My Friend Flaps Their Hands: A Celebration of Stimming (BOOK: Children’s/ YA)
What if a child’s joy was simply too big to stay inside their body? That’s Toby — a boy whose happy flap isn’t a behavior to correct, but a language all its own. My Friend Flaps Their Hands: A Celebration of Stimming is a neuro-affirming eBook by NBCT Maria Angala that takes stimming out of the shadows and turns it into something worth celebrating. Through warm, rhythmic storytelling, the book teaches peers and classmates that rocking, humming, and hand-flapping are natural self-regulation tools — as normal as a wagging tail or a nervous lip bite. It’s a classroom conversation-starter that builds empathy without a lecture. Written at the 420L–820L Lexile range, this low-prep TpT resource is IEP-scaffolded and aligned to CCSS RL.3.1 and RL.3.3. Available as an eBook, digital PDF, and interactive Easel Activities. For every classroom ready to stop quieting difference — and start celebrating it.