Though our understanding of autism has greatly expanded, many autistic individuals are still missed or misdiagnosed. This highly accessible book clarifies many ways that autism can present, particularly in people who camouflage to hide their autistic traits.
The authors take the reader step by step through the diagnostic criteria, incorporating the latest research as well as quotes from over 100 autistic contributors that bring that research to life. They also describe many aspects of autism that are not included in the current diagnostic criteria, such as autistic strengths and co-occurring disorders. Readers will learn about highly relevant topics, such as different types of empathy, sensory systems that are not well known, neuro-crash and burn out, and relative versus absolute thinking.
This book provides a deep, current, and neurodiversity-affirmative understanding of the less obvious presentations of autism. It is relevant to all healthcare professionals, educators, family members, autistic individuals, and anyone who is curious about autism. A clinical companion guide, Is This Autism? A Companion Guide for Diagnosing, is available for clinicians who make mental health diagnoses.
It's also been great to share this book with educators and others that also don't know much about autism that is less obviously affecting speech and motor skills. We are constantly explaining what considerations we need and why, and I recommend this book at least once a week.
The authors address social stigma (which could be a whole book on its on), cultural specificity and sensitivity in treatment, and include the voices of people on the spectrum. A huge achievement while there is still much work to be done. This book is timely and necessary.
Educators and clinicians take heed.
It is incredibly thoughtful and well written with so much sensitivity and careful consideration going into each section. Truly inclusive and compassionate! I appreciated the organization of information as well as the writing style. This is not a dry textbook type of book! The experiences of autistic individuals generously sprinkled throughout the book brought the diagnostic criteria, co-occuring conditions, and autistic strengths information to life genuinely and respectfully. I love how neurodiversity affirming this book is and how the authors truly support #nothingaboutuswithoutus. A must read!!!
As both a professional (educational consultant) working with autistic children and teens and a family member of an autistic person, reading this book has been highly valuable to me in understanding the autistic experience better, and as a result, helped me develop greater empathy for those with autism navigating a highly complex world not designed for their neurotype. It has influenced my work with clients and my interactions with both my autistic students and family member.
I highly recommend this seminal book to anyone (professional or lay person/family member) interested in learning more about the nuances of autism.
This book was highly detailed and backed by research, as well as the voices of Autistic individuals. I very much enjoyed the in-depth discussion of each of the diagnostic criteria of autism and how this might present in more subtle and/or less stereotypical presentations. The authors do a great job of explaining the neurodiversity paradigm, that autism is not a "genetic mistake" but rather "a natural form of human variation." While exploring more subtle presentations, the authors are also cautious, such as stating that a clear pattern of inflexibility should be required to meet criteria, not just one or two examples.
Some favorite quotations: "The purpose of diagnosis is to understand and to help."
"In our opinion, the most powerful benefit of proper diagnosis of autism is non-judgmental self-understanding."
"It's important to ask the person about their internal experiences rather than relying solely on external presentation."
Newly diagnosed? Adult looking for an autism book that's not just about kids? If you have any, even a tangential reason to look into or think about autism, then read this book. Why? Because it's full of examples, ideas, and other real stories from dozens of autistic people, wrapped up in an important deep-dive into the clinical definitions of autism and some practical, often misunderstood or missed, expressions of those definitions. Reading this was the first time I've ever read a 'textbook' and felt validated.
I appreciate that the authors really get it, have really listened, and are spreading what they've learned in such an accessible way. I think this book is going to enlighten and inform diagnosticians in a way that helps lots of people find answers they've spent a long time looking for.