This is by a parent of a child with ASD, who came to my workshop:''Stories to navigate by'', in Nova Scotia in Nov 2003
I thought the workshop was wonderful and unlike anything I have ever attended before.
The most immediate outcome for me - which I would definitely like Louise to know about - is that my son has developed a great interest in snails!
The next day he asked me what stories I learned at the workshop and I recited the "O Snail" haiku. He was enchanted by it and has asked me to say it many times. Next thing I knew he announced that he was into snails now and wanted to know all about them. He often takes breaks from being a dinosaur during the day to be a snail!He also wanted to know about Mount Fuji and was thrilled to learn it is a volcano. (He of course knows all about volcanoes from the Mesozoic Era.) One day we piled the cushions up on the couch and he pretended that he was a snail climbing Mount Fuji.
So, some
connections made for him to his greatest passion
(dinosaurs), but also some new horizons to
explore!
The area where I would like to learn more is the business about developing a certain kind of warmth that makes it easier to connect with our autistic children and perhaps everyone in our lives. How do I find and sustain that warm and grounded energy in myself? How do I especially sustain it when I am spending day in and day out with a challenging child? Maybe this is something that Louise could talk more about if she comes back to NS.
'The staff storytelling workshop that Louise held at school was great fun and, unlike most of the training that we receive, gave us inspiration to try out new ideas with students. It was also a good teambuilding event for staff from a variety of different areas in the school. I think we were all impressed by the levels of creativity exhibited by other members of staff - we had all just needed a little encouragement from Louise to get us going. The workshop culminated in an assembly performed for our students on World Book Day which was really enjoyed by all.
The following week was the students' turn to experience Louise's storytelling. The room where she was based for the day was transformed by a big selection of eye-catching and interesting props which immediately gave the students the impression that they were going to experience something a bit different. They were right! The primary students were the first to experience 'The Eyes of the Dragon' and all of them were involved from the start. There was a wealth of things for them to experience: the colours and textures of the props, the sounds of chants and instruments plus of course, Louise's compelling voice relaying the story in just the right level of detail. Exhibiting an impressive memory, Louise remembered the names of all the children and staff, and made sure that they all participated in some way. Having members of staff and students take on roles added to their enjoyment. The story ended with the dragon 'flying' over the students' heads - something that many of them have been talking about ever since. Only one little boy, Oliver, seemed to be a little frightened and watched through the gaps in his fingers. However, for the rest of the day he just couldn't stop talking about his experience.
The other two groups that worked with Louise also had a great time. On each occasion, she tailored the amount of detail and the type and style of participation to the individual group. She had a great way of being able to adapt her stories to suit some of the unexpected things that always seem to happen in special schools: one boy returning from an appointment arrived just at the moment that the dragon painter had been called for. He immediately was given a paintbrush and took on the role!'' Ros Brown
''Thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling workshop! Felt so inspired that the following day I couldn't find a copy of the story I wanted to use for my Literacy so decided I could do without it and tell the story instead......we used instruments as sound effects. The class enjoyed it more because I didn't read it and we could change the story as we went along. The workshop gave me the confidence to just go for it!''
''I thoroughly enjoyed the work shop, and would be very interested to listen to Louise some more! She was an interesting lady, and it was refreshing to actually hear someone who obviously knew her stuff!' 
