A Parent on My Peace Place - Guest Post by Mari L. Barnes
Today, FlyingTurtle Publishing’s destination is Nathan’s Voice, created and administered by
Lorrie Servati. In addition to her roles as wife, mother and “Nana,” Lorrie is
a dedicated Autism Advocate. In April 2012, Nathan’s Voice was nominated as one
of the “Top 10 Autism Blogs of 2012”!
How does My Peace Place relate to autism? Tammy
Hastings left a comment on Flying Turtle’s Facebook page. She thought the book
would be beneficial to her daughter, Katelyn, who was diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder. Tammy’s post opened my eyes to new possibilities for helping
children.
My co-author, Lori
Bortnick was the catalyst for this book. For more than 15 years, Lori has been
an early childhood educator in inner-city schools. She sees the effects of
environmental stress on very young kids every day. Lori wanted to create a book
that encouraged children to practice self-regulation — calming, comforting and
centering themselves.
Tammy agreed to
share some thoughts about My Peace Place.
1. Tell us a
little about yourself.
I am 41 years old, I had Katelyn when I was 36; she is an only child. I love to
read when I get the time, most of my time is spent playing or taking care of
Katelyn's needs.
2. What would you
like us to know about Katelyn?
Katelyn has autism spectrum disorder and
sensory processing disorder. She is verbal, can read and write and is very
sociable.
3. What kinds of
activities do you and Katelyn enjoy?
We paint, go swimming and play at the park. She loves pretend play with her
Barbies and stuffed animals. We read stories and sing songs.
4. What causes
stress reactions for Katelyn?
Katelyn gets easily stressed out about certain TV commercials and shows. She
doesn't like yelling or fighting even if it's just pretend. Or loud noises such
as sirens, fire drills at preschool, motorcycles and fireworks. She is very
sociable, but will sometimes get stressed out at large gatherings of people.
5. What did
Katelyn most enjoy about My Peace Place?
Katelyn
really enjoyed the rhyming. She loves to rhyme and tries to make words rhyme
all the time.
6. Do you and
Katelyn have a favorite technique from?
I just think the whole book is wonderful in trying to teach children about
coping skills. Katelyn has a very hard time understanding and processing coping
skills. With this book being a rhyming book, it is something that Katelyn loves
and very much takes an interest in. It therefore allows her to understand and
process the meanings a little easier.
Thanks for your insights, Tammy and thanks
for sharing My Peace Place with Katelyn’s class.
As they grow,
children continue to benefit by the knowledge that they have the power to
control the anxiety caused by stress. They learn that they don’t need to look
outside of themselves for peace. Here’s to helping our children grow in
confidence!
Mari L Barnes
writes for children under the pen name of Mari Lumpkin and for adults as ML
Barnes. Her books, Parting River Jordan
and Crossing River Jordan are proof
that church can be funny. Mari’s company, Flying Turtle Publishing, specializes
in books that families can share. Be sure to check out Flying Turtle Publishing on Facebook and follow @flyingturtlepub on Twitter!
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