Cork author's new book resonates with children on what it means to be autistic

A Cork author who has written a book looking at what it means to be autistic from a child’s perspective has said she is delighted that it has resonated so clearly with audiences, with the book already on its second print run.

“I had a child come up to me to sign his book and he said he had never met another autistic person before,” Niamh Garvey told The Echo at the launch of Being Autistic (and what that actually means).

“It was the aim of the book to show autistic kids that they are not alone, they belong to a big community of autistic people, so the fact that the boy could feel that meant a lot to me.”

Ms Garvey is a former nurse from Blarney, and she is the mother of three girls.

She had previously written a book for adults, Looking After Your Autistic Self, and in her second book she has revisited the subject from a child’s standpoint.

The book was launched recently at Dubray Books on Patrick St, and there was a big turnout in an upstairs space which had been specially adapted to be autism-friendly.

“A lot of people came, a lot of autistic children too, which is lovely, because they bump into more autistic children,” she said.

“To make the space autism-friendly, we had a lot of fidgets, we had ear defenders for anyone who found it a bit loud, cushions and blankets to make it comfortable, colouring from the book, and a little quiet area in the corner as well in case anyone wanted to be away from the crowd.

“I also sent out a visual plan in advance so all the kids knew what to expect, because a lot of the children wouldn’t have been to a book launch before, so it helped the event to become predictable, and we stuck to the plan, thankfully.”

Ms Garvey drew laughter from some of the children and parents at the event when The Echo reporter noted that she had supplied colouring pencils.

“I was like, markers in a bookshop? No,” she said. “Like, I know autistic kids.”

Concise

The book is written in clear, concise language which is delivered in succinct blocks of text using a dyslexia-friendly font, and it is illustrated throughout with helpful cartoons drawn by acclaimed British comic artist Rebecca Burgess.

Ms Garvey said it had been an interesting challenge to make the book accessible to children, and one she found harder than writing her earlier book for adults.

“It forced me to think about how to break down big concepts, not just into easier language, but also into fun language, because children are not going to read a book a book if it just seems like heavy information, they need it to be fun and uplifting as well."

Diagnosed with autism in 2020, when she was 34, Ms Garvey said that came about after one of her daughters was diagnosed.

That the book has already sold out its first print run and is now on a second print clearly shows the demand for a book explaining autism in a child-friendly way, the author said.

“One in 27 schoolchildren in Ireland are diagnosed as autistic, so that shows the prevalence,” Ms Garvey said.

Being Autistic (and what that actually means) by Niamh Garvey, is available in Dubray Books and Waterstones, and can be ordered online from Eason.

It is also on sale in some smaller, independent bookshops around the county.