Sensational Moms: For Overstimulated Homeschool Moms

Fun Children's Book for Self-Regulation & Sensory Processing: Interview with Sarah Collins

• Whitney Whitten • Season 2 • Episode 13

Share episode

Let's normalize talking about our self-regulation & our senses! But it can feel awkward... so what better way than through a beautiful, engaging picture book?

Join Sarah and me, Whitney, as we discuss her new book A Chameleon Tale:

  • how it came about
  • how it's already impacting families
  • sensory processing (especially vestibular and proprioceptive input!) Learn more here.
  • self-regulation (learn more here)
  • MOM's own sensory systems, too!

When you talk to your kid about sensory processing or self-regulation, do you feel like you're talking OVER them instead of having a conversation?

Or maybe you have a kiddo like mine who is not receptive to a lot of direct teaching about self-regulation.

Jackie Adrian, Sarah's friend and co-author of A Chameleon Tale, said "Where's the book for this?" ... and they couldn't find one! So in true OT fashion, she helped make it.

Find A Chameleon Tale (link) on Amazon or wherever books are sold. 

Connect with Sarah:

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/homeschool_ot/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/thehomeschoolot
Linked In- https://www.linkedin.com/in/homeschoolot/
Website- http://homeschoolot.com
Podcast- The OT is In on any podcast player- link to apple  Youtube- www.youtube.com/@homeschoolot
A Chameleon Tale- A Colorful Sensory Story on amazon (though can be purchased at any book vendor)

Find Jackie Adrian's art and books here:
https://www.jackieadrian.com/

---
Join us for Summer Masterclass Series: Brain Body Parenting!
If you need less struggle and more peace of mind as you enter fall... save yourself some closet space and money from wasted curriculum and try this instead.

No more dusty, half-read parenting and brain books.

  • 4 sessions via-zoom
  • real-time chat to ask your questions in between
  • access to an OT & mom of 4 to answer your questions
  • support from other moms in the trenches

Register here or learn more: subscribepage.io/summermasterclass



Send Whitney a Text

Grab your summer masterclass spot here  and start fall feeling supported and empowered for the chaos waiting for you...See you July 2nd! 

This podcast is not meant as medical advice or a substitute for any medical advice. Please contact your health professional with any mental health or physical health questions or concerns.

Hey there. Welcome back to Sensational Moms. If you've been listening to these episodes about self-regulation and think, yes, I am on board. I need to work on these skills and so does my kid, or maybe you've heard of sensory processing, but you think, how do I talk about this with my child? Then today's episode is especially for you. It was an absolute delight to have Sarah Collins with me on the podcast for this episode as she is sharing about a new children's book that she co-authored with Jackie Adrian called A Chameleon Tale. This book is a delightful book that helps children. And adults honestly understand a little bit more about self-regulation and our sensory systems and how we use these techniques in just an everyday activity like going out and going to a restaurant. This interview was delightful for me. I know whenever I get together with a fellow OT, we could talk forever. So I hope that our passion and enthusiasm shines through in this episode and that you are able to see what a good resource this is to help you be able to help your child understand. More about themselves, but also understand you. There's a delightful character in the book, mama Chameleon, that I think you'll be delighted to read about. So let's jump right in. You're going to hear more about self-regulation, co-regulation, and everything in between, including declarative language, and you'll find plenty of resources down in the show notes, including how you can access. Sarah's book and all of her other wonderful resources.

Whitney:

I am so excited to have Sarah Collins of homeschool ot and now a published author with us today. Welcome, Sarah.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Thank you. Thank you. That seems so strange to hear, but it's so, it's so fun. Thank you.

Whitney:

Yeah. I was wondering if, if, if this is the first and it is right.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

It is. Yes. Yeah.

Whitney:

That's so exciting. Okay, so Sarah is an occupational therapist and a homeschooling consultant who's dedicated to helping parents align homeschooling with their children's unique needs through homeschool ot, she provides personalized consultations. She teaches month, month-long courses on key topics, fosters community through group and individual coaching, and speaks at national conferences. You're a busy, a busy lady. Uh,

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

am.

Whitney:

work

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

so fun though.

