Getting the message out 'Autism in our own words'

First of all I will state this is not a survey just to reassure moderators.

Inspired by the Chris Packham Programme, and by some answered to that thread about non celebrity autistic people plus some things in another thread about life histories, I think this could be very useful for both neurotypical and autistic people.

What I am thinking of is if a book could be published with each chapter being someone's life story. It would incorporate earliest memories, our background, experiences at school, academic achievements and failures,  misunderstandings, the realisation that neurotypical were a bit strange, experiences in the workplace or of being out of work, the skills possessed and our interests, how others try to change us, the disrespect we often get - I'm sure you get the idea.

Am I the only one who would find this very interesting?  I have no idea how this could be brought to the attention of a publisher, or what forums would be available to tell our extended stories.  Even an online publication could prove interesting.

We all have a different story to tell, linked by our common condition so there would be differences but also some similarities.  Psychologists who diagnose probably are aware of all this but as a means of comparing notes and informing others this could be as valuable as any number of academic papers

Parents
  • Hi everyone.  I think this is a very interesting proposal.  I have certainly benefited from reading the autistic biography of others.  Like Trainspotter I wrote down my experiences and handed (14,511 words) to my psychiatrist.  Of course, I doubt she read it through but I think some of it was a basis for my diagnosis.  It poured out of me in only a few weeks.  And as you could imagine, I feel I only scratched the surface.

    A book may be too limiting.  Perhaps a website like Kim's musings of an aspie?  It would be a collection of short stories, written by people on the spectrum for those looking for answers.

    Maybe the stories there could eventually lead to a book?

  • Hi Abigail

    Yes, a website 'multiblog' would also be a possibility. 

    I am of the old school who likes something in my hands ... find it a bit difficult to read web articles or e-books I like the printed word.  But the most important thing would be to get the stories told.

    A web blog would need a bit of setting up and moderating to ensure that the spirit of the idea was complied with ... I do not envisage it to be some sort of forum like this one, it would be stories from the heart, and preferably with a lot of snippets, humour, and personal experience that we have of being autistic, from earliest memories to the present and also perhaps looking forward to what we would expect or hope for in the future.

    Some sort of 'Format Sheet' might also be useful to give ideas as to what to include.  And with a web blog, each person could have their own 10000 words: eg 'Trainspotters Story' ...etc.

    I don't particularly want to 'take over' the idea, but would be willing to have a go.  But I don't have any experience of putting together such a blog so if someone else did it I certainly would not object.  I would just like to see something get off the ground, knowing that it could be a few months before the first stories started arriving ... provided there is the interest of course!

Reply
  • Hi Abigail

    Yes, a website 'multiblog' would also be a possibility. 

    I am of the old school who likes something in my hands ... find it a bit difficult to read web articles or e-books I like the printed word.  But the most important thing would be to get the stories told.

    A web blog would need a bit of setting up and moderating to ensure that the spirit of the idea was complied with ... I do not envisage it to be some sort of forum like this one, it would be stories from the heart, and preferably with a lot of snippets, humour, and personal experience that we have of being autistic, from earliest memories to the present and also perhaps looking forward to what we would expect or hope for in the future.

    Some sort of 'Format Sheet' might also be useful to give ideas as to what to include.  And with a web blog, each person could have their own 10000 words: eg 'Trainspotters Story' ...etc.

    I don't particularly want to 'take over' the idea, but would be willing to have a go.  But I don't have any experience of putting together such a blog so if someone else did it I certainly would not object.  I would just like to see something get off the ground, knowing that it could be a few months before the first stories started arriving ... provided there is the interest of course!

Children
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