"'Josh kind of has his own rules," says Jody, the young fictional narrator of Playing by the Rules, just three sentences into the book. This perspective sums up what it’s like, at least in Jody’s opinion, to have a brother with autism.

The story revolves around a visit from Aunt Tilda, who is watching the two children while their mom is busy around the house. She hasn’t seen her niece and nephew in years, so to Josh she’s stranger. Josh’s unorthodox behavior puzzles Aunt Tilda, too. When she tries to join in and play Animal Sounds Bingo, Josh suddenly gets up and leaves. 'New people give Josh blisters in his head,' Jody explains. Later he panics when Aunt Tilda messes with one of his toy animal figures, and again Jody interprets, 'you just don’t know the rules to Josh’s game yet.'

With Jody’s help, the bewildered houseguest slowly begins to understand Josh’s behavior, such as why he doesn’t look at her but instead asks her for a drink using PECS (Picture Exchange Communications System), and how to calm him. And Josh eventually warms to Aunt Tilda. Well, sort of.

The best thing about Playing by the Rules isn’t the story itself, but how it’s told. Author Dena Fox Luchsinger, founder of Proyecto Down, a nonprofit program for families of children with Down syndrome in Monterrey, Mexico, is also the mother of three, one of whom has the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism. Her firsthand knowledge of how kids interact undoubtedly helped shape the realistic characters and their broad range of emotions. Sometimes they’re frustrated. Sometimes they’re content. Sometimes they compete or want more attention. And sometimes they decide to accept each other, differences and all. Jody’s mischievous nature adds a humorous touch and an emotional balance that makes this book a fun reading experience for children age four to eight--and their parents."
-Exceptional Parent Magazine, June 2008

"Told from the point of view of Jody, a young girl whose brother Josh has autism, this sweet children’s story, written for ages 4 – 8, explains several aspects of family life when a child has autism. It depicts both Jody’s understanding of her brother’s rigid behaviors and rules, and her frustration with dealing with those behaviors, as well as provides a visiting relative with insights into why Josh acts the way he does. And, it accomplishes this without Jody ever saying her brother has autism, preferring to tell her great aunt that Josh 'has his own rules.' For example, he is slow to warm up to new people, prefers to stare at the underside of his baseball cap rather than look directly at his great aunt, and even though he can talk, he reverts to using his PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) to ask for things he wants. Using the following analogy, Jody aptly explains, 'Josh doesn’t like new people for the same reason he doesn’t like new shoes. They both rub him the wrong way. New people give Josh blisters in his head.'

Jody even respects Josh’s rules. When their aunt mistakenly moves one of Josh’s animals out of their specific order, he screams. Jody comments that she doesn’t like it either when people mess up the rainbow order of her crayons, but she can cope with the annoyance better than her brother can. Another nice element of this book is that Jody doesn’t spend the entire visit with her aunt running interference for her brother. Jody indulges in her own childish behaviors, eating a lollipop that she shouldn’t, cheating at a board game, and in a display of unsporting behavior, does a victory dance when she wins, complete with hooting and hollering, loud noises she knows will disturb Josh."
-Newsline, Fall 2007 (Federation for Chidren with Special Needs)

"Playing by the Rules: A Story about Autism is a picture book that introduces young readers ages 4-8 to dealing with autistic peers. Told from the perspective of young Jody, whose Great Aunt Tilda has come to visit her and her autistic brother Josh for the first time in years, Playing by the Rules chronicles the course of the day in which Jody has to teach Aunt Tilda her nephew's 'rules' of the game. Josh has difficulty adjusting to loud sounds and new people; and adding any kind of disorder to his animal collection completely derails him. As Aunt Tilda learns to understand and appreciate Josh's likes and dislikes, the family is able to share more fully in the experience of being together. Colorful, exuberant illustrations add the perfect touch to this delightful picture book, enthusiastically recommended for children's library collections."
-Children's Bookwatch, January 2008

"Playing by the Rules is a picture book published by Woodbine House for 4-8 year olds. It offers the younger audience a glimpse of the family relationships and the communication patterns of families with autistic children, as well as the special characteristics an autistic child might exhibit through the character, Josh. Unique autistic perspective presents itself through the dynamic between Jody and Josh during a visit from an elderly relative, Great Aunt Tilda. Jody’s position and understanding of her brother transforms her character into that of “interpreter”, and through her attempts to guide her Great Aunt Tilda, readers take on the open and learning position of Great Aunt Tilda. The author has a son with autism and is an active leader for health outreach programs. While a bibliography would have made this a great teaching and reference tool, it stands out because it accurately portrays the social and communications challenges of an autistic child without using a disease label. The major strengths of this work include its portrayal of the whole family’s adaptation to autism, the communication strategies presented in the sentence strip use, and portrayal of success, fun and relationship building in autistic childhood despite perceived disability. This book is recommended for collections where examples of communication and adaptation to autism are needed, and for general children’s collections to enforce positive acceptance and celebration of difference."
-CAPHIS Consumer Connections

“To autistic Josh, new people are like new shoes, ‘They both rub him the wrong way.’ His sister, Jody, narrates when their Great Aunt Tilda comes to visit. Although frustrated by her brother's interruptions during a game with Aunt Tilda, Jody knows that Josh has his own set of rules. Whether explaining Josh's PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) when he wants a drink or soothing him after Aunt Tilda rearranges his toy animals, Jody maintains the balance in the new situation, and with her help, Josh and Aunt Tilda soon have a mutual respect and appreciation.

The mother of a child with Down syndrome and autism and the founder of Proyecto Down, a non-profit program serving families of children with Down syndrome in Mexico, author Dena Fox Luchsinger is also the writer of the bilingual Sometimes Smart Is Good/A Veces es Bueno Ser Inteligente. Illustrator Julie Olson has designed artwork for numerous picture books, children's magazines, and even her own children's games. Her cartoon-like illustrations, rendered in pen-and-ink and bright watercolors, are instantly appealing to young readers, yet also capture the sophisticated emotions of the day, from Josh's apprehension to Aunt Tilda's nervousness.

The author keeps the tone lighthearted while revealing the realities of autism and the difficulties for both the child affected and the family living with him. Playing by the Rules is an excellent introduction to autism for young readers not familiar with the disorder. Families and care-givers of autistic children will welcome this honest portrayal. All readers will come away with a new-found consideration for one another's diverse ‘rules’ in life.”
ForeWord Magazine, November/December 2007

“’Josh kind of has his own rules,’ says narrator Jody about her brother, and while Jody knows those rules cold, visiting Great Aunt Tilda is new to Josh’s complicated world. Jody therefore offers Aunt Tilda guidance as they try to play a board game together despite Josh’s interruptions; at the end of the game, Jody’s the gleeful winner, Josh has gotten more comfortable with Aunt Tilda, and the kids are both happily buzzed to the sky on illicit soda that they wangled from Tilda. The text has rare verve for an issue book (in fact, autism is only explicitly mentioned in the title), with Jody a credible blend of happily self-important expert on her brother and jealous sibling annoyed at his intrusions. The information about Josh’s ‘rules’ is kid-level understandable as well as capably interwoven; it’s a particularly nice touch that Jody parallels her liking her crayons to be in order with Josh’s insistence on his toy animals remaining in their proper places, thus giving the audience an easy point of shared reference. [K]ids with their own offbeat siblings will appreciate this recognition of their importance and those figuring out a new classmate with perplexing differences may find this a helpful window into a working relationship.”
-The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, March 2008