Abstract

M. That's what I'd like you to call me please. I'll tell you why later.

Welcome to M's world. It's tipsy-turvy, sweet and sour, and the beast of anxiety lurks outside classrooms ready to pounce. M just wants to be like other teenagers her age who always know what to say and what to do. So why does it feel like she lives on a different plane of existence to everyone else?

Written by the students of Limpsfield Grange, a school for girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder with communication and interaction difficulties, M is for Autism draws on real life experiences to create a heartfelt and humorous novel that captures the highs and lows of being different in a world of normal.

The students of Limpsfield Grange, a residential school for girls with communication and interaction difficulties including Autism Spectrum Disorder, wrote and illustrated this book during three months of drama and creative writing workshops. The true life experiences of the girls were developed into M's story by Vicky Martin, the creative writing tutor who ran the workshops. She has previously worked on creative writing projects for the Royal Opera House's Education Department, and many theatres, arts centres and charities in the UK.
M is for Autism invites us into the world of a young woman with autism and allows us to view it through her lens. What an intriguing world we enter. This is a book to be read by everyone!
Professor Barry Carpenter, OBE, PhD, University of Worcester
I like the book M is for Autism because it is interesting to see how different but how the same a girl with autism is. I rate this book 5/5 because it is interesting, funny and exciting.
Eve, age 8
The Limpsfield girls certainly found their voice and it has all the urgency, immediacy and sheer vibrancy of teenage life... I hope that M's 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 help others understand and believe in them.
Robert Pritchett, Director Autism Accreditation, The National Autistic Society
I am utterly in love with this book. Part secret journal, part Perks of Being a Wallflower, part every girl, part just-like-me (yep, I have always seen letters as having personalities!), M is for Autism is a secret gem. We all need to know, after all, that there IS a "Sisterhood of the Spectrum". And I'm proud to say that M fits in perfectly!
Jennifer Cook O'Toole, author, autism advocate, and CEO of Asperkids
What an insightful read! Thanks Limpsfield Grange for sending M is for Autism into my world. Recommended to teenagers and parents.
Alis Rowe, aka The Girl with the Curly Hair
This inspiring and touching novel really gives you a feel of what living with autism and anxiety is like. 13-year-old M lives a tough life as she struggles coping with anxiety in everyday situations, most of all at school. She describes anxiety as being a beast that stops her from living a normal life. All M wants to do is be like all her friends who she classifies as normal. With her later diagnosis of autism we see M start to open up and talk to people about her problems as she copes with her diagnosis. If you have autism, if you are a sufferer of anxiety, or you know someone who is, this is a perfect read for you. This novel helps you to realise that you are not alone and people DO understand exactly what you are going through. As a sufferer of anxiety this book made me feel like there was light and hope at the end of the tunnel, and with a little support and guidance with life's inevitable ups and downs we CAN have a glorious and fulfilled life.
Jasmine, age 16