What inspired the story?

Understanding Oscar was inspired by Jade’s amazingly beautiful middle son and the challenges she and her husband have faced in helping their other children understand and accept Oscar’s different way of interacting with the world.

In the early days, after receiving Oscar’s autism spectrum diagnosis, Jade searched high and low to find a good resource to help her explain what autism was to Oscar’s older brother, along with why it affects different people in different ways.

After choosing to read a book that resonated best to their family – one where the child was non-verbal – Banjo sat at the end in silence. He was thinking. Processing. And then the questions came. This sparked the first of many open discussions about autism and Jade felt it was the first time Banjo really started to understand his little brother. He then asked Jade to read the book again!

Having seen firsthand how valuable education can be in helping children like Oscar be understood and accepted for who they are by their family, peers and society as a whole, Jade wanted to create a children’s book from her own experience. By doing this, she aims to reach out and help all families with children who have special needs and to allow others to understand the difficulties but also the great joy and love that life can bring.

‘Behind every story is an inspiration. Oscar, my silent warrior, this book is for you. Different, not less.’

– Jade Chapman