It was during a speech therapy session that Natalie Abkarian Cimini first noticed her sons' increased confidence in speaking after she read rhyming words to them.
When she couldn't find a suitable rhyming book about kids with autism to read to her boys, Leo, 7, and Lorenzo, 5, the Whitchurch-Stouffville resident decided "to put pen to paper and make it happen" by writing one herself.
Understanding Lenny: A Book About a Boy With Autism is a rhyming book for children aged four to eight to help them understand about autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
"I always wanted a book that (my sons) could read about or I could read to them that was about them or children like them."
Cimini said the book is for all children so they can understand what kids with autism go through.
By understanding why a child behaves a certain way — like a child who wears headphones in class not to listen to music but because it mutes the ambient noise in the room — kids will treat their peers and classmates with kindness and learn the importance of inclusivity, she said.
Cimini and her husband, Michael, haven't told Leo and Lorenzo about their autism diagnosis yet but Leo has expressed that he's "different" several times.
When she read her book to the boys for the first time, they immediately identified with Lenny, his characteristics and mannerisms.
Leo said "Who's Lenny?. . . Is Lenny me?. . . That's what I do!" according to Cimini.
Witnessing Leo's excitement at seeing himself represented in the story and the realization that he's not so different brought tears to Michael's eyes, Cimini said.
"It was almost like it wasn't even a big deal. He just read about it with me, he related to the character, he said 'Lenny's like me. I can be friends with Lenny.' So the fact that he's finally seeing himself in a character and making that connection. . . we were bawling."
Approximately 135,000 Ontarians have been diagnosed with autism and one in 66 Canadian children and youth aged five to 17 have autism, according to a 2019/2020 Autism Ontario annual report.
Autism Ontario defines autism or ASD as a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way a person communicates and relates to the people and world around them.
Cimini said she hopes the book will help other parents who are feeling apprehensive about broaching the subject with their own kids and it would be a great addition to both school and home libraries.
As a private person, the thought of detailing her family's journey was a scary one and she didn't even tell anyone she was working on it, Cimini said, but she's glad she did it.
"It's definitely all out there, there's no holding back and honestly it's been the most rewarding thing I've ever done."
One dollar from the sale of each book will benefit Aurora-based Kerry's Place — Canada's largest service provider to families with children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Cimini plans to make the donation on World Autism Awareness Day in April.
Understanding Lenny is available in hardcover, paperbook and e-book versions and can be purchased through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Cimini can be contacted through her Instagram account.
