Fourteen individuals with autism, Asperger's syndrome, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder share the challenges they experienced growing up, their lives, relationships, and eventual careers.

An empowering lived-experience guide to celebrating and supporting neurodivergence from 24-year-old actor, social media star and disability advocate Chloé Hayden 'Fierce, unapologetic and joyous . . . This book is a marvel.' -Jordon Steele-John, Disability Rights Advocate and Australian Senator Growing up, Chloé Hayden felt like she'd crash-landed on an alien planet where nothing made sense. Eye contact? Small talk? And why are you people so touch-oriented? She moved between 10 schools in 8 years, struggling to become a person she believed society would accept, and was eventually diagnosed with autism and ADHD. When a life-changing group of allies showed her that different did not mean less, she learned to celebrate her true voice and find her happily ever after. This is a moving, at times funny story of how it feels to be neurodivergent as well as a practical guide, with advice for living with meltdowns and shutdowns, tips for finding supportive communities and much more. Whether you're neurodivergent or supporting those who are,?Different, Not Less?will inspire you to create a more inclusive world where everyone feels like they belong.

This New York Times–bestselling book upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently. What is autism? A lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more—and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years. Going back to the earliest days of autism research, Silberman offers a gripping narrative of Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger, the research pioneers who defined the scope of autism in profoundly different ways; he then goes on to explore the game-changing concept of neurodiversity. NeuroTribes considers the idea that neurological differences such as autism, dyslexia, and ADHD are not errors of nature or products of the toxic modern world, but the result of natural variations in the human genome. This groundbreaking book will reshape our understanding of the history, meaning, function, and implications of neurodiversity in our world.

The story of two boys, one with autism, one without, who make their friendship work.

Rachael Lee Harris spent her early childhood locked in an autistic fog until beginning her journey from a fragmented world to one in which things began to make sense. Rachael’s determination to take her place in society led her down many paths, from beauty therapist to Catholic nun, from mother and wife to divorcee and working mom. Today, she is a psychotherapist specializing in helping others on the Autism Spectrum. Rachael’s story explores areas such as schooling, family relationships, employment, travel, and faith culminating in monastic life, motherhood, dating, and marriage. Through her story, we get a more “rounded” positive vision of how an autistic life can develop and insight into the benefits of being “on the spectrum” alongside the very real picture of its challenges. Addressing the culture of disability and negativity that surrounds so much of the public perception of the Autism Spectrum, Rachael presents a more moderate and perhaps more objective assessment of her own life experiences, as well as the potential for others on the Spectrum.

An urgent, funny, shocking, and impassioned memoir by the winner of the Spectrum Art Prize 2018, How To Be Autistic presents the rarely shown point of view of someone living with autism. Poe's voice is confident, moving and often funny, as she reveals to us a very personal account of autism, mental illness, gender and sexual identity. As we follow Charlotte's journey through school and college, we become as awestruck by her extraordinary passion for life as by the enormous privations that she must undergo to live it. From food and fandom, to body modification and comic conventions, Charlotte's experiences through the torments of schooldays and young adulthood leave us with a riot of conflicting emotions: horror, empathy, despair, laugh-out-loud amusement and, most of all, respect.

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 From the author of the viral New York Times op-ed column "To Siri with Love" comes a collection of touching, hilarious, and illuminating stories about life with a thirteen-year-old boy with autism that hold insights and revelations for us all. When Judith Newman shared the story of how Apple’s electronic personal assistant, Siri, helped Gus, her son who has autism, she received widespread media attention and an outpouring of affection from readers around the world. Basking in the afterglow of media attention, Gus told anyone who would listen, "I’m a movie star." Judith’s story of her son and his bond with Siri was an unusual tribute to technology. While many worry that our electronic gadgets are dumbing us down, she revealed how they can give voice to others, including children with autism like Gus—a boy who has trouble looking people in the eye, hops when he’s happy, and connects with inanimate objects on an empathetic level. To Siri with Love is a collection of funny, poignant, and uplifting stories about living with an extraordinary child who has helped a parent see and experience the world differently. From the charming (Gus weeping with sympathy over the buses that would lie unused while the bus drivers were on strike) to the painful (paying $22,000 for a behaviorist in Manhattan to teach Gus to use a urinal) to the humorous (Gus’s insistence on getting naked during all meals, whether at home or not, because he does not want to get his clothes dirty) to the profound (how an automated "assistant" helped a boy learn how to communicate with the rest of the world), the stories in To Siri with Love open our eyes to the magic and challenges of a life beyond the ordinary.

