More Insights

Books

Show Us Who You Are

By Elle McNicoll

When Cora’s brother drags her along to his boss’s house, she doesn’t expect to strike up a friendship with Adrien, son of the intimidating CEO of Pomegranate Technologies. With Neurodivergent characters you’ll root for and a moving friendship at its heart, readers 9+ will love this powerful new novel from Elle McNicoll.

Books

Trauma, Stigma and Autism

By Gordon Gates

This book presents ground-breaking ideas based on current research on how stigma can cause bodily felt trauma in stigmatised or marginalised people, particularly those on the autism spectrum.

Books

All The Weight of Our Dreams

By Brown/Ashkenazy/Giwa Onaiwu

Delve into poetry, essays, short fiction, photography, paintings, and drawings in the first-ever anthology entirely by autistic people of colour, featuring 61 writers and artists from seven countries.

TV Series

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-21)

Australian twenty-something Nicholas is left to take care of his two American teenage half-sisters after the death of their father. Nicholas hasn’t been particularly present in his siblings’ lives, and now his sisters have to cope with not only a devastating loss but the reality that their neurotic, ill-equipped brother is all they have. But he tries! He tries so, so hard.

Books

Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Life Experience from Early Childhood to Old Age

By Sarah Hendrix

In this book Sarah Hendrix has collected both academic research and personal stories about girls and women on the autism spectrum to present a picture of their feelings, thoughts and experiences at each stage of their lives.

Books

Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic

By Michael McCreary

Like many others on the autism spectrum, 20-something stand-up comic Michael McCreary has been told by more than a few well-meaning folks that he doesn’t “look” autistic. But, as he’s quick to point out in this memoir, autism “looks” different for just about everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Books

Just Right For You

By Melanie Heyworth & Celeste Josephine Art

Just Right for You offers a warm, optimistic way of introducing Autism to your child and embracing their differences.

Books

Spectrums

By Maxfield Sparrow

Weaving memories, poems and first-person narratives together, these stories showcase experiences of coming out, college and university life, accessing healthcare, physical transition, friendships and relationships, sexuality, pregnancy, parenting, and late life self-discovery, to reveal a rich and varied tapestry of life lived on the spectrums.

Books

The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

By Naoki Higashida

The concept of this book The Reason I Jump: The inner voice of a thirteen-year-old autistic boy by Naoki Higashida is based on a fascinating idea. A 13-year-old boy with autism answers questions about his inner life that the outer world wants to know to understand autism better.

Books

Autism Works

By Adam Feinstein

This inspiring book addresses the lack of understanding of the wonderful contributions people across the autism spectrum can make to the workplace, drawing attention to this vast untapped human resource.

TV Series

Autism – a Bunch of Tangled Wires

Created by Emma McCaffrey who is autistic, this documentary showcases a discussion with Emma’s mother Alison about autism, how it has affected their lives and what they have learned from the experience.

Books

Living with PTSD on the Autism Spectrum

By Morgan, Donahue

The relationship between autism and PTSD has historically been neglected in research and understanding but impacts the lives of many. Autistic people are intrinsically vulnerable to traumatic social situations and relationships, which can later manifest as PTSD.

TV Series

Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix Comedy Specials: Nanette (2018) & Douglas (2020)

Nanette – Australian comic Hannah Gadsby reshapes standard stand-up by pairing punchlines with personal revelations on gender, sexuality and childhood turmoil.
Douglas – Hannah Gadsby returns for her second special and digs deep into the complexities of popularity, identity and her most unusual dog park encounter.

Books

The Awesome Autistic Go-To Guide

By Yenn Purkis

A Practical Handbook for Autistic Teens and Tweens – Full of insights about being awesome and autistic, this book celebrates the strengths of understanding the world in a different way.

Books

On the Edge of Gone

By Corinne Duyvis

A thrilling, thought-provoking novel from one of young-adult literature’s boldest new talents. January 29, 2035. That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit—the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter outside their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time.

Books

Our Autistic Lives

By Alex Ratcliffe

This collection of narratives from autistic adults is structured around their decades of experience of life, covering 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60 and 70s+.

