Autism has always interested me. My interest has been particularly peaked of late as swathes of women, who have often spent years realising that they are not neurotypical, are being diagnosed with autism late in life. Why is this happening? Autism can be difficult to identify in women and girls due to skills in masking. It is speculated that boys are biologically more likely to be autistic, which could account for why there are 4.2 boys diagnosed for every girl. However, it has also been speculated that this gap is an artifact of the way autism is defined and diagnosed. This could leave girls and women hiding in plain sight.

‘As an autistic person, we cannot rely on body language or facial expressions the way a neurotypical person would. But we are very in tune with emotions. The problem is an excess, if anything, of empathy. We feel your anger, your pain, your sadness. And then we overload, and don’t know how to handle that.’

Therefore I was particularly intrigued to read ‘How to be Autistic’ by Charlotte Amelia Poe. Poe’s memoir documents her very challenging experiences in educational institutes and her accidental diagnosis in 2010. Despite years of access to a qualified psychologist, it was only when Peo’s mother watched a documentary about autism that she recognised some similar traits in her daughter. If it were not for this chance TV-based encounter that collided with the psychologist’s visit, you have to wonder if Poe would ever have received a diagnosis and the tools to understand herself and to help the world understand her.

‘The best way to describe it is to imagine a road trip. If a neurotypical person wants to get from A to B, then they will most often find their way unobstructed, without road works or diversions. An autistic person will find that they are having to use back roads and cut across fields and explore places neurotypicals would never even imagine visiting, couldn’t imagine visiting. A trip from A to B for a neurotypical person is a trip through the entire alphabet for an autistic person, at random.’

Poe’s memoir is a painful poetry of her life’s cosmos. Poe now works as an artist and defies the old, archaic stereotype that people with autism are not creative or empathetic. She is creative, expressive and electric. All of these are traits of autism, despite public misconceptions.

What was particularly pertinent through reading Poe’s memoir was the extreme unkindness that she received from others, particularly teachers and other pupils. Where there were opportunities to make her aware of her sparking qualities, too often others chose to shun and humiliate. While the diagnosis of autism would not arrive until after a very damaging, isolating and saddening school career, it was clear that Poe struggled with anxiety and depression. Problems that were, undeniably, exacerbated by the unkind words and decisions made by others.

‘The world is built for neurotypicals; it accommodates you with its loud noises and uncertainty.’

I’d recommend Poe’s memoir to anyone who works in an educational institute, with young people, in mental health or has an interest in autism. Although attitudes towards autism are changing, the number of boys diagnosed vastly outnumbers the number of girls. While there might be legitimate factors that contribute towards this difference, we do not know with certainty what causes autism. With that in mind, we should be keeping our eyes open rather than closed in regard to supporting girls and women who might need extra support. Reading this book might help you put one step forward on the long road to finding answers and understanding those who most need help.

What a book is to one, may not be to another. I take an interest in neurodiversity as it often intersects with my work and studies in primary education, I am however neurotypical. It would be crass of me to write of this book as I would another. The reviewing of memoirs is tricky business at the best of times and the critiquing of someone’s whose genetic makeup is different to my own, in that it creates both hurdles and reasons to celebrate when it comes to writing a book, would not be appropriate.

What I can say is, I hope you read this book. I hope your eyes are open to the failures in our current and previous education systems. I hope you can see the position society puts people in when they do not conform to the norm. I hope you can grow empathy, not to be mistaken with sympathy, of an experience that may be so unlike your own. I hope you read this book.

I love a good book and this one I could not put down, even though it pulled at all my emotions.

“How to be autistic” by Charlotte Amelia Poe is an autobiography of a young female and her journey through childhood into young adulthood living with autism.

Winner of the Spectrum Art Prize 2018 also check out the video available via YouTube (or see The Spectrum Pharmacist Facebook account for the link).

How to be Autistic 📖
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5/5 ⭐️ Non Fiction read!
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I picked up this little gem during lockdown thanks to @booksthatmatteruk
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Charlotte gives the reader an amazingly raw and honest look at their life while documenting their struggles in school and home life whilst they search for answers and finally get an ASD diagnosis!
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This book has meant a lot to me as I work with children with ASD in secondary education and this has shown me their internal struggles and given me some answers as to what I can do to support them further 💜
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If you have ASD or support someone that does, I would suggest picking this up 😊

I loved reading #howtobeautistic by @smallreprieves - a really moving insight into what it's like to experience autism and to have to fight incredibly hard for a diagnosis, and then for support, and finally for acceptance. I'm sending this on to @g.pickworth as the first step on its #papertrail - DM her if you'd like to read it next!

Autism has always interested me. My interest has been particularly peaked of late as swathes of women, who have often spent years realising that they are not neurotypical, are being diagnosed with autism late in life. Why is this happening? Autism can be difficult to identify in women and girls due to skills in masking. It is speculated that boys are biologically more likely to be autistic, which could account for why there are 4.2 boys diagnosed for every girl. However, it has also been speculated that this gap is an artifact of the way autism is defined and diagnosed. This could leave girls and women hiding in plain sight.

