Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism

Female and late to the ASD party?  Maybe you didn’t get diagnosed until you were an adult?  Ends up you are in great company, and there is a new resource for you!

There has been a substantial uptick in women being diagnosed with ASD.  Notably, many women on the spectrum remark that they were not diagnosed until adulthood (think 20s, but I hear a lot of women in their 40s making this statement).  They have spent years wondering why socializing was so hard, attempting to manage their anxiety, and trying to blend in at high personal cost (anxiety, stress, energy loss, eroding self-esteem). Sometimes these women tell me they fear they are crazy, they are “broken,” or “damaged,” or they “just stop caring” (pronounced “depression” and “anxious to a point of paralysis”).

If you are a woman on the spectrum, and especially if you were late to the party, the book spectrum women: Walking to the Beat of Autism by Barb Cook and Dr. Michelle Garnett is for you!  This book is written by a number of women on the spectrum, all late to the party, who have struggled to understand themselves for years.  Now that they have an understanding of themselves (their strengths, neurological reasons for the struggles), they have connect with each other, formed an understanding and supportive community, and banded together to write this book.

Heads up: this book is real: this book openly talks about struggles and strengths.  It doesn’t sugarcoat the struggles so that you feel comfortable as a reader.  This book goes there.  It includes practical suggestions, lots of support, and some great writing.  If you want an insider’s understanding (ahem, therapists) or you want to better understand yourself (yes, you, the grown up woman on the spectrum!), this book is for you! Find your strengths, find your community, and let go of the notion that you are “broken” or “damaged.”

Happy reading!  And thank you to my new e-mail friend Becca Lory for the suggestion (and her contribution to the book!). If you don’t already follow Ms. Lory on social media, please consider it!  Her posts are positive and helpful.  And, she is local to us Fort Collins folks!