ASD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the way the brain processes information. This means that people who have the condition understand people and situations and respond to them in a different way to those who do not have the condition.

Having ASD does not necessarily affect a person’s intelligence, but it can make it harder to learn in a typical environment and in the ways that are designed for people without ASD. Many people don’t experience all of the difficulties associated with ASD and these can change in different environments and at different times of life.

However, most people with ASD have difficulties:

• Understanding, communicating and managing their feelings
• Knowing what to say and do in social situations

For people who want to learn more about ASD there are lots of resources available, whether you have the condition or know someone with it. However, it is important to be careful of the reliability of information you access since it varies considerably.

BOOKS

The following books give insights into how other people find having an Autism Spectrum Disorder:

• Overcoming Anxiety and Depression on the Autism Spectrum: A Self-Help Guide Using CBT by Lee A. Wilkinson
• The Autism Spectrum and Depression by Nick Dubin
• Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol: Drinking to Cope? By Matthew Tinsley and Sarah Hendrickx
• Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin
• Asperger Syndrome – A Love Story by Keith Newton, Sarah Hendrickx , et al.
• Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism by Barb Cook, Michelle Garnett, et al
• Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age by Sarah Hendrickx
• Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman by Laura Kate Dale
• The Independent Woman’s Handbook for Super Safe Living on the Autistic Spectrum by Robyn Steward
• Living Through the Haze, by Paul Isaacs
• Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age by Sarah Hendrickx
• Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome by Lianne Holliday Wiley
• What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew by Haley Moss and Women’s Network Inc.
• Odd Girl Out: An Autistic Woman in a Neurotypical World by Laura James
• Nerdy, Shy and Socially Inapprorpiate: A User Guide to an Asperger Life by Cynthia Kim (2014)

The following books are written by professionals:

• Living well on the spectrum by Valerie Gaus
• Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, by Tony Attwood
• Autism: An Inside-Out Approach: An Innovative Look at the ‘Mechanics’ of ‘Autism’ and its Developmental ‘Cousins’ Donna Williams, Jessica Kingsley
• The Guide to Good Mental Health on the Autism Spectrum by Jeanette Purkis, Emma Goodall and Jane Nugent.
• Autism Equality in the Workplace: Removing Barriers and Challenging Discrimination by Janine Booth and John McDonnell
• The Adolescent and Adult Neuro-diversity Handbook: Asperger Syndrome, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Related Conditions by Hendrickx, Sarah
• Autism & Asperger Syndrome in Adults: Overcoming Common Problems (2016) by Dr Luke Beardon, SPCK Publishing

Websites and Forums

• http://emotionsexplained.com.au/index.html
• http://www.tonyattwood.com.au
• http://www.researchautism.net
• http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/arc_tests
• http://www.autism.org.uk/
• http://www.asd-forum.org.uk
• http://www.asdfriendly.org

Excellent Ted Talks by:

• Rosie King
• Temple Grandin
• Alix Generous
• Daniel Tammet
• Daniel Wendler

YouTube Videos

• Autism Inclusion and the Law
• Autism in Women and Girls by Yo Samdy Sam
• Temple Grandin – The Autistic Brain
• Chris Packham: My Autism and Me
• BBC3 – Things Not to Say To An Autistic Person (hilarious!)
• Emotional Intelligence mini-series by Paul

 Blogs:

• Asperger’s from the Inside by an Australian man with ASD fascinated by emotions: https://aspergersfromtheinside.com/
• Asperger Syndrome: A Survival Guide Written by a British adult with Asperger Syndrome http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~alistair/survival/
• Wrong Planet: an American website with articles and blogs by and for people with autism (including Asperger Syndrome) http://www.wrongplanet.net/
• Alex Lowery speaks about autism: a blog by a British young adult with autism with a mixture of written and video posts https://www.alexlowery.co.uk/resources/blog/
• Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism: includes lots of articles by people with autism as well as parents, partners and professionals http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/p/contributors.html
• Asperger Management: Blog by a British man focusing on employment and work life. http://www.aspergermanagement.com/
• Confessions of a Memory Foam Mattress: bog by a British man with Asperger Syndrome who is employed as a public speaker on autism. http://confessionsofamemoryfoammattress.blogspot.co.uk/

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