Non-fiction Guide to Understanding Autism: Part 1
Hello, dear reader,
Welcome to this five-part series where I recommend books on autism and related topics. Each part has its own theme, though not always clear-cut—you may question my categories, and that’s fine. This is a personal list, so it’s meant to be subjective.
We’ll start this week with books by neurotypical experts on autism. I know some of you might ask why we should rely on people who haven’t lived the experience. Fair point—there are many good books by autistic authors, and we’ll get to those. But today, I begin with two neurotypical voices I find worth reading: Dr. Luke Beardon and Tony Atwood.
Title: Autism in Adults
Author: Dr. Luke Beardon
Dr. Beardon opens the book by acknowledging that he’s no expert, and that nobody can be an expert on autism, precisely because there is ‘no such thing as a “typical autistic person”’. (Major points for him from the start.) Regardless of the terminology, he uses his expertise, acquired through several decades of work in the field, to present a short (about a hundred pages) and easily digestible summary of autism. The language is accessible to anyone new to the topic, which makes Autism in Adults my go-to book whenever I want to introduce somebody to autism. It’s a gentle intro before delving into the deep end.
Whether you’ve recently embarked on a discovery journey of your autistic self, or you are looking to better understand how an autistic loved one’s mind works, this book will give you some good answers. It might also raise more questions… after all, it’s very high-level… but this is what other books are for.
Title: Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Adults
Author: Dr. Luke Beardon
Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Adults is very similar in format to Autism in Adults—slightly over a hundred pages and easy to read. However, unlike the previous book, which covers autism from various angles but stays high level, without going too deep into any of the topics, this one is specifically focused on anxiety. In particular, it addresses anxiety as a byproduct of our constant effort to function in a world not designed for us. It also delves into meltdowns and shutdowns, their triggers, and coping mechanisms. Dr. Beardon doesn’t advise avoiding them, but rather eliminating triggers, and managing crashes with minimal damage. I like the fact that it also includes some tips on how others can support a person experiencing a meltdown/shutdown.
Title: The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome
Author: Tony Atwood
Unlike the previous two books, this one is not a light read—not even close—but Tony Atwood did a good job of making it digestible for the average reader. So, for those of you who are interested in a scientific view of autism (at least the part formerly known as Asperger’s, which has since been absorbed into the wider umbrella of autism spectrum disorder, aka ASD) this is definitely a book worth delving into. It’s not called ‘a complete guide’ for no reason. It covers a wide range of topics, from diagnosis to social behaviour and relationships, emotions, special interests, sensory sensitivity, theory of mind, language, cognitive abilities, movement and coordination, and a few more. Bear in mind, though, that the author wrote it two decades ago, and what we learned since, as well as the current conventions, might have evolved, so don’t get too hung up on details.
On a final note, a big part of the book is focused on autism in children, and even though for an autistic adult (with no children) it might at first seem irrelevant, I found it quite interesting to ‘review’ my childhood through the newly acquired prism. So, I’d say it turned out to be quite relevant after all.
While many of the books I’ve read didn’t leave a lasting impression (which is why they didn’t make the list), there were a couple that left an impression, just not the kind the authors aimed for. So, here’s the first one from the ‘not-recommended’ list.
Title: The Genesis of Artistic Creativity
Author: Michael Fitzgerald
Michael Fitzerald, a prolific writer and scholar in the field of autism, is attempting in this book to identify which famous figures in arts and literature may have been autistic. It seems interesting on paper, yet I had two problems with this book. First is the author’s questionable methodology, and I’m not referring to the questionable practice of diagnosing somebody with autism if they aren’t around anymore. I was willing to accept this immovable obstacle—can’t revive the dead. However, the criteria the author used to do the posthumous diagnosis were sometimes laughable, such as considering a man from the 1800s being misogynistic as evidence—shocker! It often seemed that Fitzgerald was grasping at straws and using whatever he could as ‘facts’ to support his conclusions.
The other problem I had with it was even worse—the author’s choice of words implies that autistic people are somewhat less than neurotypical. I felt outraged and offended more often than I liked by his language. It’s not at all that surprising, considering the generation he comes from. But it’s still sad, given the multitude of lives this so-called autism expert impacted.
by Alex Q.
Alex Q. is a 39-year-old autistic woman who always knew she was different—long before she had the words to explain it.
It wasn’t until she was an adult that Alex learned she was autistic, and that set her on a path of self-education. She’s read numerous books on autism as well as mental health and psychology.
Alex built a career in the corporate world, where she excelled, mentored others, and mastered the art of professional communication. But she’s come to accept that it wasn’t a sustainable fit for her neurotype and is now again on a path of self-discovery.