What others are saying about Am I Autistic? A Guide to Autism & Asperger’s Self-Diagnosis for Adults.
“Love the first chapter in Andal’s book which describes all the undiagnosed autistic people who have good employment. You need to read the first chapter to see how people on the spectrum are contributing greatly to society.”
- Temple Grandin, author ‘The Autistic Brain’
“Acquiring a professional diagnosis of autism is a highly complex procedure and this well researched book is one of the first of its kind in informing people of an alternative – the little known area of self-diagnosis for autistic adults. Lydia explains what autism really is, how to self-diagnose as well as the pros and cons of self-diagnosis with exceptional articulation. Highly recommended”
- Michael Barton, author ‘It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: An Autism Spectrum Guide to the Confusing World of Idioms, Metaphors and Everyday Expressions’
“At last someone in the UK who has written a positive book about autism. Usually Potential Plus UK is on its own in asking for greater focus on the things autistic people CAN do and not just on what they can’t. Whilst Lydia’s own journey will, by its nature, be very personal to her, it will make readers think of autism in a different way. I will make sure I pass on details of ‘Am I Autistic’ to our staff, volunteers and in particular our members, many of whom recognise traits like this in themselves when they come to us about their children”
- Denise Yates, Chief Executive, Potential Plus UK charity for high learning potential (gifted and talented) children and their families
Is This Book For You?
This is a guide to autism for adults who think they might be autistic and would like to learn more about autism and the road to self-diagnosis and/or formal diagnosis from the view of an autistic person.
This is also a guide for the family members/partners/work colleagues and friends of adults who they suspect might be autistic or a ‘bit’ autistic.
This Book Is For You If:
- You think you might be autistic yet are reluctant to request a formal diagnosis or have been unable to get a referral for a formal diagnosis
- You have already been diagnosed as autistic/asperger’s and want to learn more about autism from the view of an autistic person
- You think your partner/family member/work colleague may be autistic
What’s In The Book?
Am I Autistic? A Guide to Autism & Asperger’s Self-Diagnosis for Adults is a step-by-step guide to self-diagnosis and includes information on ‘What is Autism?’, ‘A Guide to Autistic Traits’ and ‘A Guide to Online Autism Tests’ to help you identify if you are autistic.
The guide also includes the personal journey of a self-diagnosed autistic, information on the formal diagnosis process in the UK & US for those interested in exploring the clinical route to diagnosis and an overview of the ‘Strengths & Challenges of Autism’ for those who identify as autistic after reading the guide.
Important Notice: This guide has not been written by a medical practitioner. It has been written by an autistic journalist and author who has interviewed leading UK and US autism specialists and autistic advocates in order to provide an informative and balanced view of autism. Anyone seeking medical advice on autism diagnosis should seek advice from a medical practitioner.Am I autistic? Maybe; mildly. Definitely sub-clinical. I've long thought so. Did this book change my opinion in any way? Not really.
Am I Autistic? is a self-published book by a female British entrepreneur in her 30s, Lydia Andal. Andal diagnosed herself as autistic after seeing a TV movie about Temple Grandin and recognizing many autistic traits in herself. The aim of this book is to advise adults who think they may be autistic how to diagnose themselves.
It's a short book, but it covers a lot of ground. Andal discusses what autism is and its characteristic traits. The core chapters on self-diagnosis are mainly her opinions of three online self-evaluation tests and her own experience of diagnosing herself. The book has a companion web site with links to the tests, but that web site is now defunct, containing only a message that the book is no longer published (I found it at my library). You can easily find the tests she references on your own, however.
One of the more interesting chapters is about reviewing your childhood behaviours, which usually requires the help of parents and siblings. Childhood behaviours are important because many autistic adults have learned how to adapt to neurotypical norms or to mask or hide their autistic traits. Andal also includes information about the clinical diagnostic process in the United Kingdom and the United States (she is not happy with those processes). Finally she concludes with some thoughts on the challenges and benefits of being autistic.
Andal is not happy with the medical community defining autism as a disorder. She claims, without any evidence, that most autistic people are undiagnosed and lead independent lives and hold down jobs. She feels that those who have been formally diagnosed are a tiny minority of the autistic population. She scoffs at the idea that autism is a problem to be treated or cured. Andal acknowledges that some autistics have severe impairments, but they're not who she's writing and advocating for.
I disagree with Andal on this point. To me, the point of an autism diagnosis is to make supports and treatments available for those with autism who cannot live independently or find employment. I think there has been a groundswell of awareness in the past 15 or 20 years that has led a lot of odd, unusual, different people (like me) to wonder if the "autistic" label could explain their oddness, unusualness, and differences. Just because we want to find our "tribe" doesn't mean we need a formal, medical diagnosis. And it certainly doesn't, in my view, justify the slightly odd folks in the world appropriating a label that really does matter for autistic people with severe impairments. Yes, autism is now considered a spectrum disorder, but Andal seems to want to stake a claim to almost all of the spectrum for the sub-clinical folks, when she hasn't made the case that they need it.
In addition, Andal is not a professional writer. She uses a mix of unconventional paragraph structure, boldface, italics, underlining, and "scare quotes" that is distracting, confusing, and gives her a condescending and aggrieved tone. Her style is chatty and very informal. I appreciate her candour in telling her own story and her passion in advocating for those with mild autism. She led me to check out the tests she references, which led me in turn to other online sources that were new to me. I think I have some autistic traits, but I thought that before I read this book. Paperback I've suspected I was on the autistic spectrum for over ten years now, since I first read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", found that it resonated with me and took to the internet to research. I've considered seeking a formal diagnosis, but it just seemed like a lot of hassle for not much reward. This book is all about the alternative to seeing your GP and being referred to a specialist: self-diagnosis.
Andal has quite a radical perspective on autism, which was refreshing to read. While other books I've read about autism have been positive about it as well as covering the issues that can arise as a result of it, this one is particularly passionately written. It is especially strong when discussing the problems with the idea of "curing" autism taking precedent over supporting people who have it and how the former is far more likely to be funded. There is a lot of information in here relating to self-diagnosis; I found the section covering the pros and cons of different online tests to be particularly helpful. (Yes, my score on all of them indicates neurodiversity, though I prefer to call it being really cool and right about everything. /s)
However, in other ways this book was a little disappointing. For one thing, it was quite short. There was also a fair bit of repetition, enough that at a few points I got confused and thought I'd accidentally skipped back on my Kindle. While the author's experiences are valuable, the book would have been better if other people's experiences had also been included to show the diversity of different lives people with autism live.
I would recommend this book, though not as the first or only book you should read on the subject. I personally preferred "Aspergirls" though it covers slightly different ground. I'm definitely going to read "The Autism Issue" of New Idealist, the magazine Andal edits, which you can download for free on the book's official website. Whether or not I'm technically autistic, I found this book interesting and enjoyed hearing a different perspective to the dominant medical paradigm. Paperback This book has a lot of useful information for everyone from those who have been diagnosed with Asperger's (or suspect they are Aspies) all the way to the neurotypicals who love them. Unfortunately, there is a lot of repetition, which made the book less enjoyable to read than it would have been otherwise. Paperback What. And. Amageing. Book. Why. Because. The. Author. Is. Telling. The. Truth. This. Book. Should. Be. Reccomended. Because. There. Is. So. Many. Peoples. Have. Not. Acknowledge. They. Are. Autistic. Just. In. Case. A. Person. Not. Aware. Of. What. Is. Going. Own. In. Side. There. Head. And. Curious. More. Curious. This. Is. A. Great. Book. To. Discover. Who. You. Really. Are. Thanks. Doris Paperback