By Melissa Meehan
For some children, everyday tasks like brushing their teeth or going to get a haircut can be filled with anxiety and stress.
That’s where Red Sparrow Books come in – providing an interactive library of social stories for children on the autism spectrum.
Melissa and Jo-anne started putting the stories together about a year ago, after Jo-anne (a photographer) asked Melissa to work with her on sessions for special needs kids.
“I have a child on the spectrum and I thought it was a much needed reference for parents in the same situation,” she said.
A social story is used to provide an outline of an experience a child needs to do
It could be brushing their teeth or an experience like an excursion to the zoo.
It runs through what to expect while being instructional and informative.
“These kids have high anxiety for things they don’t know – so these social stories allow them to know what to expect,” Melissa said.
“So we thought we’ll make one up for the photography to run them through a basic session of what they do, who we are, what a photographer looks like, what a camera does.”
Changes in environments can often cause meltdowns for children.
“I know myself it takes time to make up a social story – if this can help families to lower their children’s anxiety and stress it’s great,” Melissa said.
Jo took the images and Melissa wrote the story and with a little help from family – they were able to make it all interactive.
They shared it with other professionals and Red Sparrow Books was born.
They are now making stories for a range of different subject in the hope it will help parents of children on the spectrum, too.
One of the most important stories, is the one that shows police are nothing to be afraid of.
“Absconding is an issue for many of these kids,” Melissa said.
“And most kids are taught that police are scary by their parents who often use them as a way to discipline them.
“But this particular story gets across that police are safe, who they are and what is the process if you come across them.”
Another popular story is getting a haircut.
“Average children can use these stories too – not just kids on the spectrum.”
Two memberships are available, one free and the other paid.
Check it out redsparrowbooks.com.au.
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