![\"Tiffany](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/TOP-L-Arts-Flow0622-01-e1749826364858.jpg\")
Tiffany and Daijah Jackson of Madison Heights recently published their first book, \u201cDaisi\u2019s First Flow: Let\u2019s Go!\u201d The mother-daughter duo are now working on a cookbook. (Photo courtesy of Mort Meisner Associates)<\/p>\nFor many parents, the onset of puberty in their child can feel overwhelming.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s especially true when the child is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum.<\/p>\n
For Tiffany Jackson of Madison Heights, it wasn\u2019t just a milestone in her daughter\u2019s life, it was a call to action.<\/p>\n
The result: \u201cDaisi\u2019s First Flow: Let\u2019s Go!,\u201d a brightly illustrated, heartfelt, and practical book created to help neurodivergent girls navigate their first periods with dignity and understanding.<\/p>\n
The book was inspired by Jackson\u2019s daughter, Daijah, a 13-year-old diagnosed with autism at age 4. Nonverbal but vibrant, Daijah sparked Jackson\u2019s creativity and compassion in ways neither of them could have predicted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept getting asked how Daijah handles her cycle,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cSo I thought \u2014 why not write a book?\u201d<\/p>\n
That simple idea blossomed into a deeply impactful project that is now being praised by parents, teachers, therapists and caregivers. Although Daijah is nonverbal, her presence, personality and needs shaped every page. Jackson wrote the book \u201cwith her and for her,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s Daijah\u2019s story \u2014 even if I had to be the one to tell it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the founder of Change the World for You, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting children with autism, Jackson has worked to fill gaps in resources, representation and education. But this was personal. She remembered the confusion and fear she felt when Daijah first started her period \u2014 at just 10 years old \u2014 and wanted to make sure other parents wouldn\u2019t feel the same sense of being unprepared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost parents won\u2019t be a deer in headlights like I was,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s the whole point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaisi\u2019s First Flow: Let\u2019s Go!\u201d follows the character Daisi \u2014 a fictional version of Daijah \u2014 on her journey to understanding puberty. Through colorful pages and easy-to-follow storytelling, Daisi learns to navigate new emotions, sensory changes and physical realities with the support of her family. The book includes a period communication board and a downloadable tracking app to help nonverbal or minimally verbal girls share what they\u2019re feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only guess how Daijah is feeling sometimes,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cShe\u2019s not going to come and tell me she has cramps or feels bloated. I have to observe. So, having tools like the communication board helps families like ours so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tiffany and Daijah Jackson of Madison Heights recently published their first book, \u201cDaisi\u2019s First Flow: Let\u2019s Go!\u201d The mother-daughter duo are now working on a cookbook. (Photo courtesy of Mort Meisner Associates)<\/p>\n
The book also breaks ground by addressing an often-overlooked intersection \u2014 autism and adolescence. While most puberty resources are written with neurotypical readers in mind, Jackson\u2019s book centers on the needs of autistic girls who may struggle with sensory overload, routine changes or expressive communication.<\/p>\n
Schools, therapy centers and parents across the region are already incorporating the book into their resource collections. Some are even laminating the communication board for easy, on-the-go use.<\/p>\n
Jackson isn\u2019t stopping with just one book. Daisi, the character, originally came to life through another project Tiffany has in the works \u2014 a cookbook called \u201cDining with Daisi.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of children on the spectrum are picky eaters \u2014 or as I say, they just like what they like,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cDaijah used to be the same way. But now she\u2019s trying new foods and we started making videos about it. The feedback has been incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDining with Daisi\u201d will feature recipes Daijah has tried (and loved \u2014 or not so much), from stuffed mushrooms to Shirley Temples. It\u2019s another tool Jackson uses to connect with other families while highlighting the day-to-day joy, humor and triumph that comes with parenting a neurodivergent child.<\/p>\n
What continues to amaze Jackson most is the response she\u2019s received \u2014 not just from families of girls on the spectrum, but from others, as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cMothers are telling me thank you,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re saying: \u2018Now I can read this with my daughter. Now I have something to help me explain things.\u2019 Some girls who aren\u2019t on the spectrum are reading it, too. That\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through it all, Daijah remains the light guiding her mother\u2019s path.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe inspires me every day,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cShe\u2019s just unbothered. Happy. \u2026 She\u2019s getting ready to \u2026 go to high school. It\u2019s a big change, but she\u2019s handling it like a champ.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for those walking the same path, Jackson has this reminder: \u201cJust because they\u2019re on the spectrum doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not going through the same things. Everything you do for yourself, you have to do for them, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaisi\u2019s First Flow: Let\u2019s Go!\u201d is available at Amazon and ctw4you.com.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For many parents, the onset of puberty in their child can feel overwhelming. That\u2019s especially true when the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[1022,171,210,50,1072,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-7836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-things-to-do","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}