Slice of Life conversations

The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism has a series of slice of life conversations with autistic people. Hend and Hamza, 7 and 5 year old siblings, had this to say (interviewed by their mother):

What is your name?
Hend.
Do you have a website?
Yep, Little Miss Sunshine (http://www.facebook.com/sunshineproject)
What would you like a one-sentence description of yourself to say?
I love Condors because they are cute.
Do you have any autistic superpowers? What are they?
Yes I do. My superpowers are noticing someone with autism, understanding how they feel. My super eyesight. My hurt power: I can't feel a thing. And many more.
What are some situations that make you happy, or satisfied?
Nice food and cake and when I turn 7 I'll be satisfied and happy.
What are some situations that make you sad, or anxious?
Sometimes when Andi, a kid from school that I like, is absent and she chooses me every time and then no one plays with me and I spend the time sitting on the step with no one to play with, everyone keeps playing with their stuff.
What are your preferred ways to be social?
Playing and eating together.
What traits do you prize in a friend, or companion?
Andi always plays with me. [Emma: Andi is her friend at school, she gets on well with the other kids as far as I've been told but I don't think she has any friends she plays with regularly besides Andi.]
Are there parts of your life you wish were easier?
I wish I got all the stuff I wanted. Eating everything I want playing with all the stuff I want. [Emma: Don't we all!.]
What's the next big goal you have for yourself?
Winning each game. [Emma: Not sure what games we're winning here, but there you go.]
What does bliss feel like to you?
It feels like laying on a cozy bed and playing with a friend and loving Allah more than anything else in the world -- which I do. [Emma: She's always has a strong attachment to and understanding of our Muslim beliefs and values.]

And now for her little brother Hamza:

What is your name?

Hamza

Do you have a website?

Yeah I'm drawing a road.

What would you like a one-sentence description of yourself to say?

I play with a digger.

Do you have any autistic superpowers? What are they?

Yeah! My superpower is about the one I saw, a digger. A digger near the supermarket.

What are some situations that make you happy, or satisfied?

Diggers...

What are some situations that make you sad, or anxious?

Monsters, some stickers make me sad because I don't really want them.

What are your preferred ways to be social?

I like to play with the girls. I want to play with each other. [Emma: He's always following little girls at the park, boys make him nervous.]

What traits do you prize in a friend, or companion?

To play with each other. [Emma: Hamza is very interested in other kids but he doesn't know how to connect with them and they usually don't try to connect with him. I'm a bit concerned about bullying at the moment.]

Are there parts of your life you wish were easier?

Yeah.

What's the next big goal you have for yourself?

Play with diggers...

What does bliss feel like to you?

Diggers make me happy.