|
Resources
|
|
Books
Autistic authors Caroline Hearst (ed). Being Autistic; Nine adults share their journeys from discovery to acceptance. Obviously I'm biased as I edited it, but I believe this short book to be an interesting exploration of the variety of autistic characteristics and life experiences. Cynthia Kim Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate : A User Guide to an Asperger Life Cynthia Kim's book exhibits the accuracy, conciseness and humour shown in her title. A pleasure to read and you get to learn too. Jean Kearns Miller (ed) Women from Another Planet A compilation of short pieces by women published in 2003, well before the current debates about the underdiagnosis of autistic women a group of autistic women found each other and wrote movingly of their experiences. This is a tightly packed book that invites the reader share the perspective of 19 very different autistic women. Highly recommended Sarah Hendrickx. Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder . Great book. Clear presentation written by “twofer” (autistic AND autism professional) and infused with her engaging, funny and searingly honest personality. She runs through the impacts of autism throughout the life cycle and includes her own experiences so it is never boring. My only reservation would be the language – the use of “women with autism” rather than “autistic women” gave me lots of practise at ignoring smaller irritations in service of greater enlightenment. Given that autistic people might be the original gender benders I think much of the content is equally relevant to some autistic men. Enjoy. Laura James. Odd Girl Out and Katherine May The Electricity of Every Living thing Are two recent memoirs by autistic women that are a cut above the spate of "I found I was autistic as an adult" books currently being published, enlightening and engrossing reads. Luke Jackson Freaks, Geeks and Aspergers Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence. Written when the author was thirteen I highly recommend this readable and informative book despite some over generalisations about autistic people. Kamran Nazeer. Bring in the idiots: Or how we grew to understand the world. Nazeer started life as a "low functioning" autistic and grew into a high status civil servant. He writes entertainingly about his visits to some of his classmates from the school for autistic children he attended. Some are highly successful, others less so, all are interesting to read about. Dawn Prince-Hughes. Songs of the gorilla nation: My journey through autism. A beautifully written book, the autobiography of a remarkable “misfit” who despite a difficult lifebecame an academic and an international authority on gorillas and also on autism . Donna Williams. Nobody nowhere and Somebody Somewhere. In these autobiographies Donna writes of her struggles to integrate her sense of self with the “real world” and create a life worth living while coming to terms with the sometimes severe impact of autism. Compelling reading. Clare Sainsbury. Martian in the Playground. A selection of first person accounts detailing the experiences of autistic children growing up. Lucy Blackman. Lucy's Story. This is the autobiography of a non-speaking autistic woman with an impressive academic record. She describes her responses to her unusual sensory experiences and how she affects those around her. Liane Holliday Willey. Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome. Liane writes of her childhood and growth into adulthood and her search for a sense of self: how she used coping strategies such as copying others to appear normal; the effects this had on her until she was diagnosed as autitic which helped her develop a stronger concept of who she was and what she wanted to be. Dinah Murray (Ed). Coming out Asperger: Diagnosis, disclosure & self-confidence. This book is a useful mixture of pieces by autistic adults, parents and professionals edited by a professional who came out as autistic later in life. J. Elder Robison. Look me in the eye: My life with Aspergers A well written account of a young man growing up knowing he was different but not knowing why. Authors not identifying as autistic Steve Silberman NeuroTribes : The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently My current favourite. An erudite and engrossing book giving an overview of autism in a broad social context. Kelly Mahler. Interoception the eighth sensory system. 2017 A very useful book describing the physiological basis of some autistic traits and giving practical suggestions for addressing challenges. Digby Tantam Autism Spectrum Disorders through the lifespan. A very comprehensive and detailed overview of ideas and theories about autism. Ilona Roth The Autism Spectrum in the 21st Century. The subtitle “exploring psychology, biology and practice” gives an indication of the contents, the book explores different theories and practices in a non partisan manner. It is a textbook for an Open University (UK) course and has some questions and exercises included. Tony Attwood The complete guide to Asperger Syndrome. A non-technical easy to read overview of Aspergers Syndrome by a pioneering Australian psychologist. Rita Jordan Autistic Spectrum Disorders. This is subtitled “An introductory handbook for practitioners”. It is a well presented and concise overview of research and thinking about autism. Although written in 1999 I would recommend it for the breadth of cover of different perspectives. Lorna Wing The Autistic Spectrum. General introduction written by a respected early theorist on the subject from her dual perspective of an empathetic clinician and parent of an autistic daughter. Other John Ortiz. The Myriad Gifts of Asperger’s Syndrome. A great book about the positives associated with the autism. Therapy etc Irene McHenry and Carol Moog. The autism playbook for teens. Although this is addressed to teens I think it is a useful mindfulness based book that describes simple techniques that could help improve the lives of autistic people of all ages David Moat Integrative Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Autism Spectrum Conditions. This book is an empathetic and realistic look at the sorts of interventions that could work well for autistic individuals. Emma Sargent & Tim Fearon How you can Talk to anyone in every situation. Not specifically written for autistic people but more useful I think than many social skills workbooks. Valerie Gaus Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Adult Asperger Syndrome. I am not the biggest fan of CBT but this is a compassionate helpful book that offers positive ways to address the mechanisms underlying some of the challenges that bring autistic people to therapy. |
Resources for autistic adults
Run by and for autistic people AutAngel is a community interest company that offers a constantly updated calendar of autism related events nationwide and has just made available as a PDF Being Autistic a book aimed at people newly self-identified or diagnosed as autistic (declaration of interest I am the founder of AutAngel and edited this book). My personal favourite autism charity is Autscape which organises an annual 3 day conference/retreat run by and for autistic adults. Argh is an inspiring advocacy group run by and for autistic adults in the Scottish highlands. General Currently the most readily available support for autistic people and those close to them is online, there are lots of Facebook groups of varied quality and Twitter can be a good place to learn more and make contact with other autistic people. Wrong Planet is a US site with a large international group of participants. Aaspire provides an online tool which produces a profile to give to doctors and health professionals detailing any accommodations you may require whilst interacting with them. Self help books
Valerie Gaus. Living Well on the Spectrum. This is a detailed strengths based approach to the challenges of autistic life that many will find invaluable. Emma Sargent & Tim Fearon How you can Talk to anyone in every situation. Not specifically written for autistic people but more useful I think than many social skills workbooks. Useful links and downloadable resources
The AutEvents calendar has information about autism related events in the UK. My story is a lovely presentation made for 7 year olds (and heart warming for any age) of how Anne Moxom experienced growing up autistic. Anne has generously allowed me to share this - please thank her (email address at end of presentation) if you find it useful, it will mean a lot to her. It makes sense to me is a charming humorous booklet in which Amanda, an autistic dentist shares, her view of her sensory issues. Shit people say to autiscs A very short video of things not to say if you want to stay on the right side of autistic people. General Information
NAS Posters about autism for staff in GP's surgeries, useful basic information to offer any health provider. |
