A generous Edinburgh author has committed to donating royalties from her latest book to a leading education and social care charity.
Debbie Irving, who was born and raised in Edinburgh, has published her book, ‘My Brother is Different’, the royalties of which will be donated to LOVE learning.
This book is aimed at children with brothers and sisters who have autism, as a tool for them to better understand and explain why their siblings and other children might behave differently to them.
The picture book tells the story of how a brother and sister discover that their little brother’s autism can be difficult for them at school, but with some help from their mother, they realise that he is special in a good way too.
Written with experts on children’s mental health, ‘My Brother is Different’ is a way to help young children cope with autism and the effects it can have on their family and friends.
It has been estimated that more than 50,000 people in Scotland have an autism spectrum disorder. 1
Debbie, who is currently the Head of HR for an engineering company based in Fife, worked at Edinburgh City Libraries for nearly 18 years. She was inspired to write her book after a personal experience that took place two years ago when she went passed a school’s playground.
Debbie witnessed a young boy with autism experiencing a breakdown and was surprised by the looks of confusion in the faces of the other children, who did not understand what was happening to their friend.
Debbie who is a trustee of LOVE Learning has partnered with the charity to illustrate and print the book and has decided to donate all royalties in full to help with fundraising. The charity, which acquired Edinburgh’s much-loved LOVE Gorgie Farm, works to provide alternative education and social care for children with mental health problems and learning difficulties.
Debbie Irving and LOVE Learning intend to continue releasing several books for children, from short stories to novels, on themes concerning mental health, additional learning needs and the changes children go through as they grow up.
Debbie Irving, local author of ‘My Brother is Different’ commented: “I am thrilled to see a project like this book take off and I truly hope that ‘My Brother is Different’ serves as a tool to help many children understand more about autism and about what their sibling and friends with this condition go through.
“LOVE learning has been incredibly supportive during the whole process and I decided to donate all royalties to this charity so that the book can contribute to their mission of helping give children the best possible start in life.”
Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE learning added: “We are so grateful that Debbie decided to so generously donate the royalties of her book to LOVE learning and look forward to keeping supporting her in her future work.
“Too often we see children with autism facing exclusion in many social and educational settings. We believe that ’My Brother is Different’ is a great educational tool for children to better understand autism and help harness love and compassion amongst siblings and friends.”
‘My Brother is Different’ can currently be purchased online as hard copy on LOVE Learning website and as an e-book on Amazon.