Book Promo: Wiggles, Stomps, and Squeezes Calm My Jitters Down

Coinciding with Autism Awareness Month,
New Kids Book Helps Us Navigate Differences in Our 8 Senses

Published to coincide with Autism Awareness Month, and armed with a lot of confidence and inspiration, neurodiverse author Lindsey Rowe Parker releases her first children’s book, Wiggles, Stomps, and Squeezes Calm My Jitters Down (April 1, 2021; BQB Publishing; ISBN 978-1945448; $14.95; Hardcover), with autistic illustrator Rebecca Burgess, whom Lindsey met on Twitter. The book is also available in Spanish, titled Meneos, Pistones, Y Apretones Para Calmar Mi Cosquilleo. When Lindsey became newly diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and ADHD, her world finally made sense—giving her the confidence as a parent to go through a medical journey with her daughter, who is autistic. This story is written from Lindsey’s own sensory experiences and inspires parents who are looking for that sensory input, which they themselves may not have a name for.

The theme of Wiggles… is that the child is accepted and understood. They are not asked to change; they are supported; they can be themselves; and most importantly, they are loved.  Wiggles… focuses on the eight senses: smell, sight, hearing, taste, touch, PLUS proprioception, vestibular and interoception.

The brightly illustrated story follows a young girl with heightened sensory experiences through her day with fun, interactive sounds and motions. The reader may vicariously experience the vibration when she runs, the tap-tap-tap of her spoon on the table at mealtime, the trickle of cool water running over her hands—these are the things that calm her jitters down. 

Lindsey recounts, “There were sensory preferences that I had as a child that I thought were weird or strange, not like other kids I knew. Through pediatric occupational therapies with my kiddos, I have a greater understanding of not only some of their sensory needs, but my own. It’s like a lightbulb went on, and I thought, “Oh wow, now I get it.”  On working with Rebecca to illustrate the book, “Rebecca was absolutely the perfect person to bring this story to life because she understood life’s experiences as an autistic person. You can feel the support and understanding in the illustrations.”

Author Lindsey Rowe Parker is a mom at the tail end of toddlerhood, embracing the next phase of parenting while learning to navigate and advocate for her young autistic daughter. With a recent adult diagnosis of ADHD, and a new deeper understanding of her own sensory experiences, she has begun to delve into the neurodiversity community, learning all she can from neurodiverse voices. This is her first picture book, and she hopes it connects with everyone who has felt the need for a wiggle, stomp or squeeze! Lindsey lives in the Richmond, VA, area with her family. Rebecca “Bex” Burgess is an autistic illustrator living in the UK. They love history and nature, but comics and illustration most of all! Their passion has led them to work with the likes of The Guardian and Jessica Kingsley Publishing. Rebecca is most famous for their online comic, Understanding the Spectrum, explaining autism that has been shared in several books and used by parents, teachers and doctors. For more information, please visit wigglesstompsandsqueezes.com. 

From the Author

There were sensory preferences that I had as a child that are considered “weird” or “strange”. Through pediatric occupational therapies with my kiddos, I have a greater understanding of not only some of their sensory needs, but my own. It is like a light bulb went on, and I thought “Oh wow, now I get it.”

I wrote this story from my own sensory experiences, and now also as a mother learning how to provide sensory input to meet the needs of my kids. But I think this story applies to many kids and adults that are looking for that sensory input, which they themselves may not have a name for.

I knew that I wanted to partner with an illustrator that understood these experiences, and I found Rebecca Burgess on Twitter. The kidlit community on twitter is a great place to find talent, and Rebecca is a gem.  From their first concept sketches I knew they were absolutely the perfect person to bring this story to life.”

About the Illustrator: Rebecca Burgess

Rebecca is an autistic illustrator living in the UK. They love history and nature, but comics and illustration most of all! Their passion has led them to work with the likes of The Guardian and Jessica Kingsley Publishing. Rebecca is most famous for their online comic ‘Understanding The Spectrum’, a comic explaining autism that has been shared in several books and used by parents, teachers and doctors.

Wiggles, Stomps and Squeezes Calm My Jitters Down
Publisher:  BQB Publishing
ISBN-10: 194544892X
ISBN-13: 978-1945448928
Reading age : 5 – 7 years

Available from Amazon.com

Book Promo – Moving Past PTSD: Consciousness, Understanding, and Appreciation for Military Veterans and their Families

Expert Speaker On PTSD Discusses
US Air Force One-Day Operational Pause To Help
Curb Increased Suicide Rates In Military Personnel

From World War I through the present, the United States has neglected to provide adequate transition support to millions of veterans leaving military service. Instead of meaningful jobs, access to quality healthcare and education, and fair and equitable housing, what our veterans find when they return home is a new battle — against a failed bureaucracy that has let them down for the past 100 years.

As a nation, our misguided perception is that GI Joe and Jane can simply return home and pick up right where they left off. In truth, the military member who deployed overseas is often markedly different than the one coming home.  The Joe and Jane who joined the military in the first place are gone, and they’re not coming back.

After months or years in highly structured organizational environments, often with deployments and horrific battlefield experiences, many military veterans have undergone paradigm shifts in their thinking, their character, and in the way they view themselves and others.

