Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.
The Boy has autism. He was formally, and finally, diagnosed in April 2012.
Autism is a pain in the a**e.
You can search under Categories in the sidebar (highlight ‘Autism’) to see how we manage living with it. Some days, we don’t manage living with it very well at all.
Reading List:
Disclaimer: These are all on our bookshelves. Some I have read, some I haven’t and some I’ve merely dipped into.
To Siri, With Love by Judith Newman: I loved this! I have loaned out my copy to friends, telling them that if they wanted to fully understand what living with The Boy is like, this “real life” memoir is the book to help them. I reviewed it here.
10 Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm: this is my go-to book when I want to know why The Boy is behaving in a certain way. I’ve bought copies for teachers and TAs at school. I’ve bought copies for family members. I only hope that they have been read.
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida: we were given this as a gift. I have never read it.
In a Different Key by John Donvan and Caren Zucker: an American publication, but one for dipping into, rather than reading from cover to cover.
Autism and Asperger Syndrome (The Facts) by Simon Baron-Cohen: The first reference book I purchased. It did not make me feel better.
Schtum by Jem Lester: I read this in 2016 and recommended it via Instagram. The author has a son with autism, although the story is not based on him. A novel with a lot of truth in it, and one that made me say out loud, “Yes! That’s happened to us!“
This West London Life 