Do You Understand Me?

My Life, My Thoughts, My Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sofie Koborg Brøsen

• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN: 9781843104643
• eBook ISBN: 9781846425424
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Inclusive Education

Sofie Koborg Brøsen is eleven years old and, like other children of her age, goes to a mainstream school, loves reading comics and being with her family and her cat, Teddy. But Sofie is not the same as everyone else - she has autism spectrum disorder. Fed up with being misunderstood by her classmates, she has written a book about her world so others can learn to understand her, and vice versa.

Sofie describes her day-to-day life in clear, unambiguous language and tells readers about things she finds difficult: being given too many instructions, disruptions to her routine, being teased, strong lights and smells and too much noise. She also tells about what she really likes - feeling accepted by other children, reading, nature, her autism camp and her cat.

This fully illustrated book has already attracted much positive attention in Denmark. It is a readable insider's view of life as a child with autism attending a mainstream school and will be an invaluable resource in helping other children to understand their classmates with autism spectrum disorders. Teachers, parents, carers, support workers, children with autism spectrum disorders and their classmates will find this an entertaining, informative and attitude-changing read.

I have a disability. It’s called autism or Asperger Syndrome. You can’t see it. It’s something I’m born with that I can’t help. It means that I find it difficult to understand other people, because they do not think like I do.

I would like to help other people. Sometimes I need help myself. I want other people to understand my life, so that they can understand me.

I prefer things to be the same every day. Every morning, I follow my checklist on the fridge. Then I know what to do. I get easily confused, if I don’t know what I’m going to do. Or if I’m going to do things I haven’t done before. I need things to be explained to me in advance.

I watch children’s television every day at five o’clock in the afternoon. It’s hard for me to tell the time. If my mum forgets to tell me that it’s five o’clock, and I’m late for my cartoons, I get very cross. If it’s only a movie with real people in it, I don’t get so cross.

I have a chart in the living room with a drawing and words telling me how the remote control works. I’ve tried to learn how to use it for years now.

It makes me angry when there are things other children can easily do that I can’t.

I can’t always find the right words when I have to, and that really makes me sad and annoyed. I often find it difficult to remember the names of people and things.

It’s also difficult to find words to describe what things are like. I think it’s difficult to explain how I feel. I prefer short conversations.

I can’t remember all the names of the children in my form. I still don’t know all the names of my teachers. I know all the names of almost every single cartoon character because that’s a lot easier for me.

Mum says I speak somewhat differently than other people. Sometimes I use sentences from cartoons and comic strips without even knowing it.

Sometimes my mum laughs at me and then I get a little cross with her. Mum says she isn’t laughing at me. She is laughing at what I say, and it’s only because she cares so much about me. But I feel stupid when other people are laughing.

Mum says that I sometimes speak as if I were a grown-up. It sounds as if I want to order people around or educate them. I can’t hear how I speak. I think I speak quite normally all of the time.

I get confused i...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Of Related Interest
• Copyright
• Title Page
• Do You Understand Me?