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The purpose of this project was to research the expression of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children and create a children’s book that can help the peers of individuals with a diagnosis to understand what the disorder entails and potentially gain a new sense of empathy for peers of all levels of physical and mental abilities. The research component includes interviews with individuals deemed knowledgeable about ASD, including occupational therapists, behavioral analysts, and parents, as well as a literature review of research studies on the expression of Autism in children. This written portion of the project may also serve as a manual for individuals who have little to no knowledge of ASD, as it dives deeper into the content of the book and research, while remaining easily understandable and clear to those without any prior knowledge or experience with ASD. It could prove especially useful for those in professions that come into contact with individuals with Autism, but do not necessarily require psychology courses or training as a prerequisite for the role, such as teachers and some health professionals.
This project is a wordless children's book about an excluded child with autism who, with the help of a cat, learns to make friends and be happy with who she is. The book is illustrated with water color and acrylic paints and is based on my experiences with autism. The goals for this project were to create representation for autistic people and to give something to younger autistic children to practice their communication. The essay portion of the project details the creation of the project, my inspirations, the research that has been done on how autistic children interact with storytelling and other non written communication, and a reflection on how the project went.
Squeakie is a positive influence on the way the other characters perceive themselves. The shadow turns each character’s self-doubt and negative feelings into fuel, which he stores in a paintbrush. When he takes the fuel from the character, it fades their body color. Phan has anxiety and uses the 4-7-8 breathing technique to overcome her panic attacks. Her range of color is blue to light blue. Ovid feels guilty and exercises to take his mind off his guilty thoughts. Ovid is either red or light pink. Amelia is depressed and reframes her way of thinking to overcome her inability to fly. Visually she is green or light green. The shadow is later revealed as a misguided character who was just looking to escape the dream world and find friends.
The story is resolved by the stuffed animals joining forces with the perceived antagonist, the shadow, to operate a plane. They each use their strength of color to fuel the plane, which takes them back to the real world. When Sophia’s mom pulls the stuffed animals out of the washer, the shadow comes with them. The shadow, now a cat with rainbow patches, is instantly loved by Sophia. The story ends with the stuffed animals drying on the porch bench while Sophia plays with the shadow in the new backyard.
Link to E-book: https://read.bookcreator.com/B34KYvw00jNsXE7pfoC6lGDtTDC3/p_qX4KXxSte2Ox-DJrFTqg
The purpose of this creative project was to design a children’s book for parents, educators, caregivers, and speech language pathologists to promote vocabulary growth in young readers. Children’s books are commonly used in classrooms to connect students with new places and ideas. Books are a powerful learning tool that speech-language pathologists utilize during therapy sessions to support their language and speech development. El Papalote Perdido (The Lost Kite) is a multidimensional children’s book that provides a representation of Hispanic culture, the biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert, and a shared book reading guide that can be a tool in classrooms and therapy sessions. This literature review summarizes the research and importance of Codeswitching, Shared Book Reading, and representation. The goal of the projected children’s book, El Papalote Perdido, is for Hispanic children to increase self-worth by being represented in the illustrations and Spanish embedded in the text. Additionally, the book is for adults to learn reading strategies to build young readers' language and literacy development.