Sam had profound special needs and although he was five, his brain worked like a one-year-old's. He couldn't speak or walk.

And like a one-year-old in a five-year-old's world, Sam was scared of things around him: he was scared of unexpected noises, of being left alone, and of touching new things. He was most scared of other children.

His teacher at special school heard about Bag Books, and they sent Sam one of their multi-sensory books. The story was called "Desmond" and it was about a boy who just wouldn't get out of bed!

It was an unusual book. The pages were tall, blue cards, each with different things attached, so the story was told through shapes, textures, sounds and smells.

Sam's teacher read him this story every day while she moved his hands over the page-cards. If she did it with him it wasn't scary. And the sounds in her voice told him if each page was funny or happy or silly.

He really liked the page where Desmond's Mum fell over the furry cat it made him giggle. And when he giggled, his teacher would give him that page-card again. Slowly, Sam began to realise that his giggle made that happen. He was in control!

Sam's teacher saw the difference it was making to him. He was less scared and more alert to the story. She started telling the "Desmond" story to the whole of Sam's class.

Then Sam noticed something else. Those other children around him weren't always noisy and scary. Sometimes they were quiet, like him and they giggled at the furry cat page too.

Thanks to his multi-sensory Book, Sam was learning to enjoy a story, to communicate and to touch things, and to know about "having friends."

For more information you can download a copy of our leaflet.