Books

Spectrum Women: Autism and Parenting

By Jurkevythz, Campbell, Morgan

This book looks at what it feels like to be an autistic parent, offering valuable insights, knowledge and wisdom on parenting autistic and non-autistic children. Three mothers reflect on their experiences of growing up as undiagnosed autistics, venturing into and embracing motherhood, and connecting with their children in a unique and powerful way.

Books

Underdogs Tooth and Nail

By Chris Bonnello

Three weeks have passed since the events of Underdogs. The British population continues its imprisonment in Nicholas Grant’s giant walled Citadels, under the watchful eye of innumerable cloned soldiers. The heroes of Oakenfold Special School remain their last chance of freedom.

Books

Underdogs

By Chris Bonnello

One million cloned soldiers. A nation imprisoned. A group of neurodiverse rebels fighting back.

Books

Drama Queen

By Sarah Gibbs

Drama Queen is both a tour inside one autistic brain and a declaration that a diagnosis on the spectrum, with the right support, accommodations and understanding, doesn’t have to be a barrier to life full of love, laughter and success.

Books

A Kind of Spark

By Elle McNicoll

A neurodivergent girl campaigns for a memorial when she learns that her small Scottish town used to burn witches simply because they were different.

Books

Camouflage

By Dr Sarah Bargeila

The charming illustrations lead readers on a visual journey of how women on the spectrum experience everyday life, from metaphors and masking in social situations, to friendships and relationships and the role of special interests.

Podcasts

AAC Town Podcast

Hosts Sam and endever share information and personal experiences around using their communication devices and other Augmentative and Assistive Communication (AAC) tools in their day to day lives.

Books

The Awesome Autistic Guide for Trans Teens

By Yenn Purkis

With helpful explanations, tips and activities, plus examples of famous trans and gender divergent people on the autism spectrum, this user-friendly guide will help you to navigate the world as an awesome autistic trans teen.

Books

The Obsessive Joy of Autism

By Julia Bascom

Julia Bascom’s depiction of the joy of autistic obsessions tells a story about autism that is very rarely told. It tells of a world beyond impairments and medical histories, where the multiples of seven can open a floodgate of untranslatable joy, where riding a train can make everything feel perfectly sized and full of light, and where flapping your hands just so amplifies everything you feel.

Books

Can You See Me?

By Libby Scott & Rebecca Wescott

With diary entries written by eleven-year-old Libby Scott, based on her own experiences of autism, this pioneering book, written in collaboration with esteemed author Rebecca Westcott, has been widely praised for its realistic portrayal of autism.

Books

Know Your Spectrum

By Finn Monahan

Using creative writing activities, this book helps teenagers to identify connections between events and their emotions – which can be difficult for people with autism – while improving their writing skills through fun activities.

Films

The Reason I Jump (2020)

Based on the bestselling book by Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of non-speaking autistic people from around the world.

Books

Existing Autistic

By Megan Rhiannon

A reflection and collection of everything that I have pieced together along the way (Megan Rhiannon, British illustrator).
A gathering of information about existing autistic designed to be read by those both on and off the spectrum.
Simplified breakdowns of traits and behaviours, collections of thoughts, facts, advice and feelings with accompanying illustrations throughout.

Podcasts

1800 Seconds on Autism

From home and family to humour and epic geekiness, this is a funny and enlightening podcast about thinking differently. With autistic hosts Robyn Steward, Jamie Knight and guests.

Podcasts

Squarepeg

The Squarepeg podcast invites autistic women, and trans and nonbinary people, to explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

Books

Authoring Autism

By Melanie Yergeau

In Authoring Autism M. Remi Yergeau defines neurodivergence as an identity-neuroqueerness-rather than an impairment.

Books

How to be Autistic

By Charlotte Amelia Poe

As we follow Charlotte’s journey through school and college, we become as awestruck by their extraordinary passion for life as by the enormous privations that they must undergo to live it.

