A Nanaimo mother knew something was amiss when her young daughter wouldnB次元官网网址檛 set foot on snow.

B次元官网网址淪he was crying and was really upset about it,B次元官网网址� said Sara Stone, teacher-librarian for Cinnabar Valley Elementary. B次元官网网址淏ecause she was so little she couldnB次元官网网址檛 really explain what was going on. And so for a whole season, I carried her from the front door to the car.B次元官网网址�

At the time, Stone was unsure how to react or interpret what her daughter was going through.

B次元官网网址淪hould I be disciplining her, or am i supposed to be hugging her? And I remember being really torn, but my heart was telling me that she was struggling,B次元官网网址� she said.

Following a diagnosis, Stone learned that her daughter was living with sensory processing disorder.

The provinceB次元官网网址檚 health website, , defines the disorder as B次元官网网址減roblems processing information from the sensesB次元官网网址� that make it difficult to respond to that information B次元官网网址渋n the right wayB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� in that senses either react too much or too little to stimulation.

After finding very little childrenB次元官网网址檚 literature that featured a character with SPD in a positive light, Stone took it upon herself to write one.

B次元官网网址淚 saw a quote somewhere that read, B次元官网网址榠f you donB次元官网网址檛 see the book you want to read, you got to write it yourself,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd so I wrote it for the kids in the school and for other people B次元官网网址� And now when I look to fill my library with neurodiverse stories there is much more, and I feel like thatB次元官网网址檚 really good news.B次元官网网址�

StoneB次元官网网址檚 childrenB次元官网网址檚 book Lily and the Snow, published independently in April, closely follows her daughterB次元官网网址檚 experience living with and learning to adapt to the condition.

B次元官网网址淲hen it got warmer and [the snow] turned into slush, she was willing to check it out B次元官网网址� and she had a great time once it wasnB次元官网网址檛 making a crunching sound and it wasnB次元官网网址檛 that icy feeling when you break through that layer and your boot goes down,B次元官网网址� the author said. B次元官网网址淚t actually made her body feel like most of us feel like when we hear fingernails on a chalkboard. Like it made her physically super uncomfortable.B次元官网网址�

Stone said that, in learning about SPD, one in six children have sensory issues that affect their daily lives. She also said a common misconception some people have is that the condition is exclusively linked to an autism diagnosis. There is also no evidence that SPD can be outgrown and is a condition children will have to learn to manage. At the back of the book, Stone has also included resources on SPD for reader reference.

B次元官网网址淎 big part of the message B次元官网网址� is to have support, to have people that understand you and are empathetic B次元官网网址� Sensory processing can look so different and it can be really frustrating for parents because they may not know if itB次元官网网址檚 a temper tantrum of sensory meltdown B次元官网网址� We donB次元官网网址檛 want to pressure our kids to do things that donB次元官网网址檛 feel comfortable for them but to find ways that they can still function and theyB次元官网网址檙e comfortable with,B次元官网网址� she said.

A YouTube channel based out of the United Kingdom called also featured Lily and the Snow in a video posted Nov. 23.

The book can be purchased in Nanaimo at WindowSeat Books or online at .

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