Useful resources

There’s a lot of information out there on autism. We have complied a list of useful resources for your first foray into the world of all things autistic, to help you avoid the bad and the awful.

(An Autism Observer also are continuously compiling a list of autistic blogs that you may find useful – also see here “Where to go for all things Autistic – a brief starting guide“)

Resources for your exploration of your autistic-ness! (Plus a graphic at the end showing good and bad charities/symbols etc.)

UPDATE Nov 2019: here is a link to our SYA? Amazon stim object wishlist so you can get an idea of things to buy: SYA? Stim toys wishlist

*Checklist/s/tests*
Females with Aspergers Syndrome Checklist by Samantha Craft	Dated terminology in places, but best checklist you’ll find – SYA? created their own scored version of this checklist, link here
Autism Spectrum Quotient	You can take this to your GP/assessor (not ideal for internal/“female” phenotypes – but nothing better exists, yet)
Aspie-Quiz	You can take this to your GP/assessor (not ideal for internal/“female” phenotypes – but nothing better exists, yet)
Inclusive autistic traits checklist	Inclusive list taking gender into consideration
*Blogs*
The Mighty: Autism Spectrum Disorder
The silent wave: Life through one female Asperger’s lens	Autisticality, discusses inertia (how to accidentally spend all day cleaning); gender; Neurodiversity, language, and the social model; Burnout; Empathy etc.)
The other side: Blogging on autism and art
The Misadventures of Mama Pineapple
ANONYMOUS AUTISTIC: Thoughts on my neuro-divergent experiences	Some initial blogs on thinking they’re autistic, prior to assessment, and then post-assessment, discusses e.g. death of loved one when autistic
*Important to help with narrative/terminology/understanding*
Comic Redesigns the Autism Spectrum to Crush Stereotypes
What Is Autism?	Basically, MOST things by Nick Walker
Neurodiversity: Some Basic Terms & Definitions
Autism and the Pathology Paradigm
*Vlogs*

*TV and film (rare to find good depictions)*
Are You Autistic?	Channel 4 documentary, which was quite positive
*Books/good reads*
*Cartoons/comics*
Dinah the Aspie Dinosaur
Beth Wilson – artist @doodlebeth
Growing up Aspie – a comic by Nathan McConnell
*FaceBook, Instagram etc.*
#doilookautisticyet	Dispel the myth that autistics are white, non-verbal, boys
Spectrum Women
NEURODIVERSE UK		FaceBook community page
*Good organisations/charities*
SWAN – Scottish Women’s Autism Network
Foundations for Divergent Minds
*Events/awareness and acceptance days/months*
Autscape	A conference created primarily for and by autistic participants
Autistic pride (and picnics!)	Various, if you follow e.g. NEURODIVERSE UK members post about them
*Useful miscellaneous*
Headspace	App to help meditate a noisy mind – also see SYA?s “Anxiety, overwhelm, and meltdown” page
*(Largely) good researchers/research centres*
The Centre for Research in Autism and Education
The Participatory Autism Research Collective	A community for people who want to promote autistic involvement in autism research
Masking – Issue 1	Published on Mar 26, 2018 An inside look at the Autism Spectrum.
*Therapeutic support*
Improving Self-Esteem
Think CBT site: Acceptance & Commitment Therapy / Compassion Focused Therapy Resources	CBT can be unhelpful for autistic people, as our experiences of depression and anxiety are not the result of “faulty” thinking, but largely due to sensory processing differences and difficulties in relating to those who are not autistic. Acceptance and commitment-based approaches may be more suitable.
CBT thought record – self compassion	Some elements of e.g. CBT can be useful, such as teaching yourself self-compassion (whilst remembering that some situations are difficult because they are not suited for autistic experiences of the world)
Avoid/be cautious!
National Autistic Society	Hit and miss
ANY campaigns that “Light it up blue”

Share this: