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Joanne Spinoza has been catching quick glimpses of her new neighbors. She has been spying on them, just a little, and now she decides to deliver cookies to the Franklins so that she can meet the older Franklin boy face to face. Joanne, who has only seen David once or twice, from afar, is excited to meet "the handsome hunk" who has moved in next door. When she see Eddy (who is 11) teaching David how to play with a ball, she is faced with the fact that there is something very different about David. When they meet, she gets to know David and asks his brother about autism and the apparently strange behaviors David engages in. (David, Eddy, Joanne)
When Joanne brings cookies to Eddy's house, she shares them with Eddy and his brother, David, Who is autistic. David is stimulated by the food and lunges for Joanne's and Eddy's cookies, as well as his own. Eddy intervenes, emphasizing that althoough David is having a tantrum, it is best not to let him have cookies other than his own. Joanne, upset by David's loud shrieks and biting, begs Eddy to give in and allow David to eat anyone's cookies that he wants. Eddy is adamant. He explains about how his family works together on extinguishing inappropriate behavior for David, and has Joanne go to another room with him. There they talk about autism and Joanne shares the myths and misconceptions that she's heard about David's disability.(David, Eddy, Joanne)
Joanne stops by Eddy's house. She is eager to show off her bag filled with socks. Since she and Eddy volunteer at the local community center, they often work on special projects together. Their current effort is the collecting of clothing for homeless people. When Joanne spills her bag on the floor, Eddy take the opportunity to show Joanne that his autistic brother, David, has skill in sorting items and that this skill is directly related to future job experience in the real world. When David is rewarded for his sorting work with a cracker, Joanne asks about the need for a treat after doing a simple task. Eddy discusses the way David is taught, and how that teaching is reinforced by parents and siblings at home. (David, Eddy, Joanne)
NOTE: After each script the children ask questions directly to the puppets and the puppet characters themselves answer their questions.
| The Kids on the Block, created in 1977, features life size puppets who, through the magic of live puppet theatre, teach children and adults about disabilities, medical and educational differences, and social concerns. Through the hard work and dedication of many community based groups, The Kids on the Block puppets are able to touch the lives of people all over the world. |