Resources & Recommendations

Autistic-Led Organisations

• **ASAN** — Autistic Self Advocacy Network (USA) — https://autisticadvocacy.org
• **Autistic UK** — https://autisticuk.org
• **AMASE** — Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh — https://amase.org.uk
• **I CAN Network** — Autistic-led mentoring (Australia) — https://icannetwork.com.au
• **Autism Network International (ANI)** — https://www.autreat.com
• **Neurodivergent Activism** — grassroots autistic advocacy
• **AASPIRE** — Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education — https://aaspire.org

• **Autism Speaks** — widely criticised by autistic community for cure-focused rhetoric, minimal autistic leadership, and historically harmful campaigns
• **Any organisation** that uses puzzle piece imagery, talks about "curing" autism, or does not have autistic people in leadership positions

Books

• **"Unmasking Autism"** — Devon Price (2022) — essential reading on masking, burnout, and authenticity
• **"Neurotribes"** — Steve Silberman (2015) — definitive history of autism and neurodiversity
• **"The Reason I Jump"** — Naoki Higashida (2007) — non-speaking autistic perspective
• **"Thinking in Pictures"** — Temple Grandin (1995) — visual thinking and autism
• **"Pretending to be Normal"** — Liane Holliday Willey (1999) — Asperger's memoir
• **"Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking"** — Julia Bascom, ed. (2012)
• **"Divergent Mind"** — Jenara Nerenberg (2020) — neurodivergent women
• **"The Electricity of Every Living Thing"** — Katherine May (2018) — late diagnosis memoir
• **"Camouflage"** — Sarah Bargiela (2019) — graphic novel about autistic women
• **"Spectrum Women"** — Barb Cook & Michelle Garnett (2018)
• **"I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder"** — Sarah Kurchak (2020)
• **"Sincerely, Your Autistic Child"** — ASAN (2021) — advice from autistic adults to parents

• **"Is This Autism?"** — Donna Henderson et al. (2023) — modern diagnostic understanding
• **"Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder"** — Sarah Hendrickx (2015)
• **"NeuroTribes"** — Steve Silberman (2015)
• **"In a Different Key"** — John Donvan & Caren Zucker (2016) — autism history
• **"Uniquely Human"** — Barry Prizant (2015) — strengths-based approach

Podcasts

• **"The Autistic Culture Podcast"** — exploring autistic culture and identity
• **"Autism in the Adult"** — practical advice for autistic adults
• **"1800 Seconds on Autism"** — BBC podcast featuring autistic voices
• **"Actually Autistic AF"** — raw, honest autistic perspectives
• **"The Neurodivergent Woman"** — focus on women and AFAB experiences
• **"Autistic Masking"** — deep dive into masking and unmasking
• **"NeuroClastic"** — autism through an autistic lens
• **"Squarepeg Podcast"** — neurodivergent families
• **"Spectrumly Speaking"** — autistic women's experiences

YouTube Channels

• **Purple Ella** — autistic woman, late-diagnosed, UK based
• **Yo Samdy Sam** — autistic woman, informative and personal
• **Paige Layle** — young autistic advocate, educational
• **IndieAndy** — autistic man, adult diagnosis journey
• **Aspergers from the Inside** — Paul Micallef, practical strategies
• **The Aspie World** — Dan, covering all aspects of autistic life
• **Invisible i** — Katy Amesbury, autistic woman creator
• **Autism from the Inside** — Paul Micallef, deep dives
• **I'm Autistic, Now What?** — educational content

Online Communities

• **r/autism** — Reddit, general autism community
• **r/AutisticAdults** — Reddit, adults only
• **r/aspergirls** — Reddit, women/AFAB focus
• **r/aspergers** — Reddit, Asperger's identification
• **r/AutisticPride** — Reddit, celebration and advocacy
• **Wrong Planet** — https://wrongplanet.net — longstanding forum
• **Autism Forums** — https://www.autismforums.com
• **#ActuallyAutistic** — hashtag on social media for autistic voices
• **Mastodon** — growing autistic community on the fediverse
• **Discord** — search "autistic adults" for multiple servers

Screening & Assessment Tools

• **AQ-10** — Autism Quotient 10-item screening
• **AQ-50** — full Autism Quotient (Baron-Cohen et al.)
• **RAADS-R** — Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised
• **CAT-Q** — Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire
• **Aspie Quiz** — https://rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php
• **Embrace Autism** — https://embrace-autism.com — comprehensive online tests with interpretation

• **Self-diagnosis is valid** — barriers to formal diagnosis are real (cost, wait times, bias)
• Formal diagnosis is **not required** to identify as autistic
• Assessment should be conducted by someone experienced with **adults** and **women**
• A good assessor will ask about your **entire life**, not just current presentation
• Bring evidence — school reports, diaries, family observations
• Some people bring a "trait list" document — this is helpful, not "cheating"

Crisis and Support Lines

• **International**: Befrienders Worldwide — https://befrienders.org
• **UK**: Samaritans — 116 123 (free, 24/7)
• **UK**: National Autistic Society — 0808 800 4104
• **USA**: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988
• **USA**: Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741
• **Australia**: Lifeline — 13 11 14
• **Canada**: 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline
• **New Zealand**: Lifeline — 0800 543 354
• **Ireland**: Samaritans — 116 123
• **South Africa**: SADAG — 0800 567 567

Research and Science

• **SPARK** — Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research — https://sparkforautism.org
• **Autism CRC** — Cooperative Research Centre (Australia) — https://www.autismcrc.com.au
• **AASPIRE** — participatory research with autistic co-researchers
• **PubMed** — search for autism research — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• **Google Scholar** — academic papers on autism — https://scholar.google.com
• **Autism journal** — peer-reviewed research — SAGE Publications