Six-year-old boy from Cornwall has book published about his mum being autistic

A little boy from Cornwall has written a picture book about his mum's experiences with autism.

'My Mummy Is Autistic' is all about how six-year-old Heath and his mum's brains work differently.

Heath, from Carnkie, between Stithians and Helston, drew all the pictures and wrote the story when he was just five years old. Now the book has been published.

Mum Jo Grace, who is an author and teacher herself, says it is a really nice and simple way of understanding what autism is.

Part of the book reads: "If I say lots of words they get stuck in a queue in Mummy's brain, and I have a long wait until she hears me. If I say one or two words I only have to wait a little wait until she hears me.

"I always say 'Mummy' so she knows I am talking to her. 'Mummy, look!'

"Sometimes the words waiting in Mummy's head get muddled up and she hears them in the wrong order."

The foreward for the book has been written by TV presenter Chris Packham, and Heath made him a birdbox in return as a thank you present.

Mum Jo was diagnosed with autism at age 36, and says she is a typical case of a late diagnoses, with people like herself often being referred to as a 'lost generation'.

"His book is about the differences between our brains, but mostly it's about the language processing differences, so he understands that my brain processes words differently to his brain, but it's his child's-eye-view of that.

"It's really interesting for how clear it is, and how accepting it is of the differences, it's a very practical thing to him, so I think it sends a challenge for people who perhaps struggle to understands the differences.

"The publishers really liked it because they said autism is often presented as a childhood problem, and many people who are autistic do lead very challenged lives, but it's not a childish thing that you grow out of, children who are autistic grow up to be adults who are autistic."

Jo Grace, Heath's mum

Heath's school, Stithians Primary, even let him have a Covid-friendly book launch at school with his booking having its own birthday cake.