A well-known British children’s fantasy author has confirmed that she’s written her first ever autistic character, according to sources.
Jean Sloping, 59 – known for her Henry Twiddle book series set in a magical wizard academy – revealed the addition of a young witch student with autism, known as Milda Spergers.
Sloping said: “It was a toss up between her, or a young wizard with autism called Linein Upcars.”
“The idea of Milda first came to me when I was on a train,” Sloping explained. “I thought: oh, a person with autism would enjoy this. And I’ve tirelessly steered away from tropes ever since.”
Sloping continued: “Representation is really important to me – which is why her autism won’t ever get a mention in the books or the films. In fact, for the most part, we largely pretend it isn’t there at all. Plenty of autistic women grow up that way, apparently.”
“Yes, I could have developed other aspects of Milda’s personality – like being able to survive a basilisk attack by effortlessly avoiding eye contact, but she mainly functions as a side character who enjoys stacking her magical Lego.”
This latest announcement comes after Sloping recently confirmed the appearance of an Italian warlock, known as Pesto Pancetta. “I try to avoid stereotyping,” she added.
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