{"product_id":"spectrumites-kintsugi-9781797516417","title":"Spectrumites: Life unDiagnosed - Understanding inVisible Late Diagnosis Autism \u0026 Asperger's - Autistic Tendencies","description":"Growing up, I felt stupid. Oh, so stupid. Like I didn't fit in. It was as if I'd been dropped in to suburbia from another planet, an alien. Perhaps if I had had a major meltdown I would have flagged the help I desperately needed. But, no, I suffered. I felt so alone, lost. There was no-one else like me. I hid behind a mask and adhered to society norms of being a \"male-worker-robot-person\" in middle-class society.Fortunately (or not) I was able to mask really well, and hide myself away. I built a life, a job, a house, had a child, all the usual things people aspire to. On the surface, all was normal, I just thought I was different, not less, just different, but didn't know why. I could never understand the way people reacted to me. I was being nice, but still they didn't like me, as if I had hurt someone close to them. (I still don't get this?)My child was diagnosed; \"high functioning autism\". As many parents will attest, the autism education journey is full of questions and no-answers. I struggled to understand, and got to the point where I had to draw on my abilities as a researcher and self-learner to better understand; Autism, Asperger's, \"high-functioning\" and the psychology underpinning these various terms.My journey of self-discovery was not at all what I was expecting. Using my research skills I started reading academic papers, books, blogs, and other information sources. This led to many \"Ahhh, ooh, aww\" moments for me to discount what I was slowly realising. This was not going to be a journey to discover my child, this was a journey to discover myself; inVisible, unSeen, and others like me; inVisible People. The inVisible Generation.Why inVisible? Spectrumites think and process ideas differently, but on the surface society doesn't see this. The things that I and others do differently are hidden from view. We are the Quiet Achievers; running a different operating system in a world built for the 98%. We physically look the same and have the same capabilities, but the way we work under the cover is different. Different, not less. Just Different.With estimates between 1%-2% of the population being on the Autism Spectrum; 1 in 100 Australians, more than 1 in 100 in the UK, and 1 in 59 Americans, an understanding of what this means for tens of millions of people is becoming more and more important. Sadly, I also learnt that adults on the Spectrum are eight to nine times more likely to commit suicide than a neurotypical person, and 28 times more likely to exhibit suicidal thoughts, and this really hit home, because I too had been there. But I survived, and I have my story to tell. Society as a whole should be looking for a way to support and respect each and every individual Spectrumite in their own way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e @Kintsugi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1797516418\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781797516417\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/03\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 302\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.89lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.63d","brand":"@Kintsugi","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45897979035903,"sku":"9781797516417","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_30dcc29a-c195-4439-a164-2a5cacb37b64.jpg?v=1721375211","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/spectrumites-kintsugi-9781797516417","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}