefore placed in a special education classroom at his school. This is an appropriate manner of labeling because it is common is most schools. Another example is that because of the lack of labeling by some people and in certain circumstances, Jacob was placed on trial as the defendant in a murder case. His Aspergers characteristics, such as his lack of appropriate body language and social cues, made him seem guilty to the people who didnt know he had Aspergers syndrome. His brother, however, labeled him as different than himself, therefore affecting each others relationship with one another. The society attitude could be greatly affected as a result of this portrayal of Aspergers syndrome. Some individuals are uneducated about Aspergers, characteristics and behaviors of Aspergers, and the effects this syndrome has on those diagnosed and their family and friends. This novel directly reveals how Jacob, his mother, and his brother are affected by his Aspergers. By reading this book,

society can understand the way in which individuals with Aspergers behave and interact socially. Becoming knowledgeable about this syndrome can help society become more understanding, empathetic, and not as fast to judge people with this syndrome. A moral issue has been raised throughout this book about how to handle an individual with disabilities in a court case. In this particular instance, Jacob was treated fairly in some instances, and unfairly in other parts of the book. This issue raised questions such as follows; Should disabled individuals be able to stand trial?, what is the extent to which they should be accommodated?, do experts in the field (people with knowledge about Aspergers) need to be present?, and so on. Individuals with this particular syndrome would most likely find this book to be an accurate depiction of their exceptionality. Like it was stated before, Aspergers has a very wide range of the severity of characteristics, behaviors, and functionality, but in general, this book portrayed them correctly. People with Aspergers would most likely enjoy reading about someone like themselves overcoming different obstacles in his life. In class, we have just begun learning about Autism Spectrum Disorders. What we have learned in class is something that I can relate back to this book. According to the lecture in class, common characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders, including Aspergers syndrome, include difficulty relating to others, language and communication disorders, insistence on environmental sameness, and stereotypic, repetitive, self-stimulatory behaviors. All of these behaviors were evident in Jacob Hunt. It was very interesting to be able to read about different

characteristics and then be able to recognize them within the main character of the novel. I also connected the support Jacob received back to lecture in class. Learning about how much family support matters and the effect it has on children with disabilities was an aspect of lecture portrayed throughout the book. Jacobs mother was very supportive and loving even though Jacob was an accused murderer. Her support gave him strength and helped him accomplish was he needed to. Reading this book definitely gave me insight into the struggles and challenges individuals with Aspergers face on a daily basis. As a future Special Education teacher, I am sure I will work with different students diagnosed with this syndrome. I feel as though this book has made me more empathetic toward those individuals, as well as their families. Knowing the different characteristics Asperger students possess will help me to create an environment where they will thrive and reach their highest potential. As a teaching professional, I will be sure to create a stimulating and welcoming environment. I would make sure to embrace the student how he/she is and make a conscious effort to ask them about whatever it is that they are inclined to having an obsession about. For example, if they love to draw, I will be sure to incorporate drawing activities into different lesson plans so that they remain focused and interested in what is going on in class. I will also make sure that the rest of my students are aware of the disability and make sure that there is no bullying or demeaning actions toward that individual. My philosophy in the classroom will be to not judge anyone without making an effort to get to know them first.