New Book: “Knowing Why – Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism”

I have a chapter in a new anthology of experiences written by a diverse group of people who were diagnosed autistic in adulthood. The book explores what it is like to feel so different, in so many ways, from other people without having known why; and then discovering that autism is not merely an explanation, but also an experience and identity shared by many others. Learning that your differences are autistic, even late in adulthood, is a positive event and useful knowledge for these writers.

The anthology is available in paperback (£19.05) or as a Kindle eBook (£9.99) from Amazon or from Barnes & Noble.

The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism has an interview with the editor, Elizabeth Bartmess. The book, published by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), highlights many of the problematic themes in the way autism is portrayed. This volume is a step to correcting some of those misconceptions, and a step taken by autistic writers to define autistic identity.

I look forward to reading more books about autism written by autistic people, as well as (eventually) television and film about autism written from an authentic autistic experience. This is, of course, a problem shared with so many other groups – our identities and stories are subsumed into mainstream narratives and used as metaphor and decoration within mainstream stories.

Contents

  • Emerging From Burnout – Erin Human
  • Being the Dictionary: On Passions, Diagnosis, and Integration – A.J. Odasso
  • Sensory Issues and Social Inclusion – Stuart Neilson
  • Working While Autistic – Kelly Bron Johnson
  • All of Me: How Do I Know Where Blackness Ends and Neurodivergence Begins? – Morénike Giwa-Onaiwu
  • Using Intersecting Identities and Radically Accepting Communities to Increase Coping Skills – Samantha Hack
  • Autistic Navigation of Chronic Illness, Mental Illness, and Healthcare – Amythest Schaber
  • The Spectrum and Depression: Four Stories – M. Kelter
  • Cyborgs, Luddites, and To-Do List Apps: An Autistic Use of Technology – A.C. Buchanan

You can buy a print or electronic copy from Amazon US or Amazon UK – and don’t forget that Parcel Motel will deliver UK orders direct to a collection points within Ireland, which can save on Amazon delivery charges if you are ordering multiple items.