Saturday 8 April 2017

How I think - by O

O has begun to realise that she thinks differently from other children her age and she asked if it was okay if she wrote a blog to tell everyone about the way that she thinks. My reply was of course she could and then I handed O the computer!


Hello, my name is O and I am 8.

I have autism which means that I think differently to most of my friends.

When you read a word or hear a word or read a sentence, what do you think of? Do you read the words and imagine what the sentence might look like? Or do you just read the word and know what it means?

When I see or hear words I think of pictures and sometimes sounds or music that mean what the word is.

If I see the word clock I see pictures of different types of clocks like the clock in our kitchen or the clock in my classroom. I see pictures of different watches. I see analogue and digital clocks. I see alarm clocks. I see AM times, PM times and 24 hour times. Sometimes I hear the tic-toc of clocks or my mums phone alarm ringing. I hear the crocodile tic-tocing at Captain Hook.

If I see the word green I see pictures of grass, trees, flowers, broccoli and other things that are green. I hear croaking frogs because frogs can be green.


If I see the word doll I see pictures of china dolls that my Grandma has, I see pictures of my Monster High dolls and my DC Superhero dolls.

If I see the word school I see pictures of my last school, what the office looks like, I see pictures of my teachers. I hear the school siren or the school bell. I see different pictures of my new school.

If I see the word space I think about the spaces between words. I see stars and planets and moons. Space makes me think about astronauts and the international space station and galaxies and Titan. I really love space.

The pictures look like a movie. The pictures flash through my brain like a movie is playing of everything about clocks or a movie about the colour green.

When I read a sentence, I see pictures in my brain that show me what the sentence looks like. It's pretty cool.

I really like doing school work that has symbols or patterns or pictures in it because I understand it really quickly. I am super fast when I am doing school work like that and I always get everything right.

I like doing research on the computer and in books because then I get to learn new words and see new pictures.

I like writing poems about things that I think about.


Words can be complicated sometimes but pictures and music and sounds are easy to understand.

I've tried telling some of my friends how I think but they don't really understand so I don't try to tell them anymore. I think they get confused because they don't understand.

I know that not all of my friends think the same that I do, but I hope that some of them might but maybe they are too worried to tell me because they are worried that kids will tease them. If they told me that they think like me I would tell them that it is okay. My mum and dad say that it is okay to be different. If we were all the same then it would be very boring. I like being different. I like being me.

Thank you for reading my writing.

18 comments:

  1. Dear O, I loved reading your blog. Keep writing! Love from Lisa & Arini

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  2. thanks for sharing this O.
    xxxx

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  3. Dear O, how very clever you are to be able to articulate the way you think! You are so insightful for a child of only 8 years!

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  4. You are amazing!Never sell yourself short! <3

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  5. This is such a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing O! Please keep writing! Reading this post has helped me be a better Kindergarten teacher =)

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  6. Well done O! Not many adults can articulate the way they think and you're only 8! Keep up the good work. I love the part about us all being different, because you're so right- it's our differences that make us interesting.

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  7. 'Write, think, feel. M xxx'

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  8. Wow O. That sounds like an amazing way to see and hear things. A lot more interesting and unique than someone like me who sees a word and... just sees the word. I have to think to see all that you to. Thank you for telling us about you. You and your mum and dad a right. Differences are awesome. We should celebrate them.

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  9. I am so happy that you share your thinking and allowing us to look through your window.xx MB

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  10. This is so beautiful... a beautiful testimony... I am in tears and you have such a lovely daughter... very smart and just the cutest thing going! You are truly blessed

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  11. As a mama of 2 autistic sons , I am so moved by your daughters sweet yet true words.... what an amazing and wonderful young lady.! Shell

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  12. Hello O, it is so nice to meet you. Thank you for sharing a bit about you & what you experience, that is very brave. My daughter and I can't wait to read more of your stories!

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  13. Thank you for sharing this! You are very articulate and creative :) Hope you keep writing!

    Nicole | The Professional Mom Project

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  14. Thank you, O, for sharing :) Being different is not a bad thing. ♥♥♥
    You are adorable :) Keep on writing!

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  15. What a great insite into how you feel and think ... everyone does things differently and that's what makes us the same is how I think sometimes :)

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  16. Oh O - how very clever you are to explain how you think. Each time I read something like this, I close my eyes and try to think in pictures and sounds. It isn't always easy but I try. You are amazing. Please write more for me to read. xx

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I would love to hear your thoughts on my blog. I do read all the comments that are posted. Thanks so much for stopping by. Jen xx