Hello. Im new to this and im Julia. Single mother living alone with my daughter who is 14 and is awaiting autism diagnosis.
Hello. Im new to this and im Julia. Single mother living alone with my daughter who is 14 and is awaiting autism diagnosis.
Hi Juliet
I'm an autistic dad of a not formally diagnosed autistic daughter - who is now aged 27 I think she knows she's autistic but doesn't outwardly acknowledge it as much as I do - I hope and believe that is because her insight into the condition began developing far earlier than mine and she is more comfortable in society than I was at the same age.
Good advice to learn what one can -
might also be worth finding a book aimed at teenagers, girls too so your daughter can gen up on it? Was one recommended on this website via a chat a dew weeks ago, sorry can't recall the title.
It is somewhat ironic that being independent is tricky when one is autistic as by the initial terminology an autistic person prefers to be on their own!
General consensus I hold to is that being autistic is of itself not problematic however the problems arise as a consequence of living in a predominantly non-autistic society and perhaps the experiences you sadly find are part of that.
My lovely daughter is doing very well if that helps give some optimism for the future. I must say tho' that the journey hasn't been plain sailing.
You and yours have my very best wishes. :-)
Hi Juliet
I'm an autistic dad of a not formally diagnosed autistic daughter - who is now aged 27 I think she knows she's autistic but doesn't outwardly acknowledge it as much as I do - I hope and believe that is because her insight into the condition began developing far earlier than mine and she is more comfortable in society than I was at the same age.
Good advice to learn what one can -
might also be worth finding a book aimed at teenagers, girls too so your daughter can gen up on it? Was one recommended on this website via a chat a dew weeks ago, sorry can't recall the title.
It is somewhat ironic that being independent is tricky when one is autistic as by the initial terminology an autistic person prefers to be on their own!
General consensus I hold to is that being autistic is of itself not problematic however the problems arise as a consequence of living in a predominantly non-autistic society and perhaps the experiences you sadly find are part of that.
My lovely daughter is doing very well if that helps give some optimism for the future. I must say tho' that the journey hasn't been plain sailing.
You and yours have my very best wishes. :-)
might also be worth finding a book aimed at teenagers, girls too so your daughter can gen up on it?
Some of these could be of use:
The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide, How to Grow Up Awesome and Autistic - Siena Castellon (2020)
ISBN 9781787751835
Aspergirls - empowering females with Asperger Syndrome - Rudy Simone (2012)
ISBN 9781849058261
Why Aren't Normal People Normal - A Girl's Survival Guide to Growing Up with Asperger Syndrome - Olley Edwards (2013)
Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age - Sarah Hendrickx, Judith Gould (2015)
ISBN 978 1 84905 547 5
Autism in heels - the untold story of a female life on the spectrum - O'Toole, Jennifer Cook (2018)
ISBN 9781510732841
Six-Word Lessons on Female Asperger Syndrome - 100 Lessons to Understand and Support Girls and Women with Asperger's - Tracey Cohen (2015)
Note that Aspergers was the term used for "high functioning autism" up until about 2013.
Thank you for your message Phased. My daughter struggles being on her own. She gets picked on at times at school and she says she has no friends. I tried my best to get support but I backed down when they started pointing the finger at me and accusing me of this, that and the other. It's so hard being a parent and on your own. My daughter refuses to eat and today she refused because she heard me eating next to her. She got angry.
