ALICIA LEARNED TO TALK AT 7... NOW SHE’S AN AUTHOR AT 13!
FOR any 13-year-old child to have her own book published would be quite an accomplishment.
But for Alicia Fortune, from the Faythe, the launch of her first book ‘Unplugged’ at Readers’ Paradise in Wexford last Friday was extra special, because she suffers from autism and only learned to talk when she was seven.
And with the encouragement and help of her peers and family, she is already planning her future as an author of many books.
‘She could read before she could talk,’ said her dad Darren of the daughter he describes as ‘a real character’.
‘She was diagnosed with autism three days before her third birthday. Her autism is moderate and impacted her speech, communications and social skills and she was non-verbal until she was nearly seven. We taught her to sound out her words and once she learned she didn’t stop,’ said Darren.
Alicia attended the Faythe School and is currently enrolled in the first year at the Presentation Secondary School, both of which have been tremendously supportive of her amibition to be a writer of note.
‘ The Pres welcomed her with open arms and were really helpful and accommodating to her in writing her book. They had a playing the same game, little book launch at the school which he eventually becomes as well and the Faythe School part of, going through different before that were absolutely levels until her emerges at brilliant as well,’ said Darren. the other side and embraces
Darren, and his wife Tina the real world rather than the have three other children Alicia’s digital one. sisters Chloe, aged 15, ‘She has written a couple of and Ava, aged seven, and Leo, short stories which will be included aged four, and all the family with the book, as a prelude members have helped to enable to her next,’ said Darren. Alicia to reach for the literary ‘She wants to be an author stars. and this will be the first of
Alicia’s book tells the story manay books. This is a great of a 13-year-old boy Chris who start and she is full of confidence spends all his time on his computer that she can do it,’ he said.