Nine-year-old boy on autism spectrum writes book about journey to space

A nine-year-old boy with non-verbal autism has written a book about his desire to travel to space, where he will no longer be weighed down by gravity.

“Space was all I had imagined it to be; I felt at one with the universe. All obstacles had disappeared. I could shout and clap freely without anybody staring at me,” author Beppe Caruana wrote in his book titled Il-Mawra Tiegħi fl-Ispazju (My Holiday in Space).

Caruana is a highly intelligent boy, but it took a while before his parents found the right communication methods to unlock his potential and step into his world.

With training in the Rapid Prompting Method and communicative devices donated by the Malta Trust Foundation’s E3 project, Caruana’s mother discovered that her son’s reading was more advanced, that he had a grasp of the Maltese language and was a very quick learner.

“I want to show everyone I’m not stupid,” Caruana told his mother Olivia Galea Seychell, when she asked him if he was certain about being present at the virtual launch of his book.

Il-Mawra Tieghi fl-Ispazju (My Holiday in Space)

His next storybook is about his escape to the sea, another one of nature’s assets, which unshackles Beppe from the weight and misunderstandings of everyday life.

Illustrated by Nasim Dardouri, the book will go on sale this week and will be distributed to Year 5 students by the National Literacy Agency, which supported the publication of this book.

“Beppe’s book is a clear example of the immense capabilities of these children and helps to break the stigma surrounding disability. I thank all the partners and entities who have come together to support our E3 project,” Malta Trust Foundation president Marie-Louise Coleiro said.

The E3 project aims to empower, encourage and educate young children with different abilities. It is run collaboration with the National Literacy Agency, the Foundation for Inclusive Technology and Accessibility, Agenzija Sapport, the Department of Speech and Language Pathologists, the Association for Speech-Language Pathologists Malta, and the Autism Parents Association-Malta.

Towards the end of last year, 30 children, including Caruana who are non-verbal and on the autism spectrum benefitted from individual electronic devices to support their learning, after the Malta Trust Foundation’s E3 project raised €84,283.

The augmentative communication devices were procured and individually tailor-made for the children identified by the Education Department, together with Agenzija Sapport’s unit, ACTU, which provides them with personalised training.