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Write On!

How two local men leveraged the pandemic's downtime to get creative

Writing a book is an ambitious undertaking. It requires time, dedication, fortitude, and passion. Two local men, Jim Johnson and Tom Welch, embarked on this journey of authorship and their efforts came to fruition earlier this year. The topics of their books are quite different— Jim’s is a playful children’s book about his personable pup and Tom’s is a helpful guide for neurodiverse persons and their parents. However, one thing links them together—both projects were fueled by a motive of love.

Jim Johnson

Good Girl, Sadie Rose

It’s no secret that the Coronavirus pandemic sequestered people to their households more than usual. For Jim, that meant more walks with his two-and-a-half year old golden doodle. He caught himself punctuating every sentence he said to her with the same refrain: “Good girl, Sadie Rose.” 

“It occurred to me that she probably thought “good girl” was in her name!” Jim jokes.

The more he considered it, the more Jim thought that Sadie Rose would be a great protagonist for a children’s book. His first grandson was on the way as well, and Jim felt that writing a book for the newborn would be the perfect gift to hallmark his presence into the world.

“That’s all it was—just a labor of love for my grandson,” he says.

Sadie Rose is a fun-loving girl who quickly transitions from play-mode to cuddle-mode. She’s not food driven; she’s toy driven. Out of the 8-10 dogs the Johnsons have had, Sadie Rose is admittedly the favorite. The book simply chronicles this beloved family pet and the ways she earns the respect and gratitude of her ‘parents.’

Jim leveraged the help of talented friends as well, such as the illustrator, Tori Meyers. She crafted detailed images of Sadie Rose and helped Jim throughout the 6-month process of cobbling everything together. 

At the time this article is being written, Jim has yet to read the book to his new grand baby. However, he’s visiting him in Louisiana and will read it to him after his baptism. If you want to pick up a copy of ‘Good Girl, Sadie Rose’ yourself, it is available on Amazon and the Parker library.

Tom Welch

The Breakaway

Graduating school and entering the real world is difficult for anyone. However, for nuerodiverse young adults the struggles are amplified. Tom Welch, Psy.D, wrote ‘The Breakaway: A Parent’s Guide to Transitioning the Autistic and Twice Exceptional Adolescent Into Young Adulthood’ to help young adults and their parents navigate this change. Tom is the owner and Director of Behavioral Services at Humanex Academy. Humanex Academy is a private school for children grades 6-12 with learning differences and emotional needs. In addition to his work at the school, Tom’s multi-year passion for this book came from working with families and professionals who struggled to approach the transition (the breakaway) from grade-school to young adulthood for nuerodiverse individuals.

“I really wanted to write something that could help parents slow down, not panic so much, and help them understand who their young adult is. The chapters in the book break down elements that are super critical for developing a strategy that makes sense for their kid(s),” Tom says.

According to Tom, when in crisis about the breakaway process parents typically do one of two things. They either revert to what has always worked with their child, which is typically inappropriate after the K-12 age range, or they go to what they personally know best from their own experiences as a nuerotypical person in the world. Neither work.

To practically aid with this dilemma, Tom’s book includes real world case studies and suggestions for parents. It is designed to help parents develop a winning strategy that is best for their child. There are questions at the end of each chapter to help the reader apply the issues raised in the book. Tom suggests keeping a journal and a notebook to document observations, thoughts, and feelings in each stage of the process.

‘The Breakaway’ can be purchased on Amazon and recently made it onto Amazon’s Hot New Releases list.

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