We all have mountains to climb, and how we climb them shouldn't matter.
That's the message mother and author Nissa Rae hopes to convey about raising a child with autism.
Taking inspiration from her son Ollie, the first-time children's author hopes her book will make children and parents more aware of the challenges people with autism can face and overcome.
"As a first-time parent, [who was initially] I'll be honest ... ignorant about what autism is, we were scared, we didn't know what the future looked like," Ms Rae, from Whyalla in South Australia, said.
"Only through raising him and doing our own independent research, and listening to the voices of autistic adults in the world, can I now confidently say his future is so bright."
While she had no fears about Ollie's own ability to navigate the world, she was worried about the effect other people's misconceptions or assumptions about autism may have on her son.
"How is the world going to treat him? [I worry] if the world's going to be accommodating for him," she said.
Ms Rae said watching her son overcome the obstacles life threw at him inspired the story.
"Before he was two or three, there would be times when ... we'd be really worried about [him] not [learning or growing at the same speed as other kids]," she said.
"[We would worry] he would be years behind peers and we would be so concerned."
But then, to her surprise, the toddler would get there on his own, in his own time.
"He'd go to sleep one night, wake up the next morning, and suddenly [he could do it]," Ms Rae said.
It gave her a great idea; to write a story about "this little boy climbing mountains, even in his sleep".
Acceptance for all
Although the book is autism coded, it could be more accurately described as a story about overcoming adversity.
"I wanted this book to be for children like my son who is neurodivergent but I didn't want it to be an autism book," she said.
"The way that I've written the book, it will be something that even neurotypical children and their families can relate to."
Ms Rae said she included a page in the back with reputable sources relating to autism to assist parents and open up an avenue for neurotypical families to broach the topic of acceptance with their children.
"When we started this journey with my son … we Googled and there are some very dangerous and misinformed sources out there," she said.
"It's dangerous when you're a new parent who's scared, who doesn't know what's happening [to see that].
"I hope that with the information in the back, it will open the conversations for neurotypical families to discuss it."
Never too early to talk about neurodivergence
Autism Awareness Australia chief executive Nicole Rogerson said books, like the one Ms Rae has written, were an excellent way to introduce young children to neurodivergent people.
"It just embeds this idea that difference is okay and everyone's a little bit different," she said.
"Particularly for young kids who may not understand disability.
"We need children to understand, and actually we need their parents to understand as well, that having a different type of child in that classroom or in that school is absolutely fine."
As for Ms Rae, she is already working on her next book Jimmy the Daredevil, drawing inspiration from her other son.
Source: ABC