'Zinger Bug Zoe' Helps Children and Adults Understand Autism Disorder
By Paul Gingras

At right: Author and teacher Gayle L. Betz of Eaton Rapids poses with her daughter, Zoe, who is the subject of a children's book on autism entitled "Zinger Bug Zoe: Living With Autism." Mrs. Betz is the niece of the Reverend Wayne Foote of St. Ignace. (Photograph courtesy of Gayle Betz)

"The book is fabulous," said the Reverend Wayne Foote of St. Ignace, referring to "Zinger Bug Zoe: Living With Autism," a children's book designed to help children and adults understand Autism Spectrum Disorder. It was written by his niece, preschool teacher Gayle Betz of Eaton Rapids.

Autism is a neurological problem, which is increasingly understood in the medical community, leading to more diagnosed cases every year. People with autism have trouble understanding and responding to the world around them.

Using careful rhymes and energetic, colorful drawings, the book is helping both children and adults understand autism.

After people read the book, "I've had people say 'Now I understand," Mrs. Betz said, a reaction that makes her proud.

One of the unfortunate realities, she explained, is that information about autism published in the medical community is not geared for the average person, causing confusion for parents and teachers who want to understand the condition.

The main character, Zinger Bug Zoe, is modeled after Mrs. Betz' 11-year-old daughter, Zoe, who has severe autism. With specialized training, Zoe has managed to overcome many of its symptoms, and much of this training was conducted by her teacher, Kerstyn Green, who appears in the book as Kerstyn Kay.

The book was written to honor her daughter, Mrs. Betz said, as well as to acknowledge the teachers and staff in the Eaton Intermediate School District (EISD), who have helped Zoe.

One aspect of autism that Mrs. Betz seeks to help the public understand is that, although people with the disorder can appear completely normal, their brains function much differently. They are often hypersensitive to light and sound.

"A touch may feel like needles," she explained. "And they can see the flickering of fluorescent lights so well it can actually hurt their eyes."

People with autism often experience sensory overload, she said, and sometimes they react by yelling or throwing themselves down. When young children do so, it may be incorrectly perceived as bad behavior, but therapy, not stern discipline, is the answer, she explained.

The book contains 26 pages of rhymed material, geared for preschool through fourth-grade students.

In the book, Zoe is a bug with wings that lives in Tweedledee, and Mrs. Betz illustrates the autistic sensory overload by showing Zoe grimacing at the joyful expression of another bug.

Mrs. Betz writes, "...deep inside my little bod a 'zingy' feeling sits. If someone touches me or talks, I have a zinger fit!"

Interspersed with rhymed explanations of autistic behavior, Mrs. Betz weaves Zoe's need for friendship into the story. Other "bugs" want to be Zoe's friend, she reveals, but they are unsure how to approach her; they stand at a distance with their antennas pulled back.

The role of education in the life of an autistic child is another major theme, which is represented by the presence of Kerstyn Kay, who teaches Zoe how to control her yelling fits.

Mrs. Betz has presented the book to several classes in Eaton Rapids, and the response from children has been profound, she told The St. Ignace News.

She is amazed at the intelligent questions posed to her by very young children, who often want to know how Zoe's brain works, compared to their own, she said.

The book ends with the line, "Being different is OK, but Zoe needs friends, too. Can you be one?"

Children have replied with a hearty, "sure!" she added. Now that they understand her condition better, several children have told Mrs. Betz that, if they knew a child like Zoe, they would talk to her, even if she didn't respond.

Professional cartoonist and illustrator Dawn Baumer of Eaton Rapids drew the pictures for the book. After interviewing three illustrators, the relationship with Mrs. Baumer "just clicked." Her ideas translated well to Mrs. Baumer's sketches, Mrs. Betz said.

"She had a feel for the characters," Mrs. Betz said. "She knew how to illustrate anxiety," as well as how to depict Kerstyn Kay calming Zoe down.

Mrs. Betz struck upon the idea for the book three years ago, when she realized there was a lot of information being published about autism for parents and educators, but not much for children. Mrs. Betz' response was "to write a book with just enough information to start a dialogue."

The dialogue has begun. Mrs. Betz has conducted two reading and information sessions in Eaton Rapids, and she plans four more in the area. All administrators in the EISD have ordered copies for their libraries, and local bookstores can't keep it on their shelves, she added.

Of the five children in the Mrs. Betz' family, two have disabilities. Her second book, called "Zacharias Cricket: My Friend has Cerebral Palsy," is based on her adopted son, Zacharias. Her third book explains Tourette's Syndrome, and her fourth deals with deafness.

Mrs. Betz works at Significant Beginnings Preschool, a part of First United Methodist Church, in Eaton Rapids.

According to Reverend Foote, his niece's goal is to help people understand that people with disabilities are real people, with real needs.

"That's her heart," he said.