A generous author based in Dunfermline has committed to donating royalties from her latest book to a leading education and social care charity.
Debbie Irving has published her book, ‘My Brother is Different’, the royalties of which will be donated to LOVE Learning.
The book is aimed at children with siblings who have autism as a tool for them to better understand and explain why their brothers and sisters and other children might behave differently to them.
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 more than 50,000 people in Scotland have an autism spectrum disorder.
Debbie, who is currently the head of HR for Fife engineering company Euthenia Products, worked at Edinburgh City Libraries for nearly 18 years.
She was inspired to write her book after a personal experience two years ago, when she passed a school’s playground in Dunfermline.
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.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
Debbie, a trustee of LOVE Learning, has partnered with the charity to illustrate and print the book which will boost the cause’s fundraising and help it provide alternative education and social care for children with mental health problems and learning difficulties.
Lynn Bell, chief executive of LOVE Learning, said: “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.”
