Talented Ayr boy publishes first book on autism aged nine

Fletcher Wardrop, 9, has written and published his own book to help raise funds and awareness of neurodiversity.

'The Autistic Monkey' explains to children that having autism can be a superpower, and that's it's okay to be different.

Mum Jamie, who helped with the illustrations, said Fletcher has been book-daft from a young age.

Fletcher Wardrop, 9, has written and published his own book to help raise funds and awareness of neurodiversity (Image: Contributed)

She said: "He was diagnosed with autism a few years ago and at first everything was going okay, but he started struggling at the beginning of this year.

"My boy has always absolutely loved reading stories, so I suggested he should write his own one.

"I said if he would write one, I would illustrate it and print it, as one of his dreams is to have a book published in a bookshop.

Fletcher Wardrop, 9, has written and published his own book to help raise funds and awareness of neurodiversity (Image: Contributed)

"After making that promise he wrote the book in one afternoon, and I was left to do the illustrations."

Jamie revealed that the feedback from the story has been amazing, and admitted she was "blown away" by her son's writing.

She said: "We had a discussion about the story, where he wanted to do a story about himself and his autism but he wasn't sure about himself being in it.

"So he came up with the idea where it's a monkey in the jungle. He's read from such an early age and I'm blown away by the descriptiveness of it.

"We got a good friend who is a graphic designer to lay it out, then we sent to the printers and it has come back.

Fletcher Wardrop, 9, has written and published his own book to help raise funds and awareness of neurodiversity (Image: Contributed)

"We've had good feedback from people that it gives an insight into autism, and a lot of kids who are autistic are getting the book from their parents."

Fletcher and Jamie are now searching for local shops and businesses willing to stock his book.

Jamie added: "Fletcher wanted to do a charity donation, so £1 from every sale goes to charities, with the first lot going to Spotty Zebras.

"We had a book launch and some of the local schools have ordered multiple copies, so it's all really exciting.

"It's available on Amazon but it would be amazing if we could get any kind of shops or outlets to stock it."

The Autistic Monkey is available on Amazon, or search for the book on Instagram.