Book Review – “I’ll tell you why…”

Book Review by an Axia ASD Ltd client on the book “I’ll tell you why I can’t wear those clothes!” Author Noreen O’Sullivan

I thought this was a lovely book with good visuals to go with it.

I sat and read it with my son who is also bothered by the way clothes feel on him. It was really nice to read it with him so he knew that there were other children who have this difficulty too which is termed as the “annoying thing “ in the book.  

I also liked the way the book opened by saying that you can’t see that the child’s body is not like everyone’s else’s as essentially the child’s body on looks would be the same. I believe it’s terming it as a hidden impairment which is exactly what sensory processing or tactile defensiveness is. You can’t see it when you look at the child but parents of the children and the children themselves know all about the “annoying thing” and how distressing it is for the child. I also like the way the book says that the child is not being difficult and it’s to do with all the tiny nerve endings they have. In this book the author is quite positive about how the school this child attends understands her sensory processing issues. I am not sure that this is very realistic however for all schools of the United Kingdom but it would be lovely if it was that way and perhaps this book may help to educate professionals on this very issue as on the back of the book it states it’s a book to educate children, parents and professionals alike.

I also really like the way that it gives some good ideas for calming strategies such as tickle time and making shapes on the child’s back but it very rightly states that this can only be done when the child’s body does not feel too sensitive to this. As a parent with a child with these difficulties this is something I am aware of and my son loves to be massaged and tickled but the time has to be right for him to do these activities as sometimes he is oversensitive to touch and, tickling him or touching him if he is oversensitive can cause him distress.

It would have been useful however if the book could have included other tactile defensiveness issues such as hair cutting, nail cutting, tooth brushing and that perhaps that the texture of clothes can change with the washing cycle. This change of texture can then prevent a child from wearing clothes they had previously worn.

I overall though thought the book was a lovely and easy read and can easily be shared and read with children who suffer from the “annoying thing”