“Living Paintings books have become a Christmas tradition for us” – Verity and Martha’s story

With the festive season fast approaching, children across the globe are getting excited. This year, five-year-old Martha is looking forward to experiencing the sights, sounds and sense of Christmas – and it’s all thanks to Living Paintings.

Martha was born with a genetic condition that has resulted in holes in her heart and has left her non-verbal and partially sighted. She’s known as a SWAN child which means her syndrome hasn’t been identified and doesn’t have a name. Martha also has strong food aversions and sensory issues.

Mum Verity, found out about Martha’s sight problems when she was around 4 months old at an appointment for her older son, Ted.

“Ted is blind in one eye and so we had a consultation for him when Martha was just a baby,” she said. “The consultant noticed that Matha’s eyes were shaking and got us referred to check it out as health visitors and midwives hadn’t noticed.”

Verity learned about Living Paintings through the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and started ordering books straight away for Martha and Ted.

“Even though Ted is blind in one eye, he isn’t considered partially sighted so it was only when Martha got diagnosed that we learned about Living Paintings,” Verity said.

“We weren’t sure how much Martha could see as a baby, but we loved reading to her, and it was nice to have an activity suited to her and that was great for Ted too. She couldn’t grab onto anything but we encouraged her to touch the raised pictures from a young age. It was a lovely routine to get into before bed – the Peppa Pig books were always her favourite.”

Martha’s sensory issues mean that she has an extreme aversion to touch but through her love of the Living Paintings books, Verity has been able to encourage this more and more.

“The books have really opened her world, not just to enjoy the stories but to slowly introduce her to touch and to build her up to bigger sensory experiences,” she said. 

“Martha really doesn’t like to touch things and hates anything on her fingers but because she loves Living Paintings books so much, I’ve been able to encourage her to feel the raised pictures over time and this has led to her touching other things with her whole hand. It’s because the books are so colourful and relaxing for her that she’s been open to it. If we hadn’t used these books and created such a lovely environment with them, I don’t think she would have tried.”

For children with sensory issues, Christmas can be tricky with so many new sights, smells and sounds to contend with but Verity is confident that Martha will not only cope with the atmosphere but will really enjoy it thanks to the work they’ve put in with Living Paintings books.

“Reading and experiencing these books together has allowed us to prepare Martha for the upcoming season. We talk about emotions and explain to her what’s going to happen,” she said. 

“Last year, we read the Living Paintings book, Is that you Father Christmas? by Siobhan Dodds. In the book, Martha could feel a picture of Father Christmas which really helped her when we took her to Santa’s Grotto. When she met Father Christmas, she wasn’t fearful and was happy to touch his cloak and beard because she knew what to expect from the book. It made the experience so magical for us all.”

As well as being a lovely activity for Martha and preparing her for life experiences, the books are also important to Ted.

“Teddy is obsessed with his little sister so likes to jump in when we’re reading the books. The books helped his language development when he was younger and sometimes, he likes to read to his sister. The print is much bigger than normal books and this is helpful to him as he only has sight in one eye.”

As a busy mum, Verity is now getting ready for the festive season and preparing some lovely festive experiences for her family. 

“At the beginning of December, I always pull out a book of Christmas stories for the whole family to enjoy. I’ve already ordered some festive books from Living Paintings to make sure that we’ll have something inclusive for Martha”, she said.

“Although she’s a lot better in new environments, it’s still important for her to be able to learn about Christmas through the books to fully prepare her so she enjoys every moment. Living Paintings books always help her to do this. Reading these books together as a family has become a special Christmas tradition for us. I can’t wait to cuddle up together with one of the books on Christmas Eve.”