An 8-year-old Columbus boy just became a published author, and he's using his own experience with autism to help other kids feel good about who they are. Titan Glover, alongside his mother Lauren Motley, launched the first installment of a new book series called Titansworld, aimed at building self-confidence and self-belief in young children on the autism spectrum.
The book is tied directly to Titan's own experience with autism, according to WSYX, which first reported on the mother-son project. Titan and Motley wrote the book together to encourage children to realize they can achieve things too, and the pair say more entries in the Titansworld series are already planned. Motley has also shared advice of her own for parents raising children with autism, according to the station's report.
A Personal Project With a Bigger Purpose
The goal behind the book is simple but pointed: Titan wants to help other kids feel confident in who they are, per the same account. For an 8-year-old to turn his own diagnosis into a published resource for peers is notable on its own, but it also lands amid a well-documented national shift in how children's literature approaches neurodiversity. A research review published in PubMed Central found that the publication of children's picture books focused on autism spectrum disorder has grown exponentially over the past three decades, with researchers noting that such books foster acceptance and empathy among peers.
Titan's story also arrives against a backdrop of rising autism diagnosis rates nationally. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance data released in 2025 found that roughly 1 in 31 8-year-olds in the United States — about 3.2 percent — was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2022, up from 1 in 36 in 2020, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. That same data shows autism spectrum disorder is roughly 3.4 times more prevalent among 8-year-old boys, at 4.9 percent, than among 8-year-old girls, at 1.4 percent.
Support Systems Across Central Ohio
Columbus families raising autistic children have access to a fairly deep bench of local resources. Nationwide Children's Hospital operates a Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders that provides multidisciplinary diagnostic evaluations, behavioral interventions, and research as part of the national Autism Care Network, according to the hospital.
Beyond medical care, the Autism Society Central Ohio coordinates regional support across 12 central Ohio counties, offering family resources, community events, and home safety boxes designed for autistic individuals who wander. On the funding side, Ohio's Autism Scholarship Program, updated under Ohio Department of Education and Workforce guidelines in 2026, provides families of qualifying autistic children up to $34,000 annually per student to access private education or specialized therapy services outlined in an Individualized Education Program or Autism Education Plan.
The Range Within a Single Diagnosis
Titan's book project also underscores just how broad the autism spectrum is in practice. A 2023 CDC report published in Public Health Reports found that 26.7 percent of 8-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder have what researchers term profound autism, defined as being nonverbal, minimally verbal, or having an IQ under 50 — a reminder that support needs vary widely even within a single diagnosis.
That range has played out locally in recent Hoodline coverage. Just a nonverbal Columbus preteen briefly went missing before being found safe, while a Springfield family's dispute with a Columbus school over an autistic second grader's education drew NAACP involvement earlier this summer, according to Hoodline's prior reporting. Titan's book, by contrast, represents a self-directed, family-driven effort to shape how autistic children see themselves rather than a response to institutional failure.
Family Background
Motley, Titan's mother and co-author, has her own recent academic milestone: she earned recognition on the President's and Dean's lists at Hondros College of Nursing in Columbus in 2025, according to the Hondros College of Nursing. Columbus also has a track record of institutional support for young writers more broadly — the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Voices of Our Future initiative previously published a book featuring original writing from 23 area youth across its branch locations, showing a broader civic appetite for amplifying young authors' voices. With additional Titansworld books already planned, Titan and Motley appear positioned to keep building on that foundation.
