Tom Needs to Go

Reviews / Votes

This little book offers a visual resource to parents and carers to teach boys and young men with the condition how to use public toilets safely. It covers the subtleties of social etiquette... It offers a good starting point for teaching independence and might also prove a useful resource for teachers in sex education classes. * Autism eye * Thankfully, we have reached a point where society recognizes that all people, including those with a developmental disorder such as autism, are sexual beings who have a right to knowledge and to be safe. But there are aspects of sexuality that are challenging and not easy to teach. These attractively illustrated books, with their clear, anatomically correct pictures and simple, unambiguous text, deal bravely with these topics and will facilitate discussion and learning. They will be a very welcome addition to the bookshelves of families who have an adolescent boy on the autism spectrum. -- Sarah Attwood, author of Making Sense of Sex This series is perfect for use in sex education classes. An excellent and very helpful choice for professionals working with people with ASD! -- Ioannis Voskopoulos-Labrini Ioannou, psychologist The Tom books about privacy and puberty for boys on the autism spectrum are a wonderful resource for families and young people with ASD. Each of the books addresses a range of relevant topics, to promote safety and healthy practices that will ensure better inclusion in society for boys and men on the spectrum. I have met hundreds of parents and teachers who often find that these issues related to puberty are in most urgent need of being addressed - finally, books that help us help our sons, brothers, students, and friends! -- Dr Helen McCabe, Executive Director, The Five Project for International Autism and Disability Support (www.thefiveproject.org), US Full marks to author and mum Kate Reynolds and illustrator Jonathon Powell for tackling a tricky subject with such style and humour. Their set of three books - What's Happening to Tom?, Tom Needs to Go and Things Tom Likes are aimed specifically at young boys with autism to help them understand their developing sexuality and to behave in ways that are socially appropriate and will keep them safe... The books act as a visual guide... An honest approach like this will help them to learn quickly and to ask you questions without any sense of shame or embarrassment. -- Debbie Elley, Co-editor * AuKids Magazine *