It has been a few weeks now
Since Esther and I went out
For a mummy and daughter brunch
We sat down at our table
And Esther pulled out of her bag
A book
This book
A Different Sort of Normal
By Abigail Balfe

We have always known that
William is autistic
We have wondered for a while
If Esther is on the spectrum too
Through reading books
Discussions with William
And with friends
Esther has been slowly realising
That she is autistic
It has been a journey of self discovery
With support from her family and friends

Esther was diagnosed with dyslexia
When she was seven years old
But we have always had a feeling
There was something more to discover
Reading A KInd Of Spark
Can You See Me?
Speak Up
And A Different Sort Of Normal
Has helped Esther to understand herself
And has helped her to find the words
To describe how she feels in
And see the world to me
She speaks so eloquently
And can explain her needs so clearly
Her journey has been speeding up of late
As she understands what it means for her
To be autistic
Because Esther and William
Are completely different from one another
Though they are given the same label

Esther loves Abigail Balfe’s book
From the wonderful poem at the start
To the declaration of pride at the end
Esther is proud to be autistic
And loves talking to me about herself
I am so honoured that she does
This book has brought us
Even closer together than we already were
And kickstarted conversions that we
Never knew we needed to have
I am so very grateful for this book
And I know that Esther is too

“Autism is a difference in the brain
That affects how a person
Experiences and interacts with
The world around them.”

I have four neurodivergent children
And parenting them is a joy
It can also be exhausting
And I am always learning
How to be the best mum I can be

Books like
A Different Sort of Normal
Really help me as a parent
To talk to my children
About what the world is like for them
And helps me to understand
What I can do to make life
Easier for them

Through meeting Abigail
In the pages of her book
Esther has become an
Autistic female
With a special interest in autism
She wants to learn everything she can
Read as many books with autistic characters as she can
Particularly girls
Through A Different Sort Of Normal
Together we have learned

Some Science, History and Facts
Linked to autism
What autism is
What autism looks like

Reading Abigail’s story
Has helped Esther to identify
Process and discuss her own
Autistic traits
She has become quite fixated
On the facts and figures
Especially around autism in families
Esther and William both think
That I am autistic
And I think that there is a high chance
They may be right
Though I have always assumed
My traits are anxiety
Maybe this is something
That I need to explore
I have always felt different
And like I did not quite fit in
I have always found
Friendships difficult
I struggle in social situations
And can appear shy
Even rude
I am terrified of driving to new places
I hate change
I think my children could be right!

This book is a wonderful key
To conversations and thought trains
It is a celebration of
Being different
A tool for all
To better their understanding of
Neurodivergence and neurodiversity
This book is a personal reflection
A life story written with humour
Written with heart
This book will inspire children
And readers of all ages
To be explore who they are
And be proud of what they uncover
This book is a gorgeous guide
To supporting neurodivergent people
In a neurotypical world
This is a book that Esther would say
Feels like a really good conversation
With a really good friend

We have loved looking fondly back
At all Esther and William’s special interests
While reading about Abigail’s
I love the way that she she throws
Such a joyful positive light
On to the different traits of autism
And explains everything so well
Using personal anecdotes
I can see why Esther has held this book close
For so long
And why she wanted to share it with me
As she started our talks about her autism
Esther had marked the pages
That she wanted me to read

The pages about sensory overload
Stimming and masking
We talked about Esther’s
Struggles with busy places
And loud noises
Her love of having fiddle toys
And comforters
And more recently squishy stress balls

This book has so much to offer everyone
Esther would love for everyone to read
A Different Sort Of Normal

“Whatever your story, if you’ve ever felt
Out of place, like you don’t fit in …
THIS IS FOR YOU”