LITMIR.BIZ

      Jessica Kingsley Publishers

      London and Philadelphia

      First published in 2015

      by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

      73 Collier Street

      London N1 9BE, UK

      and

      400 Market Street, Suite 400

      Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

       www.jkp.com

      Copyright © Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin 2015

      Foreword copyright © Robert Pritchett 2015

      Illustrations copyright © Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin 2015

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.

      Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.

      Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

      A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

      British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

      A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

      ISBN 978 1 84905 684 7

      eISBN 978 1 78450 198 3

      The students and staff of Limpsfield Grange School would like to thank Autism Accreditation for supporting our project. Without them M’s story would never have been fully realised. We are really grateful to have been given this opportunity to tell her amazing story.

      Foreword

      At a National Autistic Society Autism Accreditation sharing practice meeting in the summer of 2014, Beth and Máire, two remarkable and articulate teenage girls from Limpsfield Grange School, spoke to us about how their autism affects them. It was extraordinary, illuminating and moving. Afterwards, Beth told me that there were no books to help teenage girls with autism. Someone, she said, should write one. Máire, who is a remarkable artist, added that it should be illustrated. The answer was obvious, and we decided there and then that Autism Accreditation should sponsor the Limpsfield Grange girls to do just that. Write a book written and illustrated entirely by teenage girls with autism for teenage girls with autism.

      The early teen years can be tough for girls with autism as they learn to understand themselves, the changes they are going through and the changing expectations the world has of them. Autism adds another complication. The girls passionately want people to understand them and to help other girls with autism understand themselves. That would make a big difference to their lives. M’s story is the wonderful result! The Limpsfield girls certainly found their voice and it has all the urgency, immediacy and sheer vibrancy of teenage life.

      The process of writing the book was a collaboration between the students of Limpsfield Grange and writer Vicky Martin, who led creative writing and drama workshops to explore situations the students had experienced and to express how it really feels to be an autistic teenage girl. Through improvisations, story writing, poetry and discussion, M began to take shape and tell her important story.

      I must thank Beth, whose idea it was to write a book in the first place; Sarah Wild, the Head Teacher, who agreed to the project; and of course all the staff and students at Limpsfield Grange.

      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 to help others understand and believe in them. As Beth said, “The trouble is some people do get me but many more don’t.”

      Robert Pritchett, Director, Autism Accreditation

Autism Accreditation is an internationally recognised autism-specific quality assurance programme from The National Autistic Society, for providers of education and support to people with autism of all ages.

      M’s Introduction

      I’ve been pushed into a room and I’m stuck.

      I can see through the windows but I can’t open them and I don’t even know if I can see the same objects, people and colours as you...

      I’m just not sure. I’m locked in and I don’t have a key to get out.