In his compelling new book, Moving Past PTSD: Consciousness, Understanding, and Appreciation for Military Veterans and Their Families, expert speaker and retired Lieutenant Colonel Jaime B. Parent tackles many issues facing our nation’s veterans, including mental illness, unemployment, discrimination, and many other challenges related to transitioning to civilian life. Using thought-provoking interviews with veterans, caregivers and family members, Lt. Col. Parent hopes to break the relentless cycle of misunderstanding that prevents far too many veterans from successfully reintegrating themselves into family lives and careers. Moving Past PTSD aims to change our understanding of who the 21st century veteran is. Through this understanding, we can change their lives — and the lives of those who love them — for the better.

Author Jaime B. Parent is a retired Lieutenant Colonel, Biomedical Science Corps, United States Air Force.
He continues to serve by creating a unique fast track IT career internship, the EN-Abled Vet (http://www.en-abledvet.net), which has been adopted across 15 states. Lt. Col. Parent is a passionate advocate for inclusive communities. He now writes about his experiences with his fellow veterans. He is also a sought-after speaker at veterans and disability events as well as conferences in healthcare, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

For more information, please visit the website at: https://movingpastptsd.net.

Moving Past PTSD:  Consciousness, Understanding, and Appreciation for Military Veterans and their Families
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Released: August 14, 2019
ISBN-10: 1538126966
ISBN-13: 978-1538126967
Order at Amazon.com

 

Tips for Wellness Success in 2016

How To Reprogram Yourself
For Success In 2016

Wellness Expert Says Mind, Body And Spirit Can Work Together To Help You Replace Bad Habits With Good

Some people start each day with an early morning jog.

Others begin with a cup of coffee and a donut.

“Everyone knows that people are creatures of habit,” says wellness expert Scott Morofsky, author of the books “The Daily Breath: Transform Your Life One Breath at a Time” and “Wellativity: In-Powering Wellness Through Communication” (www.Wellativity.com)

“But too often, the habits we nurture are laziness, procrastination, self-serving biases, justification and rationalization.”

Such behaviors put people on a path to destruction, all the while making them look forward to the trip, he says. In the process, they are robbed of essential happiness and joy.
The trick to improving isn’t just by ridding yourself of habits, he says, but by replacing the bad ones with good ones.

“I really believe people can use practical methods to reprogram themselves for life-enriching habits and overcome any affliction they suffer from,” Morofsky says. “After all, we all know the things that hurt us and we know that we shouldn’t be doing those things. So why don’t we stop? Because we don’t know how to go about making these changes happen.”

For Morofsky, the key is for people to become conscious of something they take for granted – breathing. By conditioning yourself to improve the quality of your breathing, you do a better job of taking in oxygen. A lack of sufficient oxygen in our cells is known to contribute to many health issues, he says.

“The important thing to remember is you don’t need pills, potions, gadgets or gizmos to make a change for the better happen,” Morofsky says. “Your desire for a better life and a system that helps you achieve it are all you need – if you’re willing. It’s a matter of getting your mind, body and spirit working together in a practical way.”

He offers these tips to get started going into the New Year:

• Conscious breathing. Morofsky made conscious breathing the centerpiece of Wellativity, which is what he calls his personal method for helping people overcome afflictions such as obesity, smoking, lethargy, eating disorders and any other behavior that inhibits wellness. This is much like the advice people hear their entire lives to “take a deep breath” when they face stressful moments. “The core focus is conditioning ourselves to stay as connected to conscious breathing as possible and to clear away anything negative or detrimental,” Morofsky says. Breathing awareness in itself helps reduce bodily tension, improve rational thinking and increase oxygen to the entire body.

• All in good time. One of the most common pitfalls people face when they want to improve their lives is trying to do too much too soon, Morofsky says. That’s especially true with exercise or physical fitness programs, but it applies to other areas of life as well. It’s fine to be ambitious about trading bad habits for good, but don’t set yourself up for failure by creating unrealistic goals.

• Healthy boundaries. When you are establishing a healthier lifestyle, it’s important that you have healthy boundaries. “An alcoholic in recovery shouldn’t join the crowd at the bar while waiting for a dinner table,” Morofsky says. “A person with a gambling problem shouldn’t vacation in Las Vegas. As much as possible, when you are trying to trade bad habits for good, put yourself in the best position to be successful.”

About Scott Morofsky

Scott Morofsky is the author of the books “The Daily Breath: Transform Your Life One Breath at a Time” and “Wellativity: In-Powering Wellness Through Communication” (www.wellativity.com). Morofsky created the concept of Wellativity, which uses 12 principles to target crossover afflictions such as obesity, smoking, lethargy, procrastination and any behavior that inhibits wellness. He has national certification as a personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise and various other certifications in the health and fitness field. He is a New York State licensed massage therapist and a graduate of the Swedish Institute of Massage and Allied Health Sciences. For more than 30 years, Morofsky has maintained a private practice specializing in joint replacement rehabilitation and physical training for seniors, as well as fitness training and massage therapy, and has given lectures and taught seminars on these subjects.disability

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