ABSTRACT

Laura, a ten-year-old girl with autism, is looking at the letters in her book. She knows their names very well but when the teacher asks about them Laura does not understand why she is asking. Their shapes look interesting; they look similar to those on the surface of the kitchen table at home. She follows the lines of the letters with her finger. The light that flows from the window is changing depending on what side of the letter she is pointing at. The teacher asks her again but no answer. She waits a while but nothing happens. The teacher gives out a small sigh. The teacher becomes frustrated and starts to feel as if she is hitting a wall. In her mind she thinks: ‘Laura knew them several months ago. Why can’t she be interested now? What am I doing wrong?’