Tokyo autistically 'Ready to freak yet?'

[Taro Toporific]

What is it like to be autistic? I want you to imagine taking a trip to Japan. You find yourself lost in the centre of Tokyo. You cannot speak the language or read the faces of strangers, your senses are assaulted by the noise and flashing neon signs. There is nowhere to turn to for help. Also, your skin has become super-sensitive, your clothes are chafing and irritating at every step, and your hearing has become so acute that you hear your own blood running through your veins. Ready to freak yet?

My daughter is a superstar - she suffers all this and more, has no spatial awareness and difficulties with motor skills, yet she is frighteningly articulate, clever, outgoing and funny... Asperger Syndrome ...makes my girl a one in a million.

The Scotsman / Wed 1 Oct 2003
We must do more to help parents cope with autism