Untouched pastures in autism literature

Post Reply New Topic

I am considering writing a book that touches on my experiences with autism and the public's understanding of the condition. But I appreciate that a few notable autobiographies have already been published - The Reason I Jump, for instance - so I thought it would not be a bad idea if I asked you guys what you think is absent in books on the subject that have hitherto been written. What would you like to see in future books on the subject? Do you think there is something that writers ought to be addressing? I have ideas of my own, yet I am interested to know what a wider community than myself thinks.

I think that the vivid, intense imaginary worlds/imaginary friends that some autistic people experience should be explored more in-depth. It's mentioned in passing in some autism literature, but I'd like to see an entire book dedicated to the subject.

My mom has suggested that I write one myself, but I am too lazy and afraid of criticism to go through with it.

I don't want to see more books on the 'subject,' those are of interest only to people who have the condition, or live with those who have it.

What I want to see are autistic characters in fiction - not necessarily protagonists - depicted accurately and internally, so that the reader can experience firsthand (if vicariously) what it is like to deal with the handicaps of autism on a day-to-day basis. Problem is, only autistic writers can make that happen, because neurotypical writers who have never experienced things like sensory overloads, anxiety attack meltdowns, and invisible social walls cannot capture them in their subtlest nuances and make them genuine.

That is the only sort of 'activism' that will ever make the neurotypical world look at us with any compassion and understanding - one that allows them to fully comprehend what living with autism is like and how viscerally real this invisible handicap is.