Autistic Adults: Exploring the Forgotten End of the Spectrum

An accessible and comprehensive look at autistic adults, written with an aim towards understanding and empathy.

Most research and writing about autism is focused on children, although most autistic people are adults. In this book, Daniel Smeenk addresses this gap by looking at how autistic adults present and how they see themselves and offers insights on autistic adults, from an autistic writer. He provides information and practical advice to inspire neurotypicals to a greater empathy and understanding of the autistic adults in their lives.

As Daniel says in the book: it is mainly written for neurotypicals — those who are not autistic — because that is the most important group in autistic adults’ day-to-day lives. They are the ones who autistic people are most likely to interact with: in their families, at the grocery store, or in their jobs. This is the group that needs to hear their stories the most, because they often have the most impact on an autistic person’s well-being.

Unlike most books on autism, Autistic Adults: Exploring the Forgotten End of the Spectrum explores the subject from multiple points of view. Daniel Smeenk examines autism research, self-advocacy communities and the fundamental differences between groups that want to help autistic people but disagree on how to do so. Thoroughly researched yet accessible, Smeenk takes an even- handed approach to current debates such as how funding should be spent and what kind of supports are most beneficial. He also addresses topics such as employment, lack of research on autistic adults and issues with public perception.