As a person who kind of understood autism because it is strangely familiar in term of how the high functioning autistic person see the world, I am sick and tired of how clinical professions used to, and still see autistic persons.  

The brain is the most important organ, one we could not live without.

And with that comes neurodiversity. Autistic brains are found to be wired differently than non autistic persons. That's one of the main reason they experience the world a bit differently. 

This subject is very hard to talk about as it is a bit personal.

As a child, as far as I could remember, I was misunderstood by all the adults around me and I got punished frequently for that. Why couldn't I act "normal" as in "like all the other kids". 

Only as an adult that I finally understood that it is not stubbornness, or rebellious that make me "not acting like other kids". I am just not able to even comprehend them and it was very hard to imitate something that you are not familiar or understood.

Consider myself lucky that I'm able to cope with living in a society that many human interactions is incomprehensible but not important.

That's how I would explain it. I don't get the jokes because there are a layer of hidden meanings that stay hidden.

The advocacy should be from within the community. There are a lot of high functioning autistic people who are more than willing to talk to people if you can get close and familiar enough to them. It take times.

I like the article and of course I'm curious about the book from the autistic advocacy organization.

Nothing about us without us. http://autisticadvocacy.org/

Garden Spells

Sarah Addison Allen

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published August 28th 2007 by Bantam (first published January 1st 2007)                   

ISBN 0553805487 (ISBN13: 9780553805482)   

also available in Kindle, Audio Cd, and Audible Audio

Garden Spells is a relaxing read. Sara Addison Allen developed the characters well, giving them and the little southern town personality and charm. I liked the little eccentricities built into the characters, making them unique. Allen built in a little personal history to each character as well, which is what built part of the plot. Each character had something in his or her past to come to terms with, and Allen was able to show how each character grew throughout the story. This is a quick read. There is romance, but one thing I enjoyed was how the character, Claire, used her garden and edible plants in her catering business. The author even included the meaning and use of some edible plants that were mentioned in the book.  This is the first in the Waverly Family Series and Sarah Addison Allen's debut novel. The 2nd, First Frost, was just published in January, 2015.

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

Major Westhaven’s Unwilling Ward, book 2 in the Westhavens series by Emily Bascom, proved to be a major improvement from book 1. This had much more to offer to me; a sexy and broody war hero and a feisty little heroine who won’t give up on him, even when I was getting exasperated with him. It made the whole affair sweeter, and I enjoyed watching the stubborn oaf fall.

Major Westhaven’s Unwilling Ward is set in the early 1780s. Major Daniel Weshaven has seen it all, even though he’s only in his early 30s. He sure feels like an ancient man! He’s a war veteran, whose career ended swiftly after an injury, though failed to take his life, left him maimed. This harsh reality, apart from the fact that he’d lost many of his good friends and comrades including Robert Penvensey, made Daniel’s life unbearable. The truth that he’d always have to be without a leg hit him hard. Daniel didn’t know if he’d ever be able to keep the promises he made to Robert about his younger sister, Lilliana, before his death. He always wanted Daniel, whom he held on high esteem, to become Lilliana’s guardian. The Penvensey siblings were orphans and she’d be basically left all alone in the world if Robert’s not there for her. But a broken, angry and frustrated with life Daniel returned home and became a complete recluse. He was recuperating at his family estate Oakridge with only a few faithful servants like the old butler, John, in attendance. He didn’t want anyone to know about his weakened state. The prideful man in him wouldn’t let him, for you see, Daniel was battling not only the demon’s of war, but also the depression of being made to feel ‘less of a man’ due to its adverse affect on his body.

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

I have been meaning to read Emily Bascom’s The Rogue’s Kiss, book 1 of the Westhavens series, for quite a while now. And now that I’ve read it, have to say I’m quite disappointed. If it wasn’t the writing style, it was the lead characters that drove me bonkers. I never quite connected with Christopher or Kit and Roisin, neither did I feel their attraction to one another.

The setting is in the early 1740s. Roisin, who recently lost her Earl of a father, is in London for a season that basically her mother wants much more than her. Roisin is not really Irish, though they’ve made a home there. Ireland is more her home than England. She loved spending time gallivanting around their big estate with her older brothers. And this, her mother can’t stand. She wants her daughter to have a season, grab a husband and become a true lady, once and for all. But Roisin... well, she’s headstrong and right now, sitting in this shabby old inn, she feels bored and miserable, while her ancient chaperone doses in the other room. So she makes a plan to escape and return to Ireland. Silly I’d say, but that’s how she meets this highwayman, Ewan MacHamilton, who accosts her hired carriage bounding through the lonely road in the middle of the night.

Think People's Guide to Autism is a FANTASTIC website and resource for all things Autism related. 

In their TPGA's All Ages Holiday Book Guide post, they list a variety of books (non-fiction, as well as adult and kid's fiction) about autism, or that feature realistic portrayals of Autistic people. Including a Victorian Romance novel featuring an autistic man as the romantic lead (Jennifer Asley's The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie).

But also featuring classic books like A Wrinkle in Time, which features a "...female protagonist [who] is a terrific role model for aspie girls."

This list is a great resource if you want to learn more about autism or if you have Autistic people in you're life who might find these books interesting themselves. 

I know I've added a bunch of these books to my reading list.