TV Series

Dinosaur (1 pilot ep in 2021 – on BBC 3)

Modern dating is a world filled with white lies, false pretences and confusing games. It’s a world that Nina, an undiagnosed autistic woman, is about to shake up.

Books

An Adult With an Autism Diagnosis

By Gillan Drew

Through an introduction to the autism spectrum, and how the Level 1 diagnosis is characterised, the author draws on personal experiences to provide positive advice on dealing with life, health, and relationships following an adult diagnosis.

Books

Tone of Voice

By Kaia Sønderby

Xandri Corelel has spent six months living among the Ongkoarrat after her unceremonious firing from the crew of the Carpathia, and though she misses her home, she has settled into her new life. Then Diver arrives with news that changes everything.

Books

Travelling By Train

By Laurie Morgan

Written by an autistic parent, this book looks at the situation they faced when playing a game where nobody told them the rules. What would you do when faced with such circumstances?

Films

Please Stand By (2017)

A young autistic woman runs away from her caregiver in an attempt to submit her 500-page manuscript to a ‘Star Trek’ writing competition at Paramount Pictures.

Although this has been recommended to help broaden awareness of autism, there is some content within that may cause distress to an autistic person.

Books

The Autistic Trans Guide to Life

By Yenn Purkis

This essential survival guide gives autistic trans and/or non-binary adults all the tools and strategies they need to live as their very best self.

Books

Sensing the City

By Sandra Beale-Ellis

How do the sights, smells, and sounds of a city affect the senses of people with an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)?
Sandra Beale-Ellis explores the sensory benefits and challenges of cities for people with an ASC and invites readers to understand the different ways in which they can experience a city from a sensory perspective.

Books

Failure To Communicate

By Kaia Sønderby

As one of the only remaining autistics in the universe, Xandri Corelel has faced a lot of hardship, and she’s earned her place as the head of Xeno-Liaisons aboard the first contact ship Carpathia. But her skill at negotiating with alien species is about to be put to the ultimate test.

Books

How To Parent Like An Autistic

By K. Bron Johnson

Are you struggling to understand your autistic child and their behaviour? Are you looking for ideas for how to best approach some common parenting issues? This guide hopes to help you decipher what is really going on inside your child’s mind and how to address their unique needs.

Books

Odd Girl Out

By Laura James

Laura draws on her professional and personal experiences and reflects on her life in the light of her diagnosis, which for her explains some of her differences; why, as a child, she felt happier spinning in circles than standing still and why she has always found it difficult to work in places with a lot of ambient noise.

Podcasts

Noncompliant Podcast

I [Anne Borden King] launched this podcast as a place to talk about neurodiversity, children’s rights and disability rights. Guests are all working for human rights and inclusion in various capacities: as advocates, activists, scholars, medical professionals, entertainers and authors.

Films

Keep the Change (2018)

When aspiring filmmaker David is mandated to attend a social programme, he is sure of one thing: he doesn’t belong there. But when he’s assigned to visit the Brooklyn Bridge with the vivacious Sarah, sparks fly and his convictions are tested.

Books

The Autism Spectrum Guide to Sexuality and Relationships

By Dr Emma Goodall

Unravelling the complexities of relationships and sexuality, this straight-talking guide will help you to navigate the associated social, emotional and physical issues.

Books

With The Light: Raising An Autistic Child

By Keiko Tobe

In the alternately heartwarming and bittersweet tale, a young mother tries to cope with both the overwhelming discovery of her child’s autism and the trials of raising him while keeping her family together.

TV Series

Community

When the legitimacy of his college degree is challenged, lawyer Jeff Winger, must return to school where he finds himself leading a misfit coalition of fellow community college students.

Books

Stim

By Lizzie Huxley-Jones

An Anthology – his insightful and eye-opening collection of essays, fiction and visual art showcases the immense talents of some of the UK’s most exciting writers and artists – who just happen to be on the spectrum. Here they reclaim the power to speak for themselves and redefine what it means to be autistic.

Books

Uncomfortable Labels

By Laura Kate Dale

In this candid, first-of-its-kind memoir, Laura Kate Dale recounts what life is like growing up as a gay trans woman on the autism spectrum.