A true story that is both uniquely moving and exceptionally inspiring, Emergence is the first-hand account of a courageous autistic woman who beat the odds and cured herself. As a child, Temple Grandin was forced to leave her "normal" school and enroll in a school for autistic children. This searingly honest account captures the isolation and fears suffered by autistics and their families and the quiet strength of one woman who insisted on a miracle.

Ever wondered what will happen to your Special Needs Child when you are gone? Has the thought of your Child's future kept you awake at night? Have you been fraught with worry thinking about your Child's employment and medical evaluations after you have passed away? If you have said yes to any of the questions above then this book "What will happen to my Special Needs Child when I am gone?" is for you. This book was born when the Author Susan Jules couldn't find a single resource that had all the answers at one place regarding her Child's future after she is no longer around. It took her 12 long months of long nights, social juggling, research and meetings, emails with attorneys, counselors, therapists, tax professionals, Social workers, financial advisors, and planners to get this book to fruition. This book answers all the questions regarding the child's care, development assessment, funding, treatments, employment, governmental benefits, estate planning, Life Insurance, Letter of Intent, Last Will and Testament, and more in a clear and concise manner. Take a look at a few of the testimonials from parents who have read this book. Forget Special Needs, this is a book which every family with a child should have and follow the instructions laid out, so that our children's lives are enriched long after we are gone, because at the end that is what you intend to accomplish - Amanda T from Trenton, Ohio. There are few books explaining the Path forward for Special Needs after the death of their parents and/or guardians. This book fills a real gap - Kimberly A from Fall River, Massachusetts. This book is extremely useful for families with neurotypical children and in families where there is a mixture of special needs and neuro-typical children. It is invaluable and provides solace and information - Michelle W from Woonsocket, Rhode Island. A book sorely needed in these challenging times. In fact, I was reminded of life's frailties during Covid Pandemic and I am glad this book helped me put my fears at ease - Tomer C from LA, California. Here's exactly what you get in the book "What will happen to my Special Needs Child when I am gone?" Information about Legalities surrounding the care for special needs children. Broaching the topic of mortality with your special needs child. Issues that arise after the death of a parent. How to draw up your last Will and testament. How to do your Estate planning. How to draft a Letter of intent/written care plan. How to open a Special needs trust. How to set up Life Insurance. How do you document emergency contacts, medical data/history, accounts, and passwords? What kind of Legal protection do you need to have in place? How to Review your child's guardianship? How do you secure continued growth and development of your child? And much more This information has been presented in Bite-Sized portions so that it is easy for you to take action and get all the tasks completed. And lastly, and most importantly what you will get is PEACE OF MIND that your Child's Future would be SECURE and that they will be taken care of, long after you are gone. And your child will continue enjoying the SAME lifestyle he or she is used to. About the Author Susan Jules is a single parent and a mother of a 16-year-old Special Needs Child. She is very passionate about Special Needs Education and is quite involved in the activities of her child's school. She lives with her son and her dog Ranger on a small far

"This book is a message from autistic people to their parents, friends, teachers, coworkers and doctors showing what life is like on the spectrum. It's also my love letter to autistic people. For too long, we have been forced to navigate a world where all the road signs are written in another language." With a reporter's eye and an insider's perspective, Eric Garcia shows what it's like to be autistic across America. Garcia began writing about autism because he was frustrated by the media's coverage of it; the myths that the disorder is caused by vaccines, the narrow portrayals of autistic people as white men working in Silicon Valley. His own life as an autistic person didn't look anything like that. He is Latino, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, and works as a journalist covering politics in Washington D.C. Garcia realized he needed to put into writing what so many autistic people have been saying for years; autism is a part of their identity, they don't need to be fixed. In We're Not Broken, Garcia uses his own life as a springboard to discuss the social and policy gaps that exist in supporting those on the spectrum. From education to healthcare, he explores how autistic people wrestle with systems that were not built with them in mind. At the same time, he shares the experiences of all types of autistic people, from those with higher support needs, to autistic people of color, to those in the LGBTQ community. In doing so, Garcia gives his community a platform to articulate their own needs, rather than having others speak for them, which has been the standard for far too long.