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Written by Diane M. Renna
Illustrated by Regina Stark
With Illustrations by Meghan Renna

Meghan's World
The Story of One Girl's Triumph over Sensory Processing Disorder
Giving inspiration & hope to children living in an over stimulating world.

The Girl Who Conquered Her Fears

A true story of one little girl's quest
to feel comfortable in the world around her

SNEAK PEEK

Meghan's world was scary. It was way too
bright, way too loud, and painful to the touch.
She screamed about scratchy clothing tags and
fabrics, cried when her hair was brushed, and
could hardly stand to eat anything but cold
broccoli and pasta. Meghan lived in fear of the
overstimulating world around her.

In her debut children's book Meghan's World:
The Story of One Girl's Triumph over Sensory
Processing Disorder, author Diane M. Renna
beautifully tells of her daughter's painful
journey to wellness and triumph over
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).

Written for any family struggling with SPD,
autism, PDD, ADHD, dyslexia, Down syndrome
and other social and learning disabilities,
Meghan's World is a breath of fresh air for
kids who yearn to say, "She's just like me!"

In the book, little Meghan's battle with SPD
began during her pre-school and kindergarten
years. Written in a most kid-friendly way,
Renna gently explains the causes and effects of
common SPD symptoms through Meghan's eyes
including:

Lushly illustrated by Regina Stark, Meghan's
World jumpstarts the conversation toward
healing. Though the disorder is complex and
perplexes parents, physicians, and educators
alike, Meghan's World serves to promote
understanding, compassion, and hope.

Welcome
to
Meghan's World

* sensory modulation        * social insecurity
* tactile defensiveness   * sensory processing
* visual perception           * allergies/food intolerance
* sound sensitivity           * hypo/hyper-responsiveness

To learn about and register for the
Young Child Expo & Conference 2008 NYC
April 18-19, 2008 | Hilton NY |
Renna is a speaker on the parent panel.
www.youngchildexpo.com

May 2008

"Meghan's World" was chosen as a
FINALIST in the
Children's Non Fiction Category at the 2008
NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS.

www.indieexcellence.com

"The Indie Excellence Book Awards are dedicated to celebrating and
promoting the outstanding work of independent publishers and authors."

-Dan Poynter, author of The Self Publishing Manual and 100 other books

Diane M. Renna has
donated over 250 copies
of "Meghan's World" to
support Sensory
Processing Disorder &
Autism Spectrum
Disorders. She is an
advocate of early
intervention. By sharing
her daughter's success
story, her family has
helped lead the way for
many children to
overcome their struggles
with SPD. If you would
like Diane to speak at your
engagement, please click
on the "Contact Us" button
and fill out the form with
your details.

Meghan's story truly is
an outline of "how to"
overcome living in an over
stimulating world. She is
an example of the benefits
of early intervention. The
alternative therapies that
Meghan did are worth
looking into. She is now
almost 12 yrs old and is
spreading her wings even
more. Meghan is a
beautiful, healthy,
outgoing young lady. She
is grateful that her story is
helping to heal others.

* A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR *

MEGHAN'S WORLD was written to validate the feelings of
children suffering with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and
other disabilities/delays that often go side-by-side with SPD. I
wanted the children and their parents to know that they are not
alone, and that there are resources available to make their lives
less stressful, more comfortable, and happy. Living with SPD
can be a challenge, but there are therapies and strategies that
can help make their world a better place.

MEGHAN'S WORLD briefly describes our experiences with SPD
and what has helped us. You may not need every therapy, and
each may affect you differently. If you are considering a therapy,
I recommend that you do the research beforehand, ask other
parents/therapists about their experiences, and then seek the
advice of a professional who specializes in that particular
therapy. In the back of MEGHAN'S WORLD (and on this site),
there is a "Therapies and Helpful Information" section where
you can find more information about what is available to help
your child. Also note that SPD comes with many gifts -- I
encourage you to foster your children's gifts and to let them
express themselves and be all they can be.

Because of SPD, we have learned and grown together as a
family. We have learned to appreciate the simple things in life.
We wish you all the success that we have seen in our journey,
and great memories to last a lifetime.

Diane M. Renna

*Please note that we have added more information to the
"Therapies & Helpful Info." The information on this site is
unbiased and up to the reader to make their own judgements.
Some information is controversial; non-the-less, educate
yourself before you decide. We want to share information
that is out there and some are not necessarily our views.

What exactly is Sensory Processing Disorder?

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological disorder that affects 1 in 20 children today. It is a complex, unseen
disability that is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Children with SPD misinterpret everyday sensory information
they receive from their environment through their sense of sight, smell, sound, taste, touch as well as their movement and
positional senses. SPD affects the way their brain interprets this information and how they act on this information with
social, emotional, attentional, motor and other responses.

SPD is a disruption in the process of intake, organization and output of sensory information. You can take in either too
much information, which causes your brain to overload and shutdown or you can take in too little information, which causes
the brain to seek more stimuli.

Most people take in sensory information automatically and they associate it with prior information, memories and
knowledge. Studies by Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, OTR/L, BCP have shown that kids with SPD often take this information in as
new experiences every time and often have a fight or flight response each and every time.

If a child avoids interaction with their environment, they are limited in their ability to learn. Proper integration through the
senses is the key to learning. Early intervention and diagnoses is extremely important because our nervous systems are
constantly making new connections within the brain up until the age of eight. Our brains have the ability to rewire and
make new connections at any age, but it is most easily attained the younger we are.

Sensory integration therapy will have the greatest affect on young children while their brains are still developing. The
sooner they get help, the better. It is not a good idea to wait and see, because SPD children usually get worse if the
proper intervention is not given. When the brain is not healthy, the body is not healthy. The brain is what tells our body
what to do. Therefore, the healthier our brains are, the healthier our bodies will be when we are faced with outside
sensory burdens from the environment.

Children need sensory input and experiences to grow and learn. An occupational therapist that specializes in SPD will
provide a personalized sensory diet with planned and scheduled activities throughout the day. A healthy sensory diet
fulfills physical and emotional needs. There are traditional and alternative therapies that help SPD and Autism Spectrum
Disorders.

Some Common Signs are:

  •        Overly sensitive to sights, sounds, movements or touch
  •        Decreased awareness of surroundings
  •        Increased lack of self control, inability to unwind or calm self
  •        Difficulty transitioning from one situation to another
  •        Physical clumsiness or apparent carelessness

Scroll down for explanation of

What exactly is
Sensory Processing Disorder?

Look how far I've come...
***Shine Bright & Be All You Can Be***

Meghan (sixth grade 5/09) singing for a Pre NYSMMA "Little
Night of Music" show. At NYSMMA, Meghan received a score of
"excellence" for singing and "outstanding" for flute.