Meet ME Where I'm At by Cindy Best and Joyce Shor Johnson
Published by Future Horizons
Meet me where I'm at is a very unusual book. It's half picture book and half workbook and I don't mean, the first few pages are one and the rest are the other. This book seamlessly blends both at the same time.
The general idea of this book is to get children with special needs to let others around them know exactly "where they are at".
Instead of expecting children with special needs to stretch to meet their parents, teachers and friends on levels where they can't function well, this book aims to encourage them to advocate for themselves and ask others to meet them at their own level.
It's a very interesting concept which I've seen in adult work before. This is the first time I've seen this agenda come though in a book aimed at kids - and it's a very welcome move.
The main pages in "Meet Me Where I'm At" follow a standard template of;
Just because I do (some undesirable behavior) doesn't mean that I don't do (desired behavior) .
meet me where I'm at
When I'm feeling (specific emotion or mood)
I sometimes need to do (specific type of response)
The book covers topics such as not meeting the teacher's gaze when they talk, hitting, not writing things down, interrupting, leaving loud classrooms, being empathetic and resisting change.
Each of these sections has areas where the child is encouraged to describe the things that work for them. It's a great self-advocacy starter.
It concludes with a reminder that all people are different and that everyone has value.
Meet Me Where I'm At by Cindy Best and Joyce Shor Johnson is published by Future Horizons and is available in paperback from Amazon, Booktopia and GoodReads. There's also a facebook page where you can talk about the book and make suggestions for further topics.
Honesty Clause; I was provided with a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes.
