15-year-old publishes book on autism

AMMAN — When tasked to come up with an idea for his grade 9 and 10 personal project, 15-year-old Omar Abu Agha did not choose the easy way out; instead, he undertook the ambitious project of writing an entire book on the intricate topic of autism, aiming to raise awareness of the disorder in the Jordanian society.

On Saturday, the young man got to reap the fruits of his extraordinary efforts, as he officially launched his interactive educational book under the title of “Different But Unique”.

“I am very interested in neurology and I want to become a neurosurgeon in the future, which fed into my desire to learn more about the brain and the neurobehavioural condition of autism,” Abu Agha told The Jordan Times after the book launch, noting that around 8,000 autistic patients are currently recorded in Jordan.

“Until 1993, there had been no cases of autism diagnosed around the world, and it is still a very poorly-understood subject, especially in Jordan,” he pointed out, noting that one of the many reasons he was drawn to the subject was the inclusive nature of his school, Mashrek International School, which include students with autism, as well as learning and physical disabilities. 

“I became really interested in their sensitivity to outside stimuli and their identities, and I wanted to explore that subject, make people more aware and ultimately serve my community,” Abu Agha underlined, explaining that he tackled the subject from both a neurological and a psychological perspective.

He reached out to numerous local and international experts such as Canadian Rachael Finnerty, CEO and founder of the Ontario Music Therapy Academy, Hareth Al Hajj, a swimming instructor specialised in autism, as well as local centres who provided him with information and insights into the topic, including Al Masar Centre and Autism MENA , among others.

“In Jordan, there is only one public hospital specialised in the treatment of autism, which only has a capacity of 80 people, while most private centres charge large amounts of money for the treatment, making it difficult to afford for underprivileged citizens,” Abu Agha claimed.

An “exceptional student” according to his parents, Abu Agha said he started off by defining a specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART) goal, which helped him create and design the interactive educational book.

“I often find some books to be boring and I wanted people to remain engaged throughout their reading. Because my target encompasses 11 to 14 years old, I decided to include exercises for readers and interactive sections such as word search puzzles, diagrammes, colours, etc,” the young man continued, noting that a vast majority of learners nowadays are “visual learners”.

Expressing his appreciation for the incredible support he received throughout his journey, Abu Agha said: “I believe it is our shared responsibility to learn how to interact and include people with autism in society and I would like to raise more awareness and attention towards this topic through my book.”

Abu Agha’s book launch was made possible by the Landmark Amman Hotel, as part of its “Make A Wish” project, which already allowed the financing of a young girl from Gaza refugee’s university tuition fees, holding an art exhibition for amputee artist Abdo Naseif and a bazaar featuring the handmade products of 90 entrepreneurial mothers

Founder of Landmark, Mary Nazzal, commented on the book launch, saying: “This is a special event that is close to our heart, because it supports young local talent, as well as raises awareness about an important issue in our community and around the world.” 

Sold for JD5 in various locations across Amman, the book’s proceeds will be distributed for underprivileged autistic patients’ treatments, according to its author.