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| Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | 305.9084 BAL | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Guyandotte Public Library | 305.9084 BAL | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Putnam Main Public Library | 305.9084 BAL | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A diverse collection of autistic voices that highlights how parents can avoid common mistakes and misconceptions, and make their child feel truly accepted, valued, and celebrated for who they are.
Most resources available for parents come from psychologists, educators, and doctors, offering parents a narrow and technical approach to autism. Sincerely, Your Autistic Child represents an authentic resource for parents written by autistic people themselves.
From childhood and education to culture, gender identity, and sexuality, this anthology tackles the everyday joys and challenges of growing up while honestly addressing the emotional needs, sensitivity, and vibrancy of autistic kids, youth, and young adults. Contributors reflect on what they have learned while growing up on the autism spectrum and how parents can avoid common mistakes and overcome challenges while raising their child.
Part memoir, part guide, and part love letter, Sincerely, Your Autistic Child is an indispensable collection that invites parents and allies into the unique and often unheard experiences of autistic children and teens.
Author Notes
Emily Paige Ballou is an autistic queer woman who lives in New York City, where she works as an off-Broadway stage manager of new plays and musicals. Sharon da Vanport is founder and executive director of the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network (AWN), the nation's leading organization committed to furthering the neurodiversity movement with a commitment to disability and gender justice and trans liberation. Mornike Giwa Onaiwu, humanities scholar in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Rice University, is a writer, an autistic educator of color, and an autism parent in a neurodiverse, serodifferent, multicultural adoptive family.
Reviews (1)
Library Journal Review
Before readers come to this book's first essay, a sidebar quotation jumps out: "I have a place in this world. The fact that I am here is proof of that. Trust that we will find that place, together." This may be precisely what readers need to hear in this collection of essays written in the form of letters to parents. Because the copyright for this work is held by the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network, readers can be confident that an underrepresented population in autism research is finally getting their say. Each essay has insightful and eloquent advice by people with autism from a number of age groups, races, ethnicities, faiths, cultures, professional and life skills backgrounds, and gender identities. Because current media representations of autism have long been primarily focused on Western white men, this collection of essays from a diversity of people on the spectrum is an essential and necessary work that raises awareness and redefines normal. VERDICT This book is absolutely required reading for parents, educators, and caregivers who interact with anyone on the autism spectrum.--Virginia Johnson, John Curtis P.L., Hanover, MA
Table of Contents
| Foreword | p. ix |
| Letter from the Editors | p. xiii |
| Early Memories, Childhood, and Education | |
| 1 Acknowledge Vulnerability; Presume Competence | p. 3 |
| 2 It's Us Against the World, Kid | p. 7 |
| 3 What Autistic Girls Wish Their Parents Knew About Friendship | p. 13 |
| 4 What Your Daughter Deserves: Love, Safety, and the Truth | p. 21 |
| 5 What I Wish You Knew | p. 27 |
| 6 Change the World, Not Your Child | p. 31 |
| 7 Empathy and Non-Verbal Cues | p. 35 |
| 8 The First Time I Heard of Autism | p. 39 |
| 9 What I Wish My Parents Knew About Being Their Autistic Daughter | p. 41 |
| 10 A Particular Way of Being | p. 47 |
| Acceptance and Adaptation | |
| 11 A Daughter's Journey: Lessons, Honesty, and Love | p. 57 |
| 12 Still Your Child | p. 71 |
| 13 Perfect in an Imperfect World | p. 75 |
| 14 Who Gets to Be Diagnosed? And Who Does It Serve? | p. 85 |
| 15 Unconventional | p. 89 |
| 16 I Wish I Wasn't So Hard on Myself Back Then | p. 95 |
| 17 Ten Things I Wish My Parents Had Known When I Was Growing Up | p. 101 |
| 18 I Am an Autistic Woman | p. 111 |
| 19 The View from Outside the Window | p. 121 |
| 20 Finding Me: The Journey to Acceptance | p. 125 |
| 21 Autism, Self-Acceptance, and Hope | p. 129 |
| Intersectional identity and Finding Community | |
| 22 Keep Her Safe; Let Her Fly Free | p. 139 |
| 23 Tell Me I'm Autistic | p. 149 |
| 24 Autism, Sensory Experiences, and Family Culture | p. 157 |
| 25 Safe Harbors in a Difficult World | p. 167 |
| 26 Give Your Daughters Autistic Community | p. 173 |
| 27 A Parents' Guide to Being Transgender and Autistic | p. 177 |
| 28 On Surviving Loneliness and Isolation, and Learning to Live with Loss | p. 183 |
| 29 There's a Place | p. 189 |
| Conclusion | p. 193 |
| About the Editors | p. 196 |
| Contributors | p. 198 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 205 |
| Notes | p. 207 |
