Exploring Nora's journey: A visual guide for puberty, menses
what is this book about?
Discussing puberty, bodily changes, menses, and hygiene can be challenging for parents. When addressing these topics with teens with neurodivergences, the conversation can become even more complex. This book provides parents with a valuable tool to introduce these subjects to their daughters, normalize puberty and menses, help girls understand the changes they are experiencing, and emphasize the importance of self-care.
Our Story
Nora, our inspiring protagonist, shares her personal experiences navigating puberty while being on the autism spectrum. Her story offers valuable insights and encouragement for both parents and girls, making the journey through puberty a little less daunting.
The book also includes an information section for parents and additional resources.
Exploring Nora's journey:
This is a visual guide to puberty, menstruation, and self-care for neurodiverse girls. We use captivating illustrations to effectively convey Nora's story, ensuring that everyone can understand this normal physiological process.
About the Authors
Susan I. Kaufman, DO, FACOG
“I have wanted to write this book for a long time, and I am thrilled to share it with you!”
Dr. Susan I. Kaufman is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Throughout her career, she has specialized in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (PAG) alongside adult gynecology, bringing PAG to South Jersey in 1990.
Dr. Kaufman's first position was with the US Public Health Service/Indian Health Service, where she served the Navajo and Hopi peoples at the IHS Hospital in Tuba City, Arizona. After returning to the East Coast, she worked at the Osborn Clinic, part of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (now Virtua OLOL), for a year before joining the full-time faculty at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Cooper Hospital (now Cooper Medical School of Rowan University/Cooper Hospital), where she served as an academic clinician for 13 years.
In 2002, she founded her own private practice, the Center for Specialized Gynecology, which continues to thrive under Advocare. Dr. Kaufman recently embarked on a new path. She has joined the Virtua Medical Group/Virtua Health, where she will see pediatric and adolescent gynecology (PAG) patients and teach pediatric and adolescent gynecology to Ob/Gyn resident physicians.
Dr. Kaufman has also held the position of past president of the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia and remains an active Council member. She has lectured extensively on both pediatric and adolescent gynecology as well as adult gynecology, mentored residents and medical students, and contributed to the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG) as Treasurer, board member, and committee member. She feels blessed and honored to have cared for many wonderful girls, teens, adults, and multiple generations of families.
About the Authors
Jessica Sophie Chang Horoschak, DO
Dr. Jessica Sophie Chang Horoschak attended Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
in New Jersey and is now an obstetrics and gynecology resident physician in California. She mentors underrepresented minorities in medicine, advocates for trauma survivors, and promotes trauma-informed care. Passionate about social and reproductive health care, she strives for equitable gynecological care for all young women. This is Dr. Horoschak’s first children’s book, and she has found immense joy in this process and plans to continue writing children’s books throughout her career. In her free time, Dr. Horoschak enjoys spending time with her cats, reading stories, making ceramics, and surfing on the coasts of California and New England. Dr. Horoschak intends to practice obstetrics and gynecology in underserved communities, focusing on care for neurodivergent young women and ensuring that all patients feel safe and respected.
Our Illustrator
Haley McDevitt
Haley McDevitt is an artist, graphic facilitator, and visual storyteller based in Philadelphia, PA. Her artistic practice began at a young age and continued as a lifelong journey exploring sense-making through painting, illustration, and visual note-taking. She graduated with a BFA in Studio Art with a
concentration in Painting, Minor in Art History, and Certificate in Arts Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2018. While working at Easthampton City Arts in 2019, she was introduced to the world of graphic facilitation through the Easthampton Futures Project. Since then, she has been diving into her work as a visual practitioner exploring deep listening and ways to make complex ideas more accessible through graphic recording and illustration. Haley believes organizing thoughts and their relationships to one another to create shared understanding and amplify the message in a structured visual outcome is important, exciting, and necessary work relevant to projects of all shapes and sizes.
She has illustrated books for audiences of all ages.. You can find out more about Haley's work at www.haleymcdevitt.com.
Nora and her Body
Navigating Puberty with Neurodiversity
Nora and her Body is a book that equips parents with a tool to introduce and normalize puberty and menstruation for girls with neurodivergences. Through Nora's personal journey, the book helps girls understand the changes they are experiencing and emphasizes the importance of self-care.