Psychology of People with Autism Through the Prism of Their Autobiographies

Abstract

The article analyzes and compares eight autobiographical literary works written by people with autism. The following criteria were selected for comparison: gender of the author; age period; diagnosis, and at what age it was made; marital status; availability of therapy and tutor; attitude to the defect; education; relationships with peers and teachers; relationships with parents and siblings; attitude to the educational process; profession; having children and a husband / wife. In the course of writing the work, it was concluded that people with autism perceive the world in a different way: they analyze incoming information using visual images, react painfully to external stimuli (light, noise, voice sound, tactile sensations), have intense, even obsessive, interests in different areas and experience social difficulties, for example, the inability to verbally contact people due to speech difficulties or the inability to understand their emotions and the emotions of another person. Such first-person books are mainly addressed to specialists (psychologists, teachers, etc.) who encounter autism manifestations in their work, students of psychological and pedagogical training areas, as well as parents raising children with autism. They are also vital for people with autism seeking to find themselves and their place in the world.