Great Missenden author Sheila Shaw’s debut novel tells the story of a family’s struggle with the strange behaviour of their son
Sheila Shaw’s debut novel, Ripples in a Pond, was written to raise awareness of the difficulties that children with undiagnosed special educational needs can face, something she has witnessed a large number of times during her career.
Sheila Shaw’s debut novel tells the story of a young boy, Jamie, and his struggle with the social pressures of everyday life. She chose to write her novel with both humour and sensitivity, the former to attract a wider audience.
“I have worked in education all my life,” explains Sheila. “As an Educational Psychologist with more than 30 years’ experience and a Head Teacher for 12 years, I became more and more interested in children regarded as naughty or intentionally provocative but who also did not fit into a conventional conduct disorder pattern. I have therefore drawn on my wide experience of children, adolescents, parents and teachers to write about the life of a child with a social communication disorder. Choosing a title for the completed novel was an easy choice: Jamie’s behaviour affects so many different sections of his community that the resulting ripples are like those spreading far afield when a single stone is thrown into a pond.”
In Ripples in a Pond, former deputy head teacher, Sarah Chilton is very proud of her son, Jamie. Believing him to be far ahead of his classmates in reading, writing, and general knowledge, it seems to her as though he will sail through primary school without any problems. During Year 2, however, it becomes more apparent that his social skills are discrepant. Jamie falls behind at school, inexplicably finding it difficult to follow instructions and relate to his peers. His classmates encourage his strange behaviour, which annoys teachers, who believe that he is simply being rude and disruptive. But the real cause of his actions is not as straightforward…
“Children with social communication disorders, (semantic/pragmatic), are so often misunderstood,” observes Sheila. “They often end up with an inadequate education, have difficulty in their interactions with others and find it harder to sustain employment. Raising awareness within the community is extremely important. This novel should be on the bookshelves of every teacher and every doctor.”
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