A Real Person

"Yes, but she is rather atypical because most people with autism don’t write their own books, although a few have done that. She wrote this when she was in her twenties and no longer severely autistic. I think people may not sufficiently realise this, but the behaviour problems brought about by autism can go away, or at least it is possible to learn strategies to overcome the problems. Gunilla managed to do this and she convinces the reader that she has an exact memory of what it was like to be autistic when she was a child. Through her memories we can glimpse the utterly different world of an autistic mind. Some of the things Gunilla writes about are hard to imagine and for me were quite shocking to read about. For example, how unbearable a simple touch can be. When Gunilla touched a metal button her stomach turned over and she felt a sharp noise that would creep up her spine. She gives a really detailed description. So to have this kind of first-hand experience is amazingly revealing. She influenced my work because she made me think about what it must mean for such a person to reflect on herself. This is one of the most difficult things to do for someone with autism. Amazingly, she is able to do this and, as the title says, she did become ‘a real person’."