Off We Go to the Dentist | Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight: Off We Go to the Dentist
The Children’s Book Review

Typical everyday and once-in-awhile outings to the grocery story, hair salon, and dentist, with their unexpected noise levels, lights, smells, and people, can be a minefield for kids with developmental disabilities. Author Avril Webster created the Off We Go! series to help her son with an intellectual disability practice and visualize these routines to alleviate anxiety about what’s going to happen during these activities. Brightly illustrated in an uncluttered cartoon style, and featuring simple text vetted by a speech language pathologist, these stories tell and show kids what to expect. In Off We Go to the Dentist follow a little girl as she greets the dentist office receptionist, reads a book in the waiting room, sits in the dentist’s chair (“The dentist puts a towel around my neck. It’s not too tight.”), gets an exam (“The dentist uses a small mirror and a shiny tool to check how well I brush and floss my teeth. It doesn’t hurt.”), and receives a new toothbrush after the exam. These are great stories for parents, occupational therapists, teachers, and aides to read aloud to children with autism, Down syndrome, sensory processing difficulties, speech and languge delays, ADHD, Executive Function Disorder, and even children for whom English is a second language. They provide good opportunities to improve language development, communication skills, self-esteem, and confidence. Check out the other stories in the Off We Go! series:  Off We Go to the Grocery Store and Off We Go for a Haircut

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