A Long Beach Teacher wrote a book to help others engage with children with Autism

By: Evelyn Rodriguez Intern staff writer

Many people don’t know about Autism and how it affects someone who has been diagnosed with the condition. They assume it's hereditary and has to do with the parent’s genes. However, people should know that it is a neurological condition that starts in the brain structure.

There are five major types of Autism, which are Asperger’s syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, Kanner’s syndrome, and pervasive development disorder. Individuals who happen to encounter or have children with Autism often don't know how to handle it.

“Many parents fear stigmatization with the condition, '' said Brown.

Issac Osae Brown made it his mission to bring awareness to Autism by writing a book titled “My Name is Zuma, A Story about Autism.” Brown was born in Nigeria, Africa. In Nigeria, there are thousands of children who have Autism. “I have seen parents treat their children badly and there's no support for them in Nigeria and other places in Africa,” said Brown.

This is one reason Brown decided to travel to the United States to attend college majoring in special education and learn more about the condition. “US kids have support and are covered by the Special Education Law, this is what got my attention,” said Brown.

Brown did extensive research on the topic of Autism, its functions, and how young children with Autism behave differently than other children. While doing his research, Brown created a presentation with his findings to distribute and began introducing it to teachers who were just starting out in the Special Education field.

He then went to his mentors Carol Mellblom and Mary Esposito to get their thoughts on his wanting to write a book. They told him he should do it since he was very passionate about the subject. “The purpose of Issac’s book was to prepare students, parents, and teachers on how to engage with students with Autism since they had no preparation on how to deal with it,” said Mellblom.

This was the beginning of Zuma. The book was written from the viewpoint of a child with Autism, that way the reader understands the mind of the child. “It's thrilling, as you read the book you become empathetic with the child Zuma and the situations he comes across,” said Brown.

The character Zuma experiences a great deal of bullying from his classmates. He has trouble articulating his words, has problems connecting with other children, and simply wants to be alone all the time.

Brown works at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. Although the book is intended for younger children, Brown gave his book to the superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District. “She was so excited about it that she ordered 10 copies so administrators could read it to their students, '' said Brown.

The principal of the High school Brown currently works at also read the book and was so delighted for children to read the book in simple language. After reading the book parents can understand the disease and provide treatment for their child and not feel the need to fear stigmatization.

Brown was given the opportunity to present his book to the Teachers Induction Conference in Palm Springs. He expressed that his dream is for all schools to have the book and read it to their students. He plans on taking his book to different parts of the world including Nepal, Kenya, and his home country of Nigeria.

“My name is Zuma: A Story of Autism” is available on Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers.