Have been reflecting on elements of my childhood in relation to autism. Specifically, my Jacqueline Wilson obsession. I’ve always been drawn to real/issue driven stories over fantasy. People fascinated me, and novels gave me the ability to observe them at a safe distance

Those books offered opportunity for learning, and assurance I was somewhat ‘clued up’ on things, like bullying and friendships. I’d close the book with confidence - then try and talk to a girl my age, watch her grimace and wonder what the hell I’d done wrong

I was using JW books as a framework for how girls my age spoke. What I didn’t realise, however, was that most of her books were written in the nineties, so I’d be using phrases that were about ten or fifteen years out of date

I got severely told off for calling somebody a ‘nitwit’ in primary because I’d read it in a book. The character in context had used it playfully, and I assumed that was fundamental to establishing a friendship

This is all EXTREMELY DULL but what a fucking revelation