{"product_id":"im-not-shy-im-aoryn-thorval-9798249670801","title":"I'm Not Shy - I'm Autistic: The Untold Truth of Autism Spectrum Disorder, History, Science, Myths, and Hope for Parents, Caregivers, and Every Human W","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first time you heard the word \"autism,\" it probably was not in a doctor's office.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt was in a chat room. A group text. A comment thread. Someone's plan fell through and they typed, \"I completely autismed out today.\" Everyone moved on. No one thought twice. Because the word had become a shorthand for a passing mood, a moment of wanting quiet, a refusal to engage, an afternoon of not feeling social. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut somewhere, at that exact moment, a mother was sitting alone in a hospital parking lot with a piece of paper in her hands. A diagnosis. A word that, for her son, was not a mood. Was not a phase. Was the name for the way his brain had always worked, and always would. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book is for her. And if you have ever wanted to truly understand what autism is, what it is not, and what it demands of the rest of us, this book is for you, too.\u003cbr\u003e- - -\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eI'm Not Shy - I'm Autistic\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e takes you on a complete, unflinching journey through the history, science, myths, and living reality of Autism Spectrum Disorder. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003et begins in 18th-century France, with a child found alone in a forest who had no language and no name for what made him different. It ends in the present day, where one in thirty-one American children receives an ASD diagnosis, and where most families still have no idea where to begin. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBetween those two points, this book covers everything the headlines get wrong and everything the textbooks leave out. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat you will find inside: \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e- \u003c\/b\u003eThe hidden history of autism - including the Soviet scientist who described it accurately in the 1920s and was erased from the record for decades \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e- \u003c\/b\u003eThe full story of the vaccine fraud: the falsified data, the undisclosed financial interests, and why the myth refuses to die even after children paid for it with their lives \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e- \u003c\/b\u003eA clear, honest explanation of what is happening in an autistic brain during sensory overload - and why \"just calm down\" is one of the most harmful things you can say \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e- \u003c\/b\u003eThe masking phenomenon: why millions of autistic people, especially women and girls, spend decades performing normalcy so convincingly that no one ever diagnoses them \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e- \u003c\/b\u003eEvidence-based guidance on what actually works - behavioral therapy, communication tools, medical support - and how to identify the scams that prey on desperate families \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e- \u003c\/b\u003eThe truth about autistic lives: work, love, independence, and what a person can build when the world finally makes room for the way their mind works \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- - - \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is not a book that tells you autism is easy. It is a book that tells you the truth. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe truth about the brain science.\u003cbr\u003eThe truth about the political misinformation.\u003cbr\u003eThe truth about what autistic people need, and what the world has, for too long, refused to give them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt is written for the parent who just got the diagnosis and does not know where to start.\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor the teacher who wants to reach the student who sits alone at the back of the room.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor the employer who senses that their most reliable worker is struggling and does not know why.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor anyone who has ever seen a child in a meltdown in a public place and felt, alongside the discomfort, a quiet wish to understand.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNot pity.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNot fear.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnderstanding - the kind that actually changes how you see another person.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Aoryn Thorval\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798249670801\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/24\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 68\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.14d","brand":"Aoryn Thorval","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48520274379007,"sku":"9798249670801","price":10.47,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e86fd7d0-187c-4948-b564-cd65546445c8.jpg?v=1778741776","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/im-not-shy-im-aoryn-thorval-9798249670801","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}