Autism, Identity and Me: A Practical Workbook to Empower Autistic Children and Young People Aged 10+

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McGovern CW, Sigman M. Continuity and change from early childhood to adolescence in autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2005; 46(4):401–408. [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Ritchie RA, Meca A, Madrazo VL, Schwartz SJ, Hardy SA, Zamboanga BL, et al. Identity dimensions and related processes in emerging adulthood: Helpful or harmful? Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2013; 69:415–432. [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Rutter M, Bailey A, Lord C. SCQ. The Social Communication Questionnaire. Torrance, CA: Western Psychological Services; 2003. [ Google Scholar] Masking: An act of resistance – A look at the person and political aspects and implications of taking the Mask off An Autistic Invalidation – A study of the psychological and emotional impact of society and the medical model on Autistic people

Autism, Identity and Me: A Practical Workbook and

When a young person gets a diagnosis, the parents may be offered parent programmes, and the school may be offered training, but what does the actual autistic person get? In many cases, young people are not given the opportunity to explore their autistic identity. In an ideal world, a young person would be aware of autism at the start of their autism assessment process and then be able to build their understanding on this topic gradually and over time, with the support of understanding adults.In this world it can feel like we have nothing to offer to make things better. Like many bad things are happening that are outside of our control. But if we know we are autistic, we have something pretty world changing to offer, simply by living without shame. Waterman AS, Schwartz SJ, Zamboanga BL, Ravert RD, Williams MK, Agocha VB, et al. The Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-being: Psychometric properties, demographic comparisons, and evidence of validity. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 2010; 6:41–61. [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Kroger J, Marcia JE. Handbook of identity theory and research. New York, NY: Springer; 2011. The identity statuses: Origins, meanings, and interpretations; pp. 31–53. [ Google Scholar] An Autistic Burnout – An investigation into the short and long term impact of Masking on physical and mental health Who Am I?’: An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Identity, Acculturation and Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents - PMC

Identity and Self - Reframing Autism Autistic Insights on Identity and Self - Reframing Autism

Claire Sainsbury states ‘any child who is old enough to understand a simple explanation…. is old enough’ (Sainsbury, 2010). Likewise, research has found that when children know nothing about their diagnosis, they can have a very negative perception of themselves (Miller, 2015 and Punshon et al 2009). Who is best placed to have these conversations? Mean percentage of positive and negative TST statements produced according to acculturation group (marginalised=alignment to non-autistic culture; bicultural=alignment no both cultures; assimilated=alignment to neither culture; separated=alignment to autistic culture). * p=.005 As you would expect from a practitioner of Rebecca’s stature, this book is empowering and accessible and sensitively covers a huge range of situations and scenarios faced by autistic children in a manner that will guide them in their growing up. Thoroughly recommended!" – Andrew Whitehouse, SEND Consultant Cousins SD. Culture and selfhood in Japan and the U.S. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1989; 56:124–131. [ Google Scholar]

3 Series Titles

The guidebook is designed to accompany the Autism, Identity and Me workbook, building the adult’s understanding of autism and autistic identity, expanding upon the themes introduced, and offering a clear and structured programme of sessions to guide the young person through the workbook. Content has been shaped by autistic advisors and contributors, with first-hand experiences woven throughout, alongside examples of ‘possible prompts’, what to focus on as a lead adult, and a variety of concrete, neurodiversity-affirming strategies. Humphrey N, Lewis S. ‘Make me normal’: The views and experiences of pupils on the autistic spectrum in mainstream secondary schools. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. 2008; 12(1):23–46. [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] We are not OK – Shared voices from across the Autistic community on the impact of Masking on mental health

Autism, Identity and Me: A Practical Workbook to Empower Autism, Identity and Me: A Practical Workbook to Empower

There is little evidence on how autistic people navigate their identity in terms of acculturation to autistic culture. Kenny et al. ( 2016) found that most autistic adults and their families preferred identity-first terminology (‘autistic’) to person-first terminology (‘person with autism’), as they stated that autism forms an integral part of the person. The neurodiversity movement advocates self-identification as autistic and viewing autism as a positive identity that needs no cure (Chamak et al. 2008; Ortega 2009). Qualitative evidence suggests that some autistic adolescents take pride in being autistic (Cage et al. 2016), and some view autism as part of ‘who they were’, and they had come to accept their differences (Humphrey & Lewis 2008).

Who is best placed to have these conversations?

Jarrett, H. (2014). An exploration of identity formation in autistic adolescents, its relationship with mental health, and the role of mainstream education provision in the identity formation process. (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Exeter, Exeter.