Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

                        In the novel Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, Caitlin deals with Asperger's Syndrome and she's always gotten through it with her brother Devin by her side. Devin is later killed in a school shooting along with another student and their teacher. Caitlin must now face the world without Devin to guide her. 
                 Caitlin is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in the first grade which is four years before Mockingbird takes place. Asperger's Syndrome is a very mild form of Autism. The Syndrome was named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger. In 1944 Asperger studied children in his practice who were clumsy and showed little empathy for others around them. Only after Asperger's death did they name the syndrome after him. The cause of Asperger's Syndrome is unknown. Caitlin's life with Asperger's causes her to show little empathy towards towards others and manages with behavioral therapy with is common for most people who have the syndrome especially when they are young. 
                   Caitlin doesn't have many friends as a result of Asperger's. Her only friend was her brother Devin. Devin helped Caitlin keep low profile by teaching her kids that normal kids like him would act. When her brother dies in the school shooting Caitlin feels alone and left behind, she even shows some anger by breaking things in her room. Later in the story Caitlin meets the son of the teacher who was killed in the school shooting who also claimed the life of her brother. Although he is in the second grade she seems to relate to him more and this friendship leads her to build another friendship with the cousin of the shooter at the school shooting. This friendship leads Caitlin to something bigger, closure. 
                    Towards the end the book Caitlin starts to draw. Her first picture was a mockingbird for a school project and kids in her class praised her for it. She suggest doing it with her therapist as a way to help her get closure.