The Students of Limpsfield Grange School - M is for Autism

M

is for Autism

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M

is for Autism

The Students of Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin

Illustrated by the Students of Limpsfield Grange School and Luna Prez Visairas

Foreword by Robert Pritchett

Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia

First published in 2015

by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

73 Collier Street

London N1 9BE, UK

and

400 Market Street, Suite 400

Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

www.jkp.com

Copyright Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin 2015

Foreword copyright Robert Pritchett 2015

Illustrations copyright Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owners written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.

Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84905 684 7

eISBN 978 1 78450 198 3

The students and staff of Limpsfield Grange School would like to thank Autism Accreditation for supporting our project. Without them Ms story would never have been fully realised. We are really grateful to have been given this opportunity to tell her amazing story.

Foreword

At a National Autistic Society Autism Accreditation sharing practice meeting in the summer of 2014, Beth and Mire, two remarkable and articulate teenage girls from Limpsfield Grange School, spoke to us about how their autism affects them. It was extraordinary, illuminating and moving. Afterwards, Beth told me that there were no books to help teenage girls with autism. Someone, she said, should write one. Mire, who is a remarkable artist, added that it should be illustrated. The answer was obvious, and we decided there and then that Autism Accreditation should sponsor the Limpsfield Grange girls to do just that. Write a book written and illustrated entirely by teenage girls with autism for teenage girls with autism.

The early teen years can be tough for girls with autism as they learn to understand themselves, the changes they are going through and the changing expectations the world has of them. Autism adds another complication. The girls passionately want people to understand them and to help other girls with autism understand themselves. That would make a big difference to their lives. Ms story is the wonderful result! The Limpsfield girls certainly found their voice and it has all the urgency, immediacy and sheer vibrancy of teenage life.

The process of writing the book was a collaboration between the students of Limpsfield Grange and writer Vicky Martin, who led creative writing and drama workshops to explore situations the students had experienced and to express how it really feels to be an autistic teenage girl. Through improvisations, story writing, poetry and discussion, M began to take shape and tell her important story.

I must thank Beth, whose idea it was to write a book in the first place; Sarah Wild, the Head Teacher, who agreed to the project; and of course all the staff and students at Limpsfield Grange.

I hope that Ms journey will help girls with autism making that same journey through their early teen years to find themselves and believe in themselves as well as to help others understand and believe in them. As Beth said, The trouble is some people do get me but many more dont.

Robert Pritchett, Director, Autism Accreditation

Autism Accreditation is an internationally recognised autism-specific quality assurance programme from The National Autistic Society, for providers of education and support to people with autism of all ages.

Ms Introduction

Ive been pushed into a room and Im stuck.

I can see through the windows but I cant open them and I dont even know if I can see the same objects, people and colours as you...

Im just not sure. Im locked in and I dont have a key to get out.

M. Thats what Id like you to call me please. M. Ill tell you why later. In fact, Ill be telling you lots about me and my tipsy-turvy, wobbly world . My beautiful, terrifying, stressful, difficult, anxious life. I mean, I am just like any other teenage girl. I want to fit in, have friends and wear nice clothes. I want to be liked and I have ambitions, plans and hopes. I go to school and live with my mad family but the difference is I deal with so many more shapes, sizes, noises, colours, textures and anxieties than you may ever know.

You might know a girl like me or maybe you are just like me too

Chapter 1

Im in a forest. Its very noisy. Disturbing.

There are lots of other animals in the forest but I feel like Im a different species to all the others.

This is when I became M . I wasnt named M. I chose it and this is how it happened. One Monday afternoon. I was in Year 5 and we were working on number sequencing in the morning and it was spelling tests in the afternoon. I hadnt slept all weekend because my anxiety was so high. In fact, I know Ive just started my story but I think we should stop here for the time being.

You see I use the word anxiety and this is the biggest word, thing, emotion, part of my life. Maybe you are one of the people who says,

Oh dear, poor thing, youll be fine. Its just a bit of stress. Or maybe youre the type of person who looks at me seething and thinks I should pull myself together and stop making a fuss because I am ruining everything for everyone else. Selfish!

Im used to hearing and sensing both these responses and neither of them make the situation any better because my anxiety is so massive, so consuming and controlling. I looked up anxiety in the dictionary and this is what it says:

Anxiety [noun]