There is just, I think computers are a big part of people on the spectrum because we know, I suppose it is the predictability thing, you just switch it on and the same screen will be there and it is not going to be a different person if you like. Like a lot more to computers because of our wiring I think isn’t it? I just think its, I don’t know. Justthere is a safety aspect with it as well I think. It is the predictability is that one of us know what is going to happen. I mean nobody I know who is on the spectrum worries if the computer does something wrong, because we expect it to go wrong at some stage. And it is usually during a process that we are actually pushing it to its limit, whereas if it is with a person, I don’t know whether you are going to break down the conversation if you like, or not understand the conversation, or be hostile. I have got no idea of when that is going to come in and that is always a constant worry is that what if they think I am weird, what if they think I am strange, what if they don’t understand, when they don’t understand what will they say? Yes.

Technology is good – computers are my voice – I have built a computer – I try to
make them work when they break at school and the printers etc and I have
done computer clubs. I like the photocopier and will be called out of class
when it goes wrong to mend it because I understand it and other technology
things. I see what an object can do rather than hear the name of the object
so I use an object to do what I want it to do – they say I ‘think outside
the box’ for example there are lots of different uses for a peg (a
pinching/holding device) than holding washing. I am often surprised how
people do not see how to make life efficient by using objects to help them
and if I say use this they say they did not think of using it like that!

I am nosey so science is good for me – it tells me how things work and is
elegant – it also gives puzzles to solve. All my children are science minded
– they appreciate the beauty of the world, the movement of the clouds, the
feel of rain, the frog hopping in the allotment, the sound of the wind in
the trees or sea hitting the sand, smooth stones and so on…… The
processes of moving your finger, getting the print on the screen, a car to
move – all those processes that have to work in harmony to achieve the
desired outcome and then to find out where the process went wrong when it
does not work…. it is good

I am doing an OU degree at the moment – science – and it is amazing and is
keeping me safe at the moment – a constant that keeps me grounded when
everything else is changing and frightening. My allotment is good – peaceful
and beautiful with frogs, toads, fox, – I have a grassy area which I mow and
beds of veg that I share with the wildlife (only as much as I say – I plant
more than I need so we can share but if they get greedy then I cover the
food!) as it is their home I am cultivating for me – I have big trees that
were there before I got there and it screens me from the other allotments so
it could be anywhere. The children from school come and visit in the summer
to see the pond and guess the veg and even the most disruptive child is calm
and understands that they are a guest of the wildlife and so am I.

I play tennis which is good and I like driving as it is so mathematical and
elegant thinking of all the processes to make a car work. I am good at
driving I am told. My spatial awareness when driving is good but when I am
walking it is not so good.

I do not go out socially – or visit other’s houses. I have one person who
visits occasionally maybe once a month and that is that and when they are
here I do not know what to say and wish they would go because I feel unsafe.
Computer is good I am safe. I like the OU because communication is by computer ad it is the only place where I can be me and not have to hide my difficulties and I am me – it is safe.

Yes. I do like having, you know, areas of strong interests, which I’m sure lots of others have probably spoke about this as well because people with it tend to be quite knowledgeable in certain areas and in my particular, I’m into photography and computers, especially building them as well. Because I obviously study computers at home as well, because I really enjoyed that course I got into after and used to research about computers in my spare time and got fairly knowledgeable on them, as well as photography as well, going out and practising shooting and everything.

I thought I was different because I wasn’t really interested in the sort of stuff that everyone else was interested in. You know quite a lot of my friends were into BMXing and skateboarding, where I was, I was more of a, I was more a computer games, and a War Hammer collector and you know things, things that were structured, like computer games. You go through a mission and you do, you have to complete this, this and this objective before you know, before the end of whatever you have to do. And with Games Workshop you have to make sure you make sure, you have to build it in the correct way to, before you came paint it or do what they do. And I guess the structure, I don’t know. I guess it felt really weird that I liked more structured games to play, whereas you know they were all outside, you know on their bikes and their skate boards while I was sat inside, sort of maybe sometimes on my own, you know, on computer games or watching TV, because you know it was a similar pattern that I got into.

Howard:Yes. I have still got the occasional bus rides or I go up on my computer a lot. Going on the internet and also playing on my train simulators as well.

Oh right.

Barbara: Yes in a way things do turn out sometimes because if he had still been wanting to go on his trips as he used to, we couldn’t have afforded it, with the train fares.

Howard:The train fares have gone up.

Barbara:So he only goes occasionally if there is something really special.

Howard:Yes.

Barbara:Certain people you know. You would probably see[name] etc. I have always said, Well look, invite him round. I know it’s a waste of breath.Now we got hooked on computers and then I got, first of all we got one simulator and you worked your way up to Microsoft trains. And of course he goes to all these different countries and with the games he can download trains, he can build railways, download trains.

Howard:Yes.

Barbara:Because sometimes I look on the web and I see all these Chinese and I say Howard how do you know which to click on and of course he is so used to it now, because there was even French

Howard:Yes. Russian as well.

Barbara:I have got him dictionaries, German English German dictionary. And he goes to all these countries and I say Well how did you get there? Oh I went to China via Australia.

Barbara:And of course we did some programming. I don’t know whether that helped you, but he got all this gobbledygook. And I don’t know whether you are supposed to do it or not, but he does it, well these simulators and he gets all this stuff and he alters it to adjust to how he wants it, you know.

So does your simulator beat the real thing or do you still like to go on real train journeys?

Howard:Well a bit of both really.

And what is your favourite train journey in the UK?

Howard:Well I can’t really say I have a particular favourite.

Barbara:What is the furthest you have been because you have been to places I haven’t been to.

Howard:I have been up to Scotland.

By train.

Howard:Yes. That is when they used to run the excursions then.

Barbara:And didn’t you used to, there was the one, you were overnight at some of them.

Howard:Yes. It was an overnight trip, yes.

Barbara:And he would come back .

Were you sleeping on the train?

Howard:Yes.

Barbara:And he come back home and [laugh] he would be quite grubby wouldn’t you.

Howard:Hm.

Barbara:Because he would be, you know.

Howard:But this would be over twenty years ago.

Margaret: His music.

Daniel: Yes.

Margaret: Staying at home and either recording his music or writing it or something and it is something he tends to be a lot of on his own, only though he says that he wants somebody else to help him out. When you go and sit with him or try and work out what he is doing, there is no room for anybody else to be involved unless of course it is his friend.He has got another friend with Asperger’s and they were really well together most of the time.They write songs together.

Daniel: Yes.

Margaret: For some reason that works. If anybody else is with…

Daniel: We are incompatible sometimes but yes

Margaret: Most of the time you are.

Daniel: I have got this

Margaret: Anybody else is sitting on the sidelines.

Daniel: We worked out this system [little lad coughs] if I say, he actually writes poetry and stuff, so we sort of write song lyrics together and what generally happens, he says, he will say a line and then I will sort of, I will take it on board and sort of, I will spew it out about five minutes later, it is like every word

Margaret: As if it is yours.

Daniel: As if it its mine, yes.And he says, Yes that is a good line you know. I wish I had thought of itYou know.

Margaret: It is the new Lennon and McCartney.

Daniel: Well he’s we used to have this old system, where it is like most of the time, I would just say, Oh yes, that is interestingAnd that was like code for
Margaret: We don’t really want that one. [both laugh]

Daniel: And so, we used to get oh that is interesting. Yes, but we had that quite a lot. We now, now it is a case of us trying trying sort of get above it.He comes up with all the ideas and then I make it make sense [laughs].

Margaret: Sometimes.

Daniel: And a bit of watching video.

Margaret: [laugh] He will.