Growing In To Autism

I've read a few of these 'lived experience' memoirs of autism now, and I found Growing In To Autism particularly engaging and relatable. Sandra Thom-Jones is a Melbourne academic, mother of two sons with autism, and someone who discovered her own diagnosis as an adult. Thom-Jones talks of 'growing in' to autism, as opposed to 'growing out' of it, and she often argues against attempts to 'train' children and young people out of their autistic comfort zone, for example, discomfort with eye contact or hand-shaking. Why don't we instead just teach everyone that some people aren't comfortable with eye contact, and work on that, rather than imposing the burden on the people with autism to change themselves?

The book is structured in a very readable way, with short chapters each focusing on a different aspect of Thom-Jones' personal experience: love of routine; food issues; facial recognition (or lack thereof!); special interests; sensory sensitivity. She begins each chapter with a personal anecdote, often quite funny, before leading into a general discussion of each issue. I must admit I found many of these aspects and habits very relatable -- if not for myself, then for one or both of my children. One of my daughters has been pressing for a diagnosis lately, and while I'm still not sure whether her wish is justified, Growing In To Autism may have nudged me closer toward following through.