This Is Gabriel Making Sense of School

Do you know what is so fabulous about the Internet? I bet you do.

In this day and age, when you as a parent are faced with something (a diagnosis, a problem, or just something new), all you have to do is google and help is right there! Our parents weren't this lucky.

When The Wild Child was first diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) in 2008 at age 2, I was in awe of all the information that was available to me online. There were other kids like mine! There were other parents going through the same thing as me!

But when the The Politician was diagnosed as well last fall, I found my emotions were a little different this time- he was 6 and in public school, which was a whole new ballgame and I felt so overwhelmed. We were fortunate that P has a teacher who was willing to make accommodations and work with us to find way to manage him and the resulting behavior. Many times I sent links to his teacher to various articles and websites in an effort to help find ways to help him in the classroom.

I can't tell you how excited I was to find Hartley Steiner, who blogs at Hartley's Life With 3 Boys. Hartley's son Gabriel is 8.5 and has been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, as well as having some other challenges. Hartley always has insightful posts packed with helpful information. She's even come up with a downloadable Sensory Accommodation Suggestions Page that she describes as "a tool for parents, caregivers, teachers and therapists who are involved in helping meet the needs of a child with Sensory Processing Disorder in the classroom."

Hartley has written a fabulous book called This is Gabriel Making Sense of School and I was lucky enough to receive a copy to review. The book was written to give everyone (teachers, parents, and students) a better understanding of SPD and how it affects school and learning for children with SPD.

You first note that the book is absolutely gorgeous- the illustrations are vibrant and colorful and eye-catching.

This book contains nine pages of text: an intro, a page for each of the seven senses, and a conclusion. I think the contents and length are just perfect for an elementary-aged child's attention span. Each facing page is colorful and packed with beautiful pictures that illustrate and relate to each of the senses and how SPD may affect it.

I will be purchasing additional copies of this book to share with my OT and with P's teacher- what a great resource!

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes. I received no compensation for this post.