The Chameleon Kid

An occasional meltdown is a reality of childhood for most children as well as their parents and teachers. But for a child with ASD, meltdowns are often frequent, explosive, long-lasting events. In The Chameleon Kid, the author encourages children to control the personalized Meltdown lurking inside by evoking the adaptable abilities of the chameleon. Supported by colorful cartoon-like illustrations, Elaine Marie Larson uses short verses to present the various reactions that the bad guy Meltdown can cause, followed by advice for how the Chameleon Kid can adapt his emotions and attitudes to prevent Meltdown from taking over. In the process, readers learn various methods of self-regulating their emotion. The Chameleon Kid also explains more than a dozen idioms related to emotions, such as have a cow, take a hike, and stubborn as a mule.