I Dream In Autism

I am autistic. See it my way. I view your normality with interest and have grown up wanting to be you. I am now in my fifth decade and wouldn't swap places with you for one minute. I am fine - just as I am. Are you sitting uncomfortably, then I'll begin... Most people can learn the mysteries of life from other people. They decide the rules, communicate, interpret and fit in. Autistic people, like me, are wired differently. We perceive things internally and literally - experiencing the world with hyper-aware senses (and people with trepidation). It's not easy for a non-autistic person to grasp the behaviours of an 'Aspie' yet we are expected to function in a certain way for them. Our existence is lived as it is from behind a pane of glass... beyond touch and connection. An enigma. Connection with this life hurts. We were designed to live by different rules. So, we do need some type of rulebook to get through each day. I Dream In Autism is a collection of writings based on my own life journey and decades of working with autistic people. People have a lot of expectations of me and often don't think my autism is severe. They are visibly surprised when I disclose my condition. However, if I behave according to my autistic nature, they get cross and sometimes verbally aggressive. That's a lot of pressure to endure which makes my life harder. Mild-autism is someone else's judgement - they see me acting 'normal' and believe it to be a reliable indication of my true self. I maintain an act as much as possible because life has taught me that things get very bad if I don't (this is a common autistic way of living). My autobiography is woven with insight, observations and ways for autistic or learning disabled service users and families living with an autistic sufferer to see inside the syndrome from an autistic point of view. I wanted my work to be a useful tool read by 'normal' people as an informed way of how to interact with special individuals. Read this book forwards, backwards or in bite-sized chunks to see through the eyes of an 'Aspie' as we are beginning to be affectionately referred to (and I like this). Understand my obsessive need to repeat intricate details through stories of being bullied, lost, loved and misunderstood. It will change your life.

Author: Richard Maguire
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 03/24/2014
Pages: 284
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.51w x 0.64d
ISBN: 9781497437074

About the Author
Growing up in 70's England, meant no one knew I was autistic because Autism simply didn't exist. What did exist was a toddler with tantrums, odd child, bad boy, lazy teenager, boring man. All these labels stick and they hurt. To this day people say with visible shock on meeting me, 'But you seem so normal!' What they do not see is the result of growing up with an enigma. I endured the school bullies like everyone else and the lifestyle of a social outcast. However, I did not understand why I was being mocked or, for that matter, different. I finally received society's forgiveness in the form of a diagnosis and a job in social work to help another me. My career in this sector lead to an NVQ Level 3 qualification in social care, a degree in theology and experience of being in life changing situations for over thirty years. We Aspies shut down or meltdown. My type of autism means I see minute detail all around me. For example - when 'normal' people look at a tree they enjoy the awe and wonder of nature. I see the same thing but also become fixated on its current photosynthetic state and surrounding ecological system or the exact number of leaves on its branches. I forget to speak until I have absorbed all this detail and carefully processed the data mentally into my pre-sorted 'mind' compartments. When people engage in conversations with me, they are unaware that I take every spoken word earnestly and have a heightened sensory perception that results in their meanings being taken literally. I explain this when showing parents how to talk to their autistic children. Over the years I learned to handle the way I see and deal with life. Outbursts of rage born from the ridicule of not being valued led to self-harm and low esteem. I need not spur your sympathy. I survived... many like me end their lives rather than live it. So what about me... did I marry and live happily ever after? Well, an obsession with bicycle maintenance played in my favour and I found a way to talk to interested bystanders without engaging eye contact. My wife (yes, my wonderful wife of 30 years) tells me she remembers a non-communicative schoolboy that could so easily be our son today. However, Josh is aware of his strengths and that his parents love him - because we tell him daily. So many 'syndrome-people' think they are not worthy of life or love. I now help other young autistic adults to feel valued and take their place in society.

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