‘I see a word, it’s like seeing a painting — autism and synaesthesia combine’

Author Daniel Tammet has a unique experience of life, as he is on the autism spectrum and also has synaesthesia — ‘seeing’ music and ‘hearing’ colours. His new book aims to raise awareness of the many ways neurodivergence can present itself The brain generally processes colours and sounds differently — in synaesthesia, this distinction does not occur. Photo: Getty When we think of brilliant autistic minds, our reference point tends to begin and end with Kim Peek, who inspired the 1988 film Rain Man .

Author Daniel Tammet would like us to expand our thinking around how neurodivergence manifests. His latest book, Nine Minds: Inner Lives On The Spectrum , takes us into the untypical minds of nine exceptional people from around the world. Nine highly detailed literary portraits of extraordinary individuals.

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