Autism Survival Handbook: (For People Without Autism)

By Created by People with Autism for People without Autism

The Autism Survival Handbook (For People without Autism) is a book written by people with autism to explain what autism is, how to successfully interact with autistic individual in many situations, and helps explain why autism isn’t a ‘disease’ in need of cure—but rather a difference in brain wiring. This book is written from the perspective of being autistic, so that those who are neurotypical can better understand what life really is through our eyes. So they can understand what we need, why we need it, and why accepting us for who we are is better for everyone around. Whether you’re a parent of an autistic child, supervisor of someone with autistic, friend of an autistic, co-worker of an autistic, or any person that isn’t autistic—you will find this book has extremely helpful information that will help you better interact with and understand the autistic people around you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9780359246687

Book preview

Autism Survival Handbook: (For People Without Autism)

Autism Survival Handbook for People without Autism

Copyright © Triangle Alliance LGBTQ+ and Disability Advocacy Group

ISBN: 978-0-359-24668-7

Introduction to Autism Survival Handbook

In todays world, autism is one of the most common disabilities which an individual may have. At approximately 1 in 59 people, chances are you will have to interact with an autistic person at least semi-regularly through out life. However, despite Autism being such a common disability, there is little to no accurate information about what autism is and isn’t. There are many commonly accepted ideas about autism that are just plain false.

This is a problem that stems from many things but 3 of them are 1.) the people studying autism/writing about it simply aren’t autistic 2.) In the United States (and many other countries) funding for mental health is a joke(severely limited) which leads to 3.) there is a shocking lack of reliable, useful, and otherwise beneficial services to help people with autism (and those that interact with them.) Places like Autism Speaks, while meaning well, do a horrible job giving out good and accurate information.

This lack of information has created a world where people with autism have to constantly explain what autism is, and often don’t get the support they need. We are left to fend for ourselves, in a world that doesn’t understand us. This handbook is being written to help put an end to that.

This is a handbook that is being written, edited, and put together by people with autism so that people without autism can know what autism is, what autism isn’t, and how to successfully interact with someone with autism in a way that everyone is happy. We hope that you find that it flows as an entire publication, while each individual section is able to be used individually.

Unlike most things written about Autism (and other disabilities) this will not be written like an academic essay. Instead we strive to write this in a way where we are having a conversation with you (the reader) about the very important topic this book is written about. We will not provide any in-text citations of any kind, but instead we will provide a list of good resources that we (people with autism) have identified as beneficial, accurate, and reliable information about autism.

Our goal with this way of presenting information is that you will be able to stay engaged with the material throughout the Manual, without the inevitable distraction that in-text citations provide. We also hope that by providing a list of resources at the end, we will be making access of accurate information far more accessible.

One of the biggest drawbacks to any current citation system, is that it takes the use of a Manual to create one, and thus to decode one. With the exception of academics (Doctors, Students, researchers, etc.) no one is going to put in the effort to decode these situations. The people who need this Manual (and most information written by academics) are an audience that traditional citation systems limit the accessibility of the information it provides. By providing a list of useful resources at the end, we hope to have outside information far more accessible to those who need it.

One final note, it is important to remember that no two people with autism are the same. While there are many ‘common’ traits which people with autism have—they are not universal traits. While this book does talk a lot about the most common things, nothing in this book applies to every single person with autism. Remember, each person with Autism is unique and that you need to talk to the person to figure out exactly what they need as an individual.

Chapter 1: What is Autism

Have you ever had a co-worker that was equal parts brilliant and down right stubborn? Have you ever socialized with someone that could take for hours on end about one topic or another but wouldn’t engage in ‘small talk?’ Chances are, you have interacted with someone who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. As about 1 in every 59 people have autism, chances are you have interacted with—and will interact with people with autism throughout your life.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of funding for mental health, the lack of attention autism research gets, and the lack of resources available—there are

Reviews for Autism Survival Handbook

[MarkNH · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I like the concept, but this book is in dire need of a good editor.