UK: National Autistic Society – www.autism.org.uk – 02078332299

US: Autism Society of America – www.autism-society.org

Europe: Autism-Europe – www.autismeurope.org

10 Suggestions for your Reading List:

(Again, not exhaustive by any means, but these are a selection of books that I read, enjoyed, and helped me make sense of my own diagnosis and experience.)

1.Drama Queen: One Autistic Woman and a Life of Unhelpful Labels. Sara Gibbs, Headline 2021

2. Odd Girl Out: An Autistic Woman in a Neurotypical World,  Laura James, Bluebird 2017

3. How to be Autistic, Charlotte Amelia Poe, Myriad 2019

4. Nerdy, Shy and Socially Inappropriate: A User Guide to Asperger Life, Cynthia Kim, JKP 2015

5. Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women, Dr Sarah Bargiela, JKP 2019

6. Strong Female Character, Fern Brady, Octopus 2023

7. The Reason I Jump, Naoki Higashida, Sceptre 2013

8. Untypical, Pete Wharmby, HarperCollins 2024

9. How Not To Fit In, Jess Joy & Charlotte Mia, Thorsons 2024

10. The Pattern Seekers, Simon Baron-Cohen, Penguin 2020

Online Diagnostic Tools:

(Please note that these are not exhaustive by any means, but these are some of the tests I did before pursuing an official diagnosis, in order to give myself a better idea as to whether I was displaying autistic traits.)

https://psychology-tools.com/test/autism-spectrum-quotient

https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/for-adults/autism-and-aspergers/adult-autism-test

https://medium.com/@drengelbrecht.rp.nd/the-aspie-quiz-794ff5cd7c4d

And a handful of autistic accounts I love to follow on Insta:

@autienelle

@autistic_at_40

@autistic_callum

@autism_support_community

@charlierewilding

@actuallyaspling

@iampayingattention

@compass.ion_