Growing in to Autism

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It was even longer before I began to accept that perhaps the many similarities between my own and my sons’ thoughts, behaviours and challenges were due to a shared neurotype rather than just shared genes. I was at the time seriously considering continuing with a psychology major, but I was counselled by the university careers adviser that there weren’t many jobs for psychologists and that perhaps I didn’t have the “people skills” for that career. Growing in to Autism is a book for everyone, not just those adults seeking a clinical diagnosis of autism. This was a profound awakening – throughout her life she had been masking her true self and this effort had come at great physical, mental and emotional cost.

As she quite carefully notes this the story of one autistic person and not meant to cover the huge diversity of challenges and successes these folk experience. But from the inside looking out, she was struggling to make sense of her place in the world, constantly feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, and convinced that her challenges with daily life just meant that she had to try harder.I realised that I had spent so much time and energy masking who I was so that I could meet the expectations of other people that I had lost sight of who I actually was. After much deliberation I finally settled on using the three categories of the DSM framework as the broad categorisation.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. You can pick it up and try to put it down, but you will find yourself gripped by the narrative style, and will carry it with you everywhere until you are done.My diagnosis gave me the courage to stand up and advocate both for myself as an individual and more broadly for autistic people around me; and slowly, progressively, that gave me the confidence to begin taking my mask off. First, your undiagnosed autistic child will not be protected by the absence of a diagnosis: the labels other people will give them to explain their differences will be far worse. For a long time I didn’t think I needed a formal diagnosis because I was at a stage in my life where I assumed it wouldn’t make much difference.