Look At Me Look At Me: An Eye Contact Game For You and Me - Tapa blanda

"Three cheers for David Cruz! His engaging art style makes this book a must-read for all children." Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish and co-creator of the Babymouse series.

"The publication of your book is a testament to your hard work and will now help other children enhance their communications skills.

" NJ Governor Chris Christie "This beautifully illustrated children's book is not only for mentally challenged youngsters but also for all young people. It points out that we all short face the person to whom we are speaking and make eye contact. Adults also can benefit from the message." - Connie McNamara, retired English teacher

"The simple, rhyming text and colorful illustrations help teach children an important social skill. Children will enjoy reading along with the rhyming words as the characters demonstrate how to make and maintain eye contact when engaging in conversation. David's illustrations are sure to entertain children and adults. Congratulations to everyone involved in creating this book. " - Michele Eastman, author of Legend of the Dust Bunnies

"Look At Me Look At Me is a wonderful book that teaches the importance of acknowledgement when interacting in social situations. This is something many take for granted and few actually remember to do. This is a creative practical way to teach young students the importance of social skills that may or may not be addressed at home. What I found appealing, about this book as well, is that it was illustrated by a young man with autism.
This would be an excellent read aloud for younger students not only for the social skills impact but to open discussions about how wonderfully each of us is made and how differences can also be strengths. I would like to see these books in print and used in the classrooms. It would be a great addition to social studies lessons as well." - Becky Villareal, Elementary School Teacher

Look At Me Look At Me cultivates a game to play with children while enhancing eye contact as the story is told with colorful pictures by these new fun loving characters, The PuppyDucks. This book gives us insight into the creative mind of an autistic young man as it he illustrated this using art to speak when he couldn't.

Look At Me Look At Me was originally developed by a para-professional looking for the best way to reach a child. The student had great difficulty maintaining eye contact when being urged to discuss the day's events. Gallagher masterfully created this rhyming game for her student, David Cruz. Supported by the school speech therapist, Gallagher observed that they were on the right track to help David master eye contact during conversations. David began to illustrate the passages demonstrating that he understood what was being taught. The story is followed by a count-off game that encourages the reader to engage with someone else and maintain eye contact for as long as they can count together.

Look At Me Look At Me was designed to help foster the development of eye contact in children and elicit non-verbal communication skills. A deficit in eye contact is often found in children with autism and other developmental disorders. Tested and used in a classroom, this book has been proven to cultivate eye contact in a fun way for the reader and caregiver.

This book includes a Foreword by speech therapist Maura Lazzara who talks about how Look At Me Look At Me had a significant effect on David's pragmatic skills. The print version of the book includes an Afterword by Ruth Cruz, the illustrator's mother that offers practical tips and suggestions that she and Lazzara developed based on methods of play they both have used over the years.

Cruz had conducted a home-based early intervention program for David, when he was between the ages of 2 and 5. David later transitioned into the local school system, and graduated a few years ago. Cruz felt compared to share her insightful ideas, included in the Afterword, from the perspective of a parent of a child with autism. She has always worked very closely with her son David, now 24 years old, to ameliorate his communication and insure his progress. She currently runs a self-directed program for David that provides a forum for him to work as an artist, while he continues to improve his skills interacting in the community. Her hands on approach as a parent-educator/parent-advocate has proven to offer positive results as David continues to work productively and above all...be happy.