Emily Paige Ballou is an old Millennial from the Midwest who currently lives and works in NYC, where she primarily stage manages off-Broadway new plays and new musicals, including works such as the Hello Girls with Prospect Theater Company, Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat at the Adirondack Theatre Festival, and Rose with Nora's Playhouse. She graduated from the University of Georgia, where she was also a member of the Demosthenian Literary Society. Previous publications include pieces in the Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, The Real Experts: Readings for Parents of Autistic Children, NeuroQueer, Barking Sycamores, and Fuckit: A Zine.



Sharon daVanport lives in the Midwest by way of their home state of Texas where they spent young adulthood writing short stories, poetry and serving as co-editor of their academic newspaper. After nearly a decade in social work, Sharon founded the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN). Appointed by their state's board of education, Sharon served a full term on the SILC board of directors. Publications include co-authoring a paper in Sage Pub Autism Journal, a chapter in Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement: Stories from the Front Line, and pieces in Welcome to the Autistic Community, and Disability Visibility Project.



Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, MA, is a global self-advocate, educator, parent and disabled person of color in a neurodiverse, multicultural, serodifferent family. A prolific writer, public speaker, and social scientist/activist whose work focuses on meaningful community involvement, human rights, justice, and inclusion, Morénike is a Humanities Scholar at Rice University's Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality and a member of several executive boards. Publications include: Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism, All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism, and various peer-reviewed articles. Learn more at: .



Autistic Women's Network, renamed Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, (AWN), was founded as the first organization that focused on Autistic women, girls, and nonbinary people. They are an essential resource for autistic people, parents, and allies for dispelling stereotypes and misinformation around autism. More information can be found awnnetwork.org.

Foreword

Jess Wilson



Letter from the Editors



Early Memories, Childhood, and Education



1

Acknowledge Vulnerability; Presume Competence

B. Martin Allen



2

It's Us Against the World, Kid

Brigid Rankowski



3

What Autistic Girls Wish Their Parents Knew About Friendship

Jane Strauss



4

What Your Daughter Deserves: Love, Safety, and the Truth

Kassiane Asasumasu



5

What I Wish You Knew

Katie Levin



6

Change the World, Not Your Child

Lei Wiley-Mydske



7

Empathy and Non-Verbal Cues

Dusya Lyubovskaya



8

The First Time I Heard of Autism

Anonymous



9

What I Wish My Parents Knew About Being Their Autistic Daughter

Heidi Wangelin



10

A Particular Way of Being

Karen Lean



Acceptance and Adaptation



11

A Daughter's Journey: Lessons, Honesty, and Love

Jennifer St. Jude



12

Still Your Child

Ondrea Marisa Robinson



13

Perfect in an Imperfect World

Haley Moss



14

Who Gets to Be Diagnosed? And Who Does It Serve?

Victoria M. Rodríguez-Roldán



15

Unconventional

Amythest Schaber



16

I Wish I Wasn't So Hard on Myself Back Then

Kayla Smith



17

Ten Things I Wish My Parents Had Known When I Was Growing Up

Amelia "Mel" Evelyn Voicy Baggs



18

I Am an Autistic Woman

Amy Sequenzia



19

The View from Outside the Window

HW



20

Finding Me: The Journey to Acceptance

Morénike Giwa Onaiwu



21

Autism, Self-Acceptance, and Hope

Lynne Soraya



Intersectional Identity and Finding Community



22

Keep Her Safe; Let Her Fly Free

Maxfield Sparrow



23

Tell Me I'm Autistic

Anonymous



24

Autism, Sensory Experiences, and Family Culture

Mallory Cruz



25

Safe Harbors in a Difficult World

Kayla Rodriguez



26

Give Your Daughters Autistic Community

Jean Winegardner



27

A Parents' Guide to Being Transgender and Autistic

Alexandra Forshaw



28

On Surviving Loneliness and Isolation, and Learning to Live with Loss

Lydia X. Z. Brown



29

There's a Place

Emily Paige Ballou



Conclusion

Beth Ryan



About the Editors

Contributors

Acknowledgments

Notes