Whitney:

it, empowers parents to build learning environments that support children's development and passions. And of course, you can find Sarah on her website@homeschoolot.com, her podcast, the OT is in or on Instagram at homeschool ot. And I'll be putting all of those down in the show notes. Of course. So. Let's jump right in and talk about your book, A Chameleon's Tale. So tell me about this awesome book. I was so excited when you sent it to me and I looked at the pictures and it brought back such happy memories of of my favorite picture books with my kids with the bright colors. And of course, your co-author and the illustrator put a lot of thought into that, right?

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah, she is great. So, Jackie, Adrian, um, she and I. Lived together for, for a while back in our twenties. So her husband and my husband worked together and then my husband got a job and moved. He literally got the job the day after I started graduate school for ot. And so I couldn't leave. And so he, you know, moved on. He was living in Maryland. We were in Richmond, Virginia, and I lived with Jackie and Ryan at the time, and in fact, she even edited like all of my OT papers all through graduate school, which. Funny. When we were talking about it recently, she was like, I don't remember that. Like how did that, I mean, it was paper after paper, after paper. I thought she edited,

Whitney:

It is. It's gotta be like the BC brain before children, right? There are so many

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

I guess.

Whitney:

that people tell me that I did, and I'm like, I have no idea what a

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

I guess, but I think she really, yeah, she really,

Whitney:

I.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

you know, is key in our, in my graduation from, from OT school and my ability to take my thoughts, you know, and, and make sure that the professors knew what I was doing. So yeah, really key. And then fast forward, so she has two children now. We have three children. Um, we've been homeschooling, she does not, but one of her sons has sensory processing disorder and she. He was asking me for assistance and asking just for some, you know, keys and, and ways to talk to him. And she was like, well, Sarah, where's the book for this? And I was like, that's a, that's a really good question. I don't, I don't know. And.

Whitney:

Yeah.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

she has also, I mean, I told you she edited all my papers, but she also since then is an artist. She has all kinds, you can see it on Jackie adrian.com. She has all kinds of beautiful wrapping paper and dish towels and wallpaper. Just such beautiful things. And this is her third book. So it was my first, but her third, and she, she said, you know, there's a need. Let's fill it. And so we did.

Whitney:

That's so beautiful. I think that

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Mm-hmm.

Whitney:

we're just so good at just rising to the occasion, is that kind of what happened here or have you ever imagined yourself being, you know, a children's book author?

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Oh, never in my wildest dreams like it did. Not ever, the thought never crossed my mind until she said, well, can we write it? And even after she said that, I was like, yeah, sure. You know, one of those like I. I, you know, I'll, I'll get to that someday or whatever, but there's a trip every year that, um, for our husbands, our golf course superintendents, and it's a small, um, niche field. And every year the golf course super attendants. Association of America. G-C-S-A-A has a conference and since it is so small, it's not like, you know, the accounting conference or even the OT conference, you know, where there's people that come from all over, but it's not like, you know, everyone around,

Whitney:

right.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

you know, in one city there's 40 or 50 OTs or whatever. Then one city, there's like eight or nine. You know the golf course superintendents. So since we've kind of grown up in this, all the wives go with their husbands. We go every single year. It's so fun. So this was 2024, February of 2024, and we went and wrote the book. We sat down and she asked me all these questions and we started talking about it. And that's where it came from.

Whitney:

Well, that's great. That's

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Mm-hmm.

Whitney:

neat, neat to hear that process, and I bet that relationship was a comfortable relationship to be able

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Oh yeah.

Whitney:

kind of encourage that skill to come forth, so that's

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

Now you have to tell me about the chameleons. Why chameleons? I.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah. So we were trying to figure out what is the best way for an animal, right?'cause we wanted sensory processing is so difficult to explain because our outward. Expressions don't always match what inwardly is is going on. You know, we can be completely overstimulated, yet at the same time recognize everybody around us needs us to be calm. And so our outward experience is that it's calm, right? But we wanted something that that outward. Expression would match the N word expression. And so we were thinking through animals again, because within humans it's so complex. And so we couldn't really just do kids or adults or something like that. So we needed to do it with, with kids or with animals. So the chameleons, we were like, well, they change color and it isn't necessarily. There's a few things, like chameleons don't typically live as a family unit, but we have them here living as a family unit and it isn't

Whitney:

either,

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Right. They don't go to restaurants.

Whitney:

of it.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Exactly. Nor does their color typically change based on emotion, though, after we were doing some research, it does seem like it can, you know, if there's a fear, then that is what triggers. The change of color to match their surroundings. Not necessarily, you know, as soon as they walk in a leaf, they don't turn green. But it has to do with the, the fear response. And so we were like, okay, well we could, we could take that and run with it. And so that's what we did.

Whitney:

Yeah. That's wonderful. And you know, I'm sure as a mom you felt the same way that, you know, mood, mood rings from when we were kids, right.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

do remember mood drink.

Whitney:

Uh, so often with my, with my kids, I thought, man, you know, if we could just get one that actually worked, that would be great. So I like that. it's like a, um, the chameleon is a very concrete way to be able

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yep.

Whitney:

what's going on on that inside world in a way that makes sense and is fun and. like you said, there are so many senses and I we'll get into that in a little bit with the book that you're talking about, senses that are hard to visualize

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Right.

Whitney:

right? And so it's bringing that into, um, a way that kids can understand. So, you know, I'm getting right in'cause I'm so excited. But then I just realized our audience might not know exactly what your, what this book is about. So can you give us an overview of, of what this story is intended for?

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Absolutely. So there's three chameleons in the, in this family. There's Mama, and there's Seth, and there's Sally. And they are leaving their comforts of their fig tree, and they are on their way to the Chameleon cafe and. This was one of the things that our editor actually picked.'cause we had chosen, I don't even remember, something very random where they were going. And he was like, how about something typical, you know, that uh, every family would go at some point, like out to eat. Right? And so we're Yeah, of course. Why didn't we pick that? So they are, they're on their way to the Chameleon Cafe and one of the. Chameleons, um, is very worried about that. Uh, you know, the difference, the change, everything that is going to happen between, you know, the leaving and the arriving and then what's that gonna look like once they get there. One of the chameleons is Sally and she is so excited to go and so, but she keeps having to calm her body and wait for her brother and. Change, you know, what she would typically be doing where she has some freedom of movement and, you know, she can be all over their fake tree just to meet her needs, but he or she has to be calmer again to wait for her brother. But then also because they're going into this environment of, uh, the cafe where people aren't happy. If you're like up and running around and, you know, doing your own thing to make sure that your body, that you're meeting your, the needs of your body. So she also has to work on, both of them have to be able to calm their bodies enough to meet the needs of the environment and to be successful in what their mama wants to provide for them. So they're on their way there, they eat, then they get back, and then mama, when This is my favorite part. And I think the part for you too. Yes,

Whitney:

Yeah.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

at the end of the day is like. Ooh. I have been working so hard to help these chameleon kids make it through their day, and now I need to work on, you know, calming my own nervous system. So, and that's kind of how it ends.

Whitney:

I just, it was beautiful in that way because I felt like, you know, all of the characters were seen and understood, I even saw a transition kind of toward the end. I forget which one of the chameleons. Took the mom's language and said, you know, I knew I did what my

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Exactly. Knew just what to do. Yep.

Whitney:

I'd love being able

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

that, um, transformation there toward the end. And yes, you're right. I just felt so seen at the end like that, that chameleon in

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yes.

Whitney:

in that

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

And that's actually a lot of the feedback that we're getting that so many parents are like, do you know, I am so focused on my kids and I'm happy that they understand that, you know, they, I'm happy that they're feeling that. I'm happy that they're receiving that, you know, all of it. But for it to flip a little bit and let the kids realize like, oh, mom's a person too. You know, this happens in her body. A, that allows them to be more empathetic as kids, but B, we're already teaching them to advocate for themselves as adults, and that's a lifelong process of an education on how to do that. So if we can start that conversation as when they're little and reading these picture books, great, let's do it.

Whitney:

Yeah. Yeah. That's wonderful. And I've, you know, like you've said, I've, I've tried to adapt or point out things in books when I'm reading to my kids that, where it's not explicit. Right. But I

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Mm-hmm.

Whitney:

this setting, you're calling it out directly. Of what is going on in the sensory systems and how it impacts, you know, our function, right. Of being able to

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah,

Whitney:

place that we need to go to or want to go to and do the thing. Right. So,

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

that thing. That's right.

Whitney:

yeah, do the thing. Um, so speak to me a little bit about the language that you chose to use because you speak about declarative language. Can you kind of explain what that means?

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Sure. So declarative language, and there's a few really good resources on this, which I'll make sure that I get to you. One is called the Declarative Language Handbook, um, and the work there. Is changing our language from a command to a, I wonder or I notice, or, you know, this is what I see so that our kids don't necessarily feel this, oh my goodness, I have to get this done, type thing like that. How frazzled that that can make a kid, and how it can heighten our nervous systems that even send us into fight or flight for some kids, but instead it turns it into us having this collaborative relationship with our children, meaning that, oh. You know, for example, here in the book, I, hmm, I don't remember the exact quote, but Mama says something along the line of, you know, Seth, I wonder how it would feel if you chew on this, you know, crispy bug or something. I, I should really know my own language.

Whitney:

Well,

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

I'm saying this. Pull my quote, better.

Whitney:

but I, I get where you're going with that though. And I, um, I've noticed declarative language, especially with my child who's, who's resistant to, to, to, to demands. Uh, she, that's been really pivotal in our

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Mm-hmm.

Whitney:

So that's how I first, you know, even though I've been an OT for 15 years, that was my first, you know, foray into really, you know, honing down

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

I was saying things and communicating that, um, because I think so often, yeah, we do try to put the pieces together for our kids and we take the ownership outta the process when we do that.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, there is a big piece of this collaboration that allows our kids to recognize that we're on their team, and so we're not just randomly telling them something to do. Just for the heck of it, you know, or to make sure that they're obedient. But instead, it's more of a, you know, I'm on your team. I wanna help you grow and to be the person that you are mitts be, and the best version of yourself. And so to do that, you have to be able to think and process through. And so let's, let's think about this together. Now at the same time, I do wanna say that if all of a sudden you. You know, walk in and you change the way that you're speaking to your child, who oftentimes, you know, in your case what you're saying is like a person who, with demand avoidance, or a person who is like resistant to this type of, um, obedient, necess, necessitating conversation. Um, if all of a sudden you go in and you're like, I wonder why your shoes are in the hallway. They're looking at you like. Oh, okay, mom. Yeah. Right. A, it's really doesn't give you a lot of descriptors, right? So it's not, if you're wondering why my shoes are in the hallway, why you just ask me why my shoes are in the hallway? You know? And it. Also maybe like, oh, great mom's reading another book. You know, and so they can kind of see right, right through this of like, she's just changing her language to make me do something else. But so it really still requires practice along the way with your kids reading books that are gonna also practice that same language, reminding them all throughout their day, all throughout their time that you are on their team. So I wanted to give some examples of that so that it doesn't, it isn't all of a sudden like mom's walking in here talking weird, you know, and very unclearly.

Whitney:

I noticed when I started making that shift myself, starting with my own observations about myself, was a more comfortable place to start

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Great. Yeah.

Whitney:

that, then pointing that outward necessarily at the kids. Um, but I, I did, I like how you had really just specific examples of that in the book. And of specific examples, you really hone in on sensory systems that are. Harder to see, right? Because when we think of sensory systems, we usually think of the top five, right?

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

for any of my listeners that haven't listened to the many other times that I've talked about, you know, proprioceptive and vestibular, all the, you know, all of those, why don't you just give us a rundown?'cause I know in the book, you know, those are the really, the systems that kind of come out when mom is suggesting different things. So can you help us understand that?

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah, of course. So you're right, you mentioned the top five. You know what I see, what I smell, what I taste, what I hear, and what I touch. Right? So those are, you know, our top five. But then you're right, proprioception, which does tend to be the most calming for our nervous systems because it helps us to be aware of. Our own body. And if you think about it, you know, if you get stressed out, you know, one of the first things that you do is like wrap up in a blanket or grab like something, a really hot drink. So it's in your hand and you can feel it really closely. Or you know, if you bump your arm, you grab it. You know, it's our body's way of calming the nervous system. First, so within the book, that's what mama does and she, I was gonna open the page, but it doesn't matter Anyway. Um, so with within the book, you know, at the beginning with Seth who is really worried about what's going to happen and he is. Almost feeling that fight or flight of like, no way, not a chance. I'm not going, this is, this makes me feel uncomfortable. And so she wraps them up in a fig leaf. You know, she, I've actually used this with my own kids when they were little, we would call it blanket burritos. And they would lay in the middle and I'd roll them right up and we would just snuggle in that way. And even s swaddling babies, as they're tiny, you know, we're giving them like, where is my body? And is it okay? And so that's one of the things. She does. But even as time goes on, there's proprioception that you can get from, you know, the, the, the tight wraps. You can also get it in your jaw. So really, um, chewing something really, um, crunchy or chewing something that's gonna take a lot of force, that's proprioception sucking, that's also proprioception. So she does that later on by offering them different types of. Bugs, you know, at the um, chameleon Cafe. So that's one of them. The proprioceptive system. The other one that we mention a lot is for good old Sally, who is like. Tired of just standing there waiting for Seth to feel comfortable to go and she needs to move more. And so she's seeking out some vestibular input, which is anything that's requiring your head to move.'cause that system is in your inner ear. So it's not necessarily, whereas my body and relationship to itself like proprioception, but where am I in relationship to the world in space? You know, and so it is more of an alerting system. She's like, I just feel like I need to move. And oftentimes they go hand in hand, you know, like you're moving, you're moving, and then you're very alert, and then you need proprioception to organize all of that. So

Whitney:

Exactly.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

of go, yeah, together. And that's what happens here. Like Sally is moving and moving and she's like twirling around and mama's happy to see her doing that on their way there.'cause she can, she has that freedom of movement. But then once she gets in there, and that's what mama says, she's like, I can see that your body needs to move. But we can't do that in this environment. How about instead you? And she offers her some, um, salty bugs and sour bugs, um, to kind of alert her system, but instead of the movement that it would take to use a different sense, this is the fate.

Whitney:

Yeah. Yeah. I was reading that part and thought, oh, I guess that's one of the things I miss about living in a suburban or a city area is walking somewhere. You

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

Uh, you know, we expect kids and even ourselves as adults, you know, we're buckled into the car. We live about 30 minutes, 25, 30 minutes from most restaurants or uh, or libraries or those places where you have to go and be a little more calm and put together.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

you know, after. Spending that much time in the car and I've got some kids, I, you know, I know how Seth and Sally are so different because that's my house, right? I've got some kids that are like, just be quiet. You know? They get out of the car and it's just all they can do to get out before they melt down after 30 minutes of chatter. And then I've got. Other kids that are just itching to move around'cause they've been buckled in so much for so long and it's, you know, then you get to the place, right, and,

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

you still have to do the thing. And it, it can be hard sometimes. And

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

think restaurants, you know, sometimes for my kids, so we can't walk to the restaurant. It would be, instead of waiting inside, we're gonna wait outside.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yep.

Whitney:

you know, a lot of those sorts of movements are more acceptable outside on the sidewalk and that sort of thing.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

And one of the main reasons there would be other reasons that we used colors in this is'cause that can give you a way to talk about it, you know? So. Because you're even mentioning here about you've got some kids that are like really struggling because of the chatter and they're overwhelmed by that. And then some that are overwhelmed by, you know, having to sit. So in essence they're kind of underwhelmed, you know, their body is like,

Whitney:

Yeah.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

get, get moving. You know? But neither of them are necessarily emotions, right? They're, they're more of my body needs something. So. You could be like, do you feel frustrated? Do you feel, but kids. May not, you know, they may not necessarily recognize what their, yeah, what their feeling is with an emotion. But here, if we're putting that with color, so, oh, are you teal right now? Are you coal gold, or are you, um, coral, which are the kind of the three that we used. And it's a more concrete way of, again, the body's expression of what's going on internally. And that's actually what my. Niece has been saying, so my sister-in-law, her kids are, um, seven, five, and two, and they've been reading this book and she, my niece the other day, said something to her mom. They were on their way to the gym and she was like, I'm just so, and I was like. Yeah, I love that that has, you know, come across in a way that her mom knew exactly what she meant and that she needed to get up and move and to meet those needs. So it is another way of building a language into our homes to allow our kids to recognize what's going on in their bodies and be able to do something about it.

Whitney:

100%. That's why I was so excited to see this book, because it's so needed and you know that it just takes the colors. One of the reasons I love using colors or emojis, it just that sort of thing takes the language guesswork out of it because we don't

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yep.

Whitney:

to make things more complicated for our kids

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Okay.

Whitney:

who are already likely struggling with. Something. Right? And then we

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Mm-hmm.

Whitney:

be able to put the language with it. Um, so let's take that piece out of it, shall we? And, uh, talk about colors and cute chameleons and, you know, depersonalize it a little bit. I think

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

this self-regulation conversation for when someone's done something wrong and then it just seems. Like one more sort of punishment or

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Mm-hmm.

Whitney:

around it. Right. But you know, put it on some, some cute animals and let's learn from them

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Absolutely.

Whitney:

I love that about, you said that was your niece.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yes.

Whitney:

perfect. And what delightful ages too to, you know, if you think kids that age can start to learn

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Mm-hmm.

Whitney:

way of thinking, you know, just

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

impact that it can really have is pretty awesome. So let's talk a little bit more about where we can find your resources and of course this book as well. Where can we find the

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

So this book, you can get Amazon, Barnes and Noble, you know, any of those. Mostly you have to order it online. At this point, it's brand. Brand spanking new. So there aren't a lot of bookstores that carry it. However, if you go into your bookstore, um, your local bookstores, which I would love, or your library and you ask them to order it, then it would be there for other people. That's one of the best ways to spread the word for authors.'cause we can't be at every single one. So. I didn't know that until I put out this book. So here's my, please do that. You know? Um, leave reviews on Amazon or wherever you order it. That also is very helpful. And then request it so that more and more people will be able to find it and know,'cause you're right, I do think this is a book that is needed that people wouldn't know to ask for. So here we go.

Whitney:

Yeah, absolutely. Um, and yes, the library request form, I learned how to do that early in my homeschool days. Sometimes

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Ooh, well fill it out now.

Whitney:

I'm gonna try.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Thank you. Thank you. Um, and there is on Homeschool OT website. There is a free book guide that goes along with it that can help you to kind of go through some discussions with it. But then also there's coloring pages of, you know, some of the artwork that's in the book. And there's just some, you know, other fun activities that you can do to go along with it. I have another family that I have been. Working with that, they, um, cut out. So they took that. Guide and they printed a few pages of it. They cut out the different chameleons and they're using them like throughout their day. They have one that's coral, one that's gold, and one that one's that's teal and they're kind of, you know, pointing to it or carrying along. And I mean, these are the things that I'm like, I just never would've imagined that, but, but it is the most humbling and beautiful thing to be coming of. Our work in Jackie feeling the same way. So it's, it's really rewarding.

Whitney:

How powerful to be

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

understanding and language to people's

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Yeah.

Whitney:

So

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Absolutely.

Whitney:

for, for doing that and to Jackie as well. Um, so I look forward to getting my hard copy in my hands, reading it with my kids and maybe even. Leading a group with my co-op. That sounds so fun to, to be able to, to read a book to a group of kids as well, and kind of dive into it that way and spark some discussion because I feel like, you know. It's easy as OTs and moms parents who have lived this experience with our own kids, and then we don't have a way to really, uh, share that experience with other families to help them see as well. So I just, I'm gonna, I'm gonna be getting back to you and sharing the conversations that it

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Oh, please do. Yes. Oh, I'd love to hear that. There is a family that I was talking to this morning and she has like a bin for their co-op of different books of. Designed for parents to talk to their kids, so, so her son is a non-speaking autistic kiddo, and so she's got some books for her families, like in the co-op to kind of understand and know how to interact with her son. And this is one that she said she's gonna put in there, but not just to be able to interact with her autistic kid, but with everybody who's. Around. So she's really excited about it and I am too just to

Whitney:

Yeah.

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

be a part of that, for this communication for groups of people. It's again, such an honor.

Whitney:

Wonderful. Well, that'll be a wrap for today's episode. I'll be sure to put the link down in show notes for your website and the guide as well. And I look forward to hearing conversations that it starts with my listeners as well. So thank you

Sarah Collins- HomeschoolOT:

Beautiful. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. Your time is so valuable and always in short supply. As a mom, I really am honored that you chose to share a little bit of it with us. Don't forget to check out those goodies down in the show notes. And until next time, I truly hope that you are able to find connection even in the chaos.