My son was diagnosed with autism aged 6.

I wanted to tell him about his autism, because I think it's important that people know about their own diagnosis (it helps them to understand themselves - always a good thing, and they will notice differences in themselves anyway that they need to understand the reason for - not guess at a wrong reason), but I struggled to know how to go about it.

I didn't think a direct conversation would work, it can be difficult to get his attention sometimes and he also has a language processing delay/issue. He's always been better at reading things. Bedtime reading quickly became him reading to himself rather than us reading to him! He loves reading, and finding out things - science, how things work etc (but also funny books like the pig diary books by Emer Stamp, the Danger Is Everywhere series by David O'Doherty and the Storey Treehouse series by Andy Griffiths). He's very good at reading, and very fast too!

I initially tried buying a short picture book which had good reviews but I was extremely disappointed with it - because it was about the friendship of two boys, one with autism, which was incredibly tailored to very specific autism presentation, none of which seemed to apply to my son! So I didn't use it, and didn't know what to do next. What I really needed was an Usbourne "See Inside Autism" book, but it doesn't exist (my son loves those non-fiction books, and owns most of them).

So, eventually, I decided to write something myself for him. This idea gradually snowballed! At first I wrote and sketched by hand and thought I'd put together a handmade thing for him. Then I realised I could self-publish on Kindle and I paid an animator friend (Billy Allison) to draw some professional versions of my rubbish pencil sketches. It would then be something more appealing for my son which might engage and maintain his focus; he would know that his mum went to the effort of making a book for him and I could include a dedication. The book could then also be read by his friends, and if it was of any benefit to anybody else in the world it would be out there for them too. I just got it finished in time to publish on Amazon Kindle during World Autism Awareness Week in 2015. A print on demand paperback version followed (after an Amazon review request for a paperback version).

I've always been very open about my son's diagnosis, talking to parents of his friends, and parents of children in his class at school. I've always had a very positive reaction and I know some parents talked to their children about it and used my book when I launched it free during WAAW (World Autism Awareness Week); it benefitted everyone. It definitely benefitted my son to have people around him that had some level of awareness and understanding.

I do believe in peer awareness. Having attended an anti-bullying workshop for parents of children on the autism spectrum it (peer awareness) is highly recommended for helping the prevention of bullying (not only for the understandng of people who may otherwise be the bully, but also for your child having a barrier of people around them that understand and help to prevent others from bullying).

Knowing about my son's autism has also meant that parents sometimes ask me questions about it, giving me the opportunity to further spread understanding. They also sometimes tell me if they've heard something on the radio about autism, or seen something on TV or read an article - incase I'm interested; or thoughtfully ask if he'll be alright (sometimes their own child has prompted them, which is particularly wonderful) at their child's upcoming birthday party etc. (e.g. should they tell the professional leading the party, is there anything they should specifically cater for etc.).

So, if you are struggling with how to explain your young child's diagnosis to them, or would like a young child to understand something about autism, feel free to give my book a try! Everyone is different, but hopefully it gets that message across and that different isn't bad (it's an encouraging and positive book!); it's a conversation starter where you can then talk about how autism affects your specific child. My son, and some of his friends, read it at age 6/7.

The Children's Guide To Autism.

UK Amazon link | USA Amazon link