Tony the Turtle books for children with Autism – Review

‘Valerie knew she wanted to work with children from the age of sixteen after doing some work experience in a special school’.

Valerie studied Social Studies in Cork Institute of Technology, and while there did a work placement in Enable Ireland.

After graduating she went on to work as a  Special Needs Assistant in Scoil Éanna, a special school that is part of Cope Foundation. While doing so she spent a further 5 years studying  at night for a Montessori degree, with a  focus upon special education.

She then became a home tutor for children with autism.

‘It was daunting at first working for myself but after seven rewarding years, I can see it was the best decision I made. I have worked with over twenty children and each child has taught me something new.’

Valerie started writing social stories to help families after the child was initially diagnosed with ASD, which many  parents reported were a great help.

‘So that’s when I began to go into a little more detail, then I began to make them rhyme and they just began to snowball after that. I am very proud of these stories and I hope the children and families who read them will all learn something from them.’

The website states how visual learning is an important tool for children with ASD as it helps them to;

‘focus on and remember information. The language is kept direct in the books with very clear visuals so children can follow the stories themselves if they want to look at it. Tony’s expressions are easily recognisable and these clear visuals make it easy for the child to follow the story and understand how Tony is feeling.’

I got in touch with Valerie after reading how fantastic her books were as I wanted to learn more about them and how they help both children and parents who live with autism.  I wanted to see for myself, how my youngest son, 6, who has ASD, would react to the books.

All I can say is that all 3 books were an instant hit. I left the books on the couch, for his return home from school, and as soon as he saw them he asked what they were. I told him that they were new books about a turtle called Tony and he picked up, ‘Tony Goes Swimming’. He sat for 10 minutes and turned each page, slowly taking in the pictures. Later on that evening while he sat with Andrew, my husband, they sat quietly together and enjoyed the story.

From my point of view as a parent, I find the books extremely picturesque, interesting and most of all enjoyable to read. What I find realty interesting though,  is that they discuss, in simple language, the difficulties that Tony has with communication, sensory issues and change in routine, but do so in a gentle way stating that  all of these challenges can be overcome with understanding and simple adaptations. For example, in the book, Tony Goes Swimming, the following is said:

‘When they arrive, Tony is scared by the crowd, all the shouting, he finds very loud.

He covers his ears to block out the noise, and Mum distracts him with one of his toys.’

The message I feel, within the books, is an extremely positive one. That it is ok to be different and that there are ways for parents to help their young child who is on the spectrum to have fun and engage in new and loved activities alike.

After ‘road testing’ the books I was eager to ask Valerie a few questions and she kindly agreed.

I asked Valerie how she  met Susan, the illustrator, and how their creative process works.

“I got Susan’s name from a cousin of mine when I had finished stories and was looking for an illustrator. Initially after we spoke she was giving me names of other illustrators, but then suggested she do a few sketches for me and when I saw her drawing of “Tony” there was no going back. I knew that was him…”

Valerie explained that for her first book,  “Tony goes shopping” she gave  Susan a lot of direction as to how Tony should look and his use of facial expressions etc. She hen adds;

“but now, while I always get final say I trust her completely and let her do her thing, she has brought Tony to life. She also said she has learned a lot about autism from “Tony” where she didn’t know anything before she started.”

I was interested to find out how Valerie got the idea for the character, Tony. I find him such a  gentle character.

“I always knew I wanted a turtle to be my main character, I love that he can go into his shell if the outside world becomes too overwhelming, I wanted to put in ways that he could be coaxed out of his shell but also that sometimes it’s ok to take a quiet break and stay in your shell for a little while”.

Valerie then adds:

“My dad, who recently passed away, is Tony so I named my turtle after him, thankfully he got to see the first 3 books in print and he was very proud. It makes the books even more special to me now.”

I then went on to ask Valerie about her inspiration for her stories.

“My story ideas come from trial and error, when I am teaching new skills to children I always keep note of what works, as I’m sure you know, what works for one child will not necessarily work for another but I used the techniques that had the best results. I spent many a day in supermarkets before I realised that making a small visual shopping list for the child worked really well. Everything I have written about I have tried and I has been successful. I feel there is a nugget of advice on every page of each Tony story.”

To date, Valerie has written 10 books, but she explains that due to the huge financial costs of getting the books  illustrated;

“It’s going to take a little time to get them all done, The next 3 will be out at end of August hopefully.”