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 Do You Understand Me? My Life, My Thoughts, My Autism Disorder
 Sofie Koborg Brøsen
 Jessica Kingsley Publishers
 ISBN: 1843104644,
 £9.99

 STAR RATING: 5/5

Sofie wanted her classmates to understand her and her autism spectrum disorder (ASD), writes Beth Billington. So she wrote this book.

With clear line drawings illustrating the text, Sofie tells the reader about her life. She writes about her desire for routine, her difficulty in understanding other people's behaviour, and her sensory sensitivities. She also tells the reader about her favourite things: cartoons, her cat (Teddy) and her best friend (Lisa).

Sofie was 11-years-old when she wrote the book and the text would be understandable to most children of around that age. It would also be accessible to younger children reading along with an adult. In only 24 pages of text, this book manages to present the reality of living with ASD, avoiding technical language favoured by diagnostic descriptions.

Sofie asks of other people: "They shouldn't use a lot of confusing words and sentences. They should use words that mean exactly what they want to say." And she demonstrates this skill in her own writing. Clear, logical and complete - a lovely read for children and adults alike.

Beth Billington is a clinical psychologist working with adults who have learning disabilities. She has several family members with diagnoses of ASD