We made this new page for young people not yet at university to signpost you to some useful resources – websites, books, blogs and so on. We hope to update this as time goes on, but feel free to leave comments about things you might like to know, or things you think we should add for young Autistic people. If you’re interested in having Autistic training we at So, You’re Autistic cover all sorts of topics.
Understanding your Autistic experiences is important for your wellbeing. We at So, You’re Autistic? know that the most important things for us to be happy are connecting to other people who are similar to us. For good wellbeing this means understanding your Autistic identity; finding out about Autistic culture (we have words and phrases, and ways of expressing ourselves that non-autistic people do not; learn the neurodiversity narrative to help); and finding or creating Autistic spaces to be part of an Autistic community.
Below are a few things to help you start to understand yourself (or your young person) or help with your Autistic experience/s.
Books
It’s an Autism Thing – I’ll help you understand – lovely, short book on the main experiences of being Autistic, written and illustrated by an Autistic mother and son. Would be useful to help you or your young person understand themselves.
Susie Spins – by the same Autistic mother and son, this little book explains the importance of stimming (self-stimulatory behaviour), and explains other Autistic experiences.
The Autism-Friendly Guide to Periods – periods/menstruation are/is a difficult thing to experience for most young people, but sometimes it is particularly distressing for young Autistic people. This book is written by Autistics for Autistics to explain the experience (in a non-gendered way to be sensitive to those with marginalised gender identities).
Autistic people at university
The number of Autistic people attending university is increasing, and perhaps due to the University of Kent’s Autism team and our So, You’re Autistic? programme and social groups, our university saw a 60% increase in diagnosed Autistic students enrolling in the 2019-2020 intake. You or your young person are able to go to university, and being Autistic does not need to be a reason stopping you – we just need the right support/s in place. Head to the university website to see what we do to support you while you study.
Older adolescents information on “what is autism?”
The language of the Autistic community, and how not to pathologise yourself or others
Adolescent and adult gaming communities online – Spectrum Gaming
“Spectrum Gaming was set up by a group of autistic advocates who wanted to create a friendly and accepting community for autistic people who have a shared passion for gaming. [Their] main focus is for autistic gamers to have some fun, make some friends and show off what they can do! In addition to [their] Discord servers, [they] run a Minecraft Server so everyone can enjoy playing Minecraft together.”
So, You're Autistic (think you are)? 
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