Spectrum Women

Walking to the Beat of Autism

By: Barb Cook - editor, Dr Michelle Garnett - editor, Lisa Morgan - foreward, various

Narrated by: Emily Joyce, Vivien Carter

Barb Cook and 14 other autistic women describe life from a female autistic perspective, and present empowering, helpful and supportive insights from their personal experience for fellow autistic women. Michelle Garnett's comments validate and expand the experiences described from a clinician's perspective, and provide extensive recommendations.

Autistic advocates including Liane Holliday Willey, Anita Lesko, Jeanette Purkis, Artemisia and Samantha Craft offer their personal guidance on significant issues that particularly affect women, as well as those that are more general to autism. Contributors cover issues including growing up, identity, diversity, parenting, independence and self-care amongst many others. With great contributions from exceptional women, this is a truly well-rounded collection of knowledge and sage advice for any woman with autism.

Contributors: Jen Elcheson, Artemisia, Catriona Stewart, Anita Lesko, Liane Holliday Willey, Samantha Craft, Yenn Purkis, Kate Ross, Becca Lory, Renata Jurkevythz, Terri Mayne, Maura Campbell, Dena Gassner and Christine Jenkins.

©2018 Jessica Kingsley Publishers (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

fantastic

a few quibbles with the rotation of narration but well performed/read overall. an important listen for anyone but especially those of us who've spent the better portion of their lives so far feeling like they never had a tribe; ya get close, ya think you might be this that or the other category... then along comes a group of women who are telling parts of your innermost story that you've been attempting to articulate for decades.

I felt like someone finally understood me

I’ve been battling with trying to figure out if I’m autistic or not for over a year now. Internally I knew I was but I had a really hard time articulating my struggles to others. I wasn’t able to tell anyone accurately how I felt. This book not only affirmed the fact that I am autistic, but it gave me the words I could never find myself. It helped me find my voice. I learned a lot about autism in women/AFAB individuals and challenged how I was told to view autism by the world. The mixture of anecdotes by the authors mixed in with clinical research and experience made for a truly special piece of writing. If you recently found out your autistic as an adult and want to hear experiences like yours I highly recommend this book! You’ll learn a lot about your brain and why you feel the way you do.

If you suspect you may be on the spectrum, this is a must-listen!

This book helped me more than anything in the past 27 years of my life.

There You All Are

I searched and searched and found you in a book. As a late diagnosed woman at 50 yrs old I can’t explain how much this book meant to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. Thank for writing it down so I can know I am in fact not alone. One of my favorites in my now constant research to piece it all together while I heal and feel the relief of truly knowing who I am now. I can’t recommend this book enough.

I Feel So Seen

I relate so thoroughly to the experiences of the women in this book. Though this book is very much written for the autistic woman, I think it's the book I'll give my dad whenever I can drum up the courage to tell him I'm autistic. It so thoroughly canvasses the autistic woman's experience without over-pathologizing or medicalizing us. Thank you!