‘As an autistic person, we cannot rely on body language or facial expressions the way a neurotypical person would. But we are very in tune with emotions. The problem is an excess, if anything, of empathy. We feel your anger, your pain, your sadness. And then we overload, and don’t know how to handle that.’

Therefore I was particularly intrigued to read ‘How to be Autistic’ by Charlotte Amelia Poe. Poe’s memoir documents her very challenging experiences in educational institutes and her accidental diagnosis in 2010. Despite years of access to a qualified psychologist, it was only when Peo’s mother watched a documentary about autism that she recognised some similar traits in her daughter. If it were not for this chance TV-based encounter that collided with the psychologist’s visit, you have to wonder if Poe would ever have received a diagnosis and the tools to understand herself and to help the world understand her.

‘The best way to describe it is to imagine a road trip. If a neurotypical person wants to get from A to B, then they will most often find their way unobstructed, without road works or diversions. An autistic person will find that they are having to use back roads and cut across fields and explore places neurotypicals would never even imagine visiting, couldn’t imagine visiting. A trip from A to B for a neurotypical person is a trip through the entire alphabet for an autistic person, at random.’

Poe’s memoir is a painful poetry of her life’s cosmos. Poe now works as an artist and defies the old, archaic stereotype that people with autism are not creative or empathetic. She is creative, expressive and electric. All of these are traits of autism, despite public misconceptions.

What was particularly pertinent through reading Poe’s memoir was the extreme unkindness that she received from others, particularly teachers and other pupils. Where there were opportunities to make her aware of her sparking qualities, too often others chose to shun and humiliate. While the diagnosis of autism would not arrive until after a very damaging, isolating and saddening school career, it was clear that Poe struggled with anxiety and depression. Problems that were, undeniably, exacerbated by the unkind words and decisions made by others.

‘The world is built for neurotypicals; it accommodates you with its loud noises and uncertainty.’

I’d recommend Poe’s memoir to anyone who works in an educational institute, with young people, in mental health or has an interest in autism. Although attitudes towards autism are changing, the number of boys diagnosed vastly outnumbers the number of girls. While there might be legitimate factors that contribute towards this difference, we do not know with certainty what causes autism. With that in mind, we should be keeping our eyes open rather than closed in regard to supporting girls and women who might need extra support. Reading this book might help you put one step forward on the long road to finding answers and understanding those who most need help.

I’m a teacher, I’ve read a number of books and resources about Autism. This is the first time I’ve seen or read a book BY a person with autism, and I can promise that I learned far far more reading this than any course or textbook could ever teach me. I saw some people complain that the narration was not cohesive enough, but I’m not sure they understood her story. Charlotte is not like anyone else, so why would her book, an extension of herself be any different? If you have any interest in other people or autism, I really recommend this read!

How To Be Autistic by Charlotte Amelia Poe - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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"I know rallying autistic people is like herding cats, we're all so unique, but that's what makes us amazing, we have an entire spectrum to draw from and each of us had a different voice."
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This memoir was beautiful. Charlotte Amelia Poe managed to make me laugh, cry, and taught me so much more about what it means to be an autistic person. They have clearly had great difficulties in their life because they weren't diagnosed until they were 21; the trauma and pain of school that they described made me angry and made my heart ache. Having said that Poe was clear to state that there have been moments of joy and hope in their life which balanced out the heavy parts of this memoir.
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I really liked the structure of this book. The chapters were split into short chapters that covered specific time periods and events in Poe's life. I always enjoy short chapters as it feels easier to dip in and out of a book. These chapters were followed up at various points with short poems and short stories that further expressed Poe's feelings on various subjects which I also really liked.
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Not only does Poe talk about being autistic, but they also talk about their own gender and sexuality. They talk about the misconceptions that surround autistic people related to their sexuality, and how they are often infantalized through shows such as the Undateables. They talk about the difficulties of mental health, the failings of the support systems and healthcare for those with mental health needs.
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This is a multifaceted memoir that gave me a lot to think about and made me question my own preconceptions about autism and my own biases as a neurotypical woman. I really enjoyed reading this memoir and would recommend it to everyone.
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#howtobeautistic #disabilitypridemonth #autism #nonbinaryauthors #lgbtq+ #queerauthors #queerrep #books #bookreview #bookthoughts #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookish #bibliophile #booklove #bookcover #bookworm #bookblogger #myriadeditions

'The world is built for neyrotypicals; it accommodates you with its loud noises and uncertainty. You're used to it; you don't even have to think about it. You can just pop out without taking medication, without taking someone with you in case you have a panic attack. You have it so damn easy.'

Reading this book was one of those experiences where you feel glued to the pages and being away from it without finishing it painful. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I devoured it. Why? Because it is so rare that there is a book about autism, or a book featuring an autistic character, that is actually written by someone who is autistic. Best of all, there is so much reality and truth packed into this book, that it is one of those especially rare occasions where this book is not only authentic, but is a book where at many times it felt like I was reading about myself.

Like many others, I was diagnosed quite late in my life. I was about to turn 17 and, having forced myself to attend a hospital appointment after being referred by a therapist who insