I had the privilege to be invited by the CFCAA/CAAFC in Bathurst to present the books in the English schools in the Bathurst area last week. My host, Karen Chamberlain, did everything to make my trip as enjoyable as it could be.
I visited three schools and met with 7 classes. I also held a conference in the CCNB Bathurst on Thursday evening and I participated in the official autism awareness month activities launch at the Bathurst Library.
What a privilege it was to meet all those curious children and talk about autism. I showed them that everyone sees the world differently by asking them to complete a drawing of a head of a pig. I got a lot of great results, each drawings different from each other.
Janeville Elementary School
On Thursday morning, I started at Janeville Elementary School where the kids were very receptive and so interested in what I had to say. There was a boy named Brody who was diagnosed with autism in the group who told me that when he was younger he could not speak and that by praying to God everyday, God healed him and allowed him to talk.
It was a small group, 18 kids, but they were all so attentive and interested that the hour went fast. It was such a nice little school and I cannot wait to see them again.
Parkwood Heights Elementary School
Then, at 11:00, I went to Parkwood Heights Elementary School. Where I was meeting with 2 classes. The first group was grade kindergarten and the second, after lunch, as in grade 1. Again, very interesting dynamics. The kids were so attentive and absolutely love their time with me. I even got a couple of hugs from some children. A lot of questions were asked, lots of smiling faces.
Had such a good time in that school. that in one session, I did not see the time fly. The teacher told me that the time was up.
Smurfit-Stone Public Library
I then went to Bathurst’s Public Library to participate in the official launch of the autism awareness month activities. I read both books to a child that was present at the time and he absolutely loved them.
There wasn’t a lot of people present but seeing the smile on that child’s face was more than enough for me.
Conference at the CCNB
This was such an exciting time, I got to share the story of our son with people who were interested in discovering what autism was about. The people that were there told me that they were so happy to hear our story and some bought some books.
The art was laid out there as well so that people were able to see what was done to raise autism awareness.
Terry Fox Elementary School
The next day, I got the privilege to meet with four classes in the same school in which I had the smallest and biggest classes. I started with a kindergarten class first thing in the morning. they were so excited to draw their images and learn about autism. In the second group, two classes merged together (36 kids), there was a lot of questions and even a kid asked me if autism was real and just not something I made up.
When he said that, a child with autism was sitting right behind him. This shows just how the books are important.
In the afternoon, I met with two more classes, again a lot of smiling faces and questions.
All in all, I loved my trip. Looking forward to the french conference and schools that I will visit on April 19 to 21st, 2017.
A big thank you to Karen Chamberlain, from CFCAA/CAAFC for inviting me over to Bathurst and hold these sessions and the conference.
Thank you for your support!
First off, I would like to thank everyone who has bought a book. This book was a lot of work to produce and it was done with love, passion and hope. It has been quite a ride since the first book came out back in April of 2016. Since then a lot has happened.
Here is a list :
- We sold 145 books so far (English and French combined)
- The book was sold mostly in North America but in December we started to see some sales in Europe (6 books to be exact)
- I have met with the MLA to discuss the project of releasing 30 books. I have yet to contact them again and provide them with more information.
- I contacted all the autism societies of all canadian provinces and territories to promote the book.
- The www.myfriendsam.ca site was launched in June 2016.
- Got financial support from the UNI Financial Corporation
- I have the help of a psychologist that specializes in the field of kids with special needs.
- I have some help for the creation of the business plan for the book series, which will be completed next week.
- I am in discussion with someone from PNB Education and Early Childhood Development in New-Brunswick who is interested in having the book featured in a package that would be given to new autism families (Receiving the Autism diagnosis)
- The second book has been published on December 23rd. Get it here!
- I participated in the Salon du Livre de Dieppe, which really helped in getting some representation and known.
- I have met families who are interested in sharing their Autism stories. (book 2 for example)
- I have done interviews about the book series on Radio-Canada Première Chaîne on the radio and on Radio-Canada Télé on the show titled: “Méchante Soirée”.
- I have been invited to talk about the book series at the CFCAA in Bathurst on April 6, 2017.
- I have met and confirmed subjects for book #3 and #4.
This year, I am looking to release 3 new books at least. We are heading for a total of 30 books. I will do follow ups with PNB Education and Early Childhood Development to see what can be done with their collaboration. I will keep pushing to have these books distributed in schools and libraries.
If you would love to get involved with this project, please send me an email by clicking here.
Looking forward to what 2017 has in store for this book series.
Presenting “My Friend Sam: A play date with Damian”, a children’s book presenting the different struggles that kids diagnosed with autism deal with everyday.
This little book is the second of a series of 30 books that will explore the different levels of the Autism Spectrum.
Being an autism dad myself, I have been inspired to show our youth what autism is all about. To my knowledge, there is close to no children’s book that talk about autism. This series has the target market of kids between the ages of 4 to 8 years of age. The plan is to have this book available throughout the country so that all kids get to learn about autism.
After a lot of research, I have taken the decision to self-publish the book. It is now available through CreateSpace and it will be available on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com by the last week of December 2016. Please note that 1$ of each sale will be donated to Autism Canada.
The book is 7 inches by 7 inches, has a glossy cover and contains 26 pages. It is available in both official languages.
In this book, we explore the non-verbal side of the spectrum. A big thank you goes to Damian’s family for allowing us to base ourselves on Damian to tell a story.
Free App available for this book ONLY!!
This FREE APP is available here
