It all began at the Minnesota State Fair…

A few years ago, my husband and I visited the chickens at the State Fair and I fell in love with the Silkie chicken breed. Their feathers looked more like fur, they were so thick and “silky”. Most of their faces were so covered by feathers that you couldn’t see their face; not even their eyes! Without being able to see their faces, it was hard to tell what they were thinking or feeling. I began imagining a little Silkie chicken who didn’t talk and nobody could see his face. What would his life be like if he was unable to communicate with his family and friends?

That made an immediate connection for me with my students with autism. Many of them are non-verbal and all of them struggle with communication to some extent. We work every day to help them find ways to communicate and when they find their “voice”, whether it is verbal language, sign language, pictures, or voice output devices, it is simply magical!

That is how Simon was created and just like my students, when he discovers how to tell his friends what he wants and save them when they’re in danger, it’s an amazing transformation. All my preschool students with special needs have important things to share with us and we are so lucky to hear from them; regardless of how they share!

#SilentSimon #Childrensbook # AAC #InclusiveKids #EarlyChildhoodSpecialEducation