UBC Press Do You Understand Me? book Paperback 56 pages

Sofie Koborg Br0sen 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.

Sofie Koborg Br0sen was 11 years old when she wrote Do You Understand Me? for her classmates. She is now 12 and continues to go to school in Denmark, where she lives with her parents and brother. Her father drew the illustrations for this book.