A lot of proud parents put their children’s artwork on the fridge but Psychiatric Nurse May Sosa turned her son’s drawings into a children’s storybook to help create awareness around autism.
“My last book, the fourth one, is my best seller. That’s the one my son, Liam, illustrated,” said Sosa, who works as a clinical nurse leader at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. “I used Liam’s drawings from school, printed the book, and gave it to him as a surprise. That is his most prized possession and proudest moment.”
Inspired by her autistic son, Sosa penned and self-published four books last year, centered on themes of anxiety, friendship, inclusion and self-awareness. She wanted her son to see that differences can be valued. She hopes the paperbacks can help neurodiverse children develop coping skills and help ease parents’ concerns about having their children ‘fit in’.
Pictured: May Sosa, Psychiatric Nurse with display of books
“Hearing the words ‘Your kid has autism’ is hard to accept for a parent,” said Sosa, remembering back five years ago when Liam was diagnosed at Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Health in Victoria. “For me, the hardest part was my line of work. As a psychiatric nurse working in acute and emergency mental health services, I see autistic people only when they are in crisis. I don’t get to see them in their normal everyday lives. I had never planned to write a book, but it’s been therapeutic.”
With her first three books primarily focusing on children with differences, she flipped the script for The Monster and The Cub. “This has a message I hadn’t seen out there. Now that many classrooms are inclusive, everyone is together more. If an autistic child becomes overstimulated, for example, and has a meltdown, how does that feel for the other kids? How does it impact them? What should they do? How can they help, if they want?”
Sosa has received positive feedback from her coworkers, many of whom have become customers.
“I got, The Bear Who Didn't Fit: An Emotional Intelligence Book, for my children,” said Rebecca Beatty, a psychiatric nurse who works with Sosa at NRGH. “The book has a great message about accepting others for their differences. It’s written in an engaging and easy way for young ones to understand.”
The books are available on Amazon and Sosa also sells at local markets, taking her son along to expose him to different social situations. Sosa said, “It is more comfortable for him to talk to strangers with me there. I help him in advance by teaching him simple sentences he can say, like, ‘I illustrated that book’. It’s so cute to watch.”
Sosa is writing four more books with a similar theme and would love to write a children’s play one day.
Autism, also referred to as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition affecting about 1 in 50 children and youth in Canada (aged one to 17). This may include differences in processing senses, thinking, physically moving, communicating, socializing and going about daily living. April is World Autism Month.
Learn about more about the Vancouver Island Children’s Assessment Network (VICAN) at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Health Vancouver Island Children's Assessment Network.
For parents/caregivers: find out how B.C. Autism Support Specialists can help.