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Spectrum Women

Walking to the Beat of Autism

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Spectrum Women

By: Barb Cook - editor, Dr Michelle Garnett - editor, Lisa Morgan - foreward, various
Narrated by: Emily Joyce, Vivien Carter
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About this listen

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 Children's Health Mental Health Neurodiversity Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Autism Health Special need
All stars
Most relevant
Gave me some positive, thriving messages that I will take forward. I felt supported and encouraged listening to this.

Great range of topics and information provided

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No one said how they were diagnosed but they were a lot like me. I wish I had read this book earlier.

Am I a spectrum woman too, at nearly 80?

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It is a common experience to discover how much that felt unique / strange is just a different "normal"

Good

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Loved to listen the experiences and how I related to her experiences understanding that I was not abnormal, just different and to think that even some of the treats could be considered as a superpower was magnificent.

It was delight

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I turned to this to help support me as I have recently received an ASD diagnosis in my early 40s. I have listened to a lot of books on this topic, and this one was one I don't think I would recommend sadly. Some chapters were better than others, and I will say that I did like the reflections from the psychologist at the end of each chapter, and I think that is a really useful part of this book. But...

I don't know why I didn't pick this up from the name, but the authors of the book give an impression in their writing of the group being very clubby. There is an air of authority over their speaking for autistic women and that their experiences are typical, inevitable, or otherwise the norm for women with ASD. This is not the case, as ASD has remarkable heterogeneity of expression and therefore experience. Other books on the topic remind the listener regularly that this is not THE experience, but an experience. I found the chapter on ageing very upsetting and it put me into a real downward spiral for a couple of weeks. So listen with caution, and remember that everyone with ASD is different, and that despite some of the authoritative tones and phrasing within the book, there is no universal experience with ASD, nor any hierarchy of experience.

Ok, but listen critically.

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