The Autistic Experience: Silenced Voices Finally Heard

The Autistic Experience is a collection of stories about life in the lens of autism, curated by psychologist and psychotherapist Marie-Laure Del Vecchio and the Autistic Photographer, Joe James. It explodes the myths around autism and celebrates the right to be autistic, speaking to the hundreds of thousands of people with and without an autism diagnosis who need to know that living in a more inclusive, adjusted, and autism-friendly environment is a right worth fighting for.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 22 June 2023
Publisher: John Murray Press

My autism and ADHD are as integral to me as my sense of personal ethics. Lettie, a young woman with autism and ADHD, shares her experiences of navigating a world where the dividing line between normal and exceptional is often blurred. She describes how her condition led to ridicule and questioning from others, who couldn't see the invisible line that separated her from them. Parnel, another autistic individual, reflects on his tendency to question authority and seek clarification, a trait that was often misunderstood as defiance. Loukas, on the other hand, discusses his discomfort with eye contact, a common challenge for many autistic people, and the effort he makes to appear "normal" in social situations.

These are Autistic Voices, and this is The Autistic Experience. Curated by psychologist and psychotherapist Marie-Laure Del Vecchio and the Autistic Photographer, Joe James, whose own experience of trauma drives his mission to create an inclusive society. This book is a brave, unflinching, and ultimately optimistic collection of stories about life in the lens of autism. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, often shocking, and always eye-opening, these stories from people across the globe explore all aspects of autistic life - from the earliest childhood memories to the challenges facing the autistic parent or grandparent. From school days to office life, from teenagers to those in their seventies, across all genders, from people who are homeless to NASA scientists, The Autistic Experience explodes the myths around autism and celebrates the right to be autistic.

Taking a deep dive into controversies like the causes of autism, this is, above all, a book that speaks to the hundreds of thousands of people both with and without an autism diagnosis who need to know that to live in a more inclusive, adjusted, and autism-friendly environment is a right worth fighting for.

Weight: 378g
Dimension: 153 x 234 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399806855