Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
Please can someone kindly recommend any type of self help books that have been written for people with ASD.
Without being rude to this website, it do not seem clear on their information pages and feels written towards people without ASD.
Is driving me up the wall that there is some much written as textbooks, for parents, and for people who do not have ASD, and nothing that people with ASD can use them selfs
I am looking for something to help with burnout, communication, social skills, and how to remain in work and cope.
Many Thanks to you all
I've found Unmasking Autism by Devon Price to be very useful. It's about autism first and foremost, but it has some exercises in it that are really similar to some that I've done in therapy, except that they're either about being autistic or approached with the autistic brain in mind. I don't think they would be useful for things like learning communication and social skills, but they would be good for figuring out what makes you burn out quickly and why.
One book I found which was really useful when you don't have a lot of exposure to Autism is:
Harold Reitman - Aspertools: The Practical Guide for Understanding and Embracing Asperger's, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Neurodiversity (2015)
I'm pretty sure it is on Amazon.
It was written by a father who had invested a lot of time and effort into writing some very practical guides for parents with Autistic children, but the "tools" are actually very translatable to adults too.
It is clearly written with very practical steps and therefore easy to follow,
Most other books I've read recently on the subject (quite a lot) have been written by professionals who have no actual experience of being Autistic themselves, and can come across as a bit dry and clinical.
Another promising read is:
Been There. Done That. Try This! An Aspie’s Guide to Life on Earthedited by Tony Attwood, Craig R. Evans and Anita Lesko
It has also been published as a whole series of chapters on different topics, titled "An Aspie's Guide to...."
with chapters such as:
An Aspie's Guide to Getting and Keeping a Job
An Aspie's Guide to Disclosing a Diagnosis
An Aspie's Guide to Improving Empathetic Attunement
An Aspie's Guide to Living with Sensory Issues
Aspie's guide to being tested for Asperger's HFA
An Aspie's Guide to Overcoming Poor Self-Esteem
and so on.
I hope these may help.
I read 'Growing into Autism' by Sandra Thom Jones whilst referred which can be tricky to get in the UK and currently reading 'Unmasking autism' by Devon Price. First book I loved, second book is tougher going but still good, I just have to be in the right mood. Both authors are autistic.
Taking Off The Mask by Hannah Louise Belcher was really helpful to me. I realized straight away i'm an extreme masker
Absolutely, it was a gateway for me. It was the first book I read and was full of 'lightbulb' moments which confirmed that I needed to seek a diagnosis. Therefore, the best book I ever read!
Ben
‘An adult with an autism diagnosis’ by Gillan Drew.. I have think this book is an insight gateway into AS..