MAIN PHOTO: Courtney Redden holds her book she wrote about her brother Bradley who has autism. (Healey photo)
FALL RIVER: Courtney Redden wants people with autism and other disabilities to know they’re not alone.
Redden, a Lockview High alumni, penned a book about her brother Bradley who has autism. The book is aptly titled “My Brother Bradley.” It was published by FriesenPress.
She began thinking about the book when she was still in high school and started writing it after graduating in 2018 but only finished it last year.
Courtney said she was a bit too immature after high school to put the finishing touches on it, plus she was heading to post-secondary schooling.
“I finally got in that mindset, and I said, okay, I want to help make a difference,” she told The Laker News in an interview on a overcast Saturday morning at Tim Hortons Fall River.
“The younger ages I think is a lot more important because they’re learning, they’re growing into that mindset.
“So if you can teach people at a young age, I feel like it’s going to really carry on into their older ages.”
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Courtney said seeing how Bradley was treated as he went through school was heartbreaking and was the motivating factor in writing it. She also feels autism, and ADHD, to name a couple, need more awareness brought to them so people can understand them and those with them better.
“Bradley didn’t have a good time going through school,” she said. “People picked on him and people didn’t really understand him, even the teachers.
“I felt like I wanted to write a children’s book to kind of aim towards the younger ages, because that’s when he had most of his troubles. A lot of people, including kids, were scared of him and just didn’t really know how to act around him. It was heartbreaking.”
That’s what drove her to write the book, giving short description with drawings on each page.
“I thought I would write a book to kind of help, maybe help others who are also in his situation with not just autism, but with other disabilities,” said Courtney. “Help them know that they’re not alone.”
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Courtney, who was a Fall River & Area Business Association Scholarship recipient when she graduated, said there needs to be more awareness regarding Autism given the vast array of videos she sees online.
“There needs to be more awareness raised. I see so many videos and posts online of these kids who have autism who are being picked on and not even just being picked on, just not being understood and people not understanding how they act on all that,” she said. “I mean they can’t control it. They were born with it, and we still have only scratched the surface with autism.
“We have no idea what it’s like. There’s so many people out there who have ADHD who actually have autism.”
“People who were diagnosed with ADHD at such a young age are now being diagnosed with autism. There’s so many similarities. There’s so much more that we can learn, and people don’t understand how important it is.
“You know these are normal people, just a little different. And that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
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She gave a summary of what My Brother Bradley is all about.
“In his younger ages he was sensitive to sound, so he has his iPad and his headphones,” she said. “I also talked about how the teachers were still learning how to understand Bradley because they also worked with other kids and that every autistic person is different.”
Courtney said they are working to get the book into regular bookstores and schools. It is also available on Amazon.
“And if I know you well enough and you to buy one from me, I can order some in,” she said.
She admitted to being surprised at how positive the reaction has been to My Brother Bradley.
“I was shocked with how much it took off. I didn’t think it was going to take off this this much,” said Courtney. “I have people I know, people I use to game a lot, so I have people in like Ontario, places in the United States that are buying my book.
“It’s mind blowing how much it’s taken off.”
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Courtney, who is currently working full-time in Halifax, lives with her doggie. Her parents call Waverley home.
She isn’t done writing either. Courtney is working on another book—in the future—which will be aimed at adults to help us better understand those with autism etc.
“I’m in the works of a second book, and that’s going to be based for people like you and me,” she said. “People have to stay tuned for it.”
She had a message for people who might think what they’re doing is daunting or something impossible. Chase your dreams, she did.
“As cliche and dramatic as that is, chase your dreams. I never thought I’d write a book,” said Courtney. “Do stuff that is unexpected that you don’t think you’d ever do.
“It might be one of the best things you ever do. You know, just go for it.”
