Abstract

Sofie Koborg Brøsen 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 wanted her classmates to understand her and her autism spectrum disorder so she wrote this book.
Community Care Magazine
Sofie Koborg Brøsen 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.
Sofie is an 11 year old Danish girl with autism spectrum disorder. Tired of being misunderstood at school, she wrote this little book for her classmates. She describes her everyday life at home with her family and her cat, and at school. She writes about the things she finds difficult: being teased, disruptions to her routine, too much noise, reading people's body language, group work. A very accessible book for children, with illustrations and large print.
Home Education Advisory Service
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. Clear, logical and complete - a lovely read for children and adults alike.
Community Care Magazine
With clear line drawings illustrating 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.
Community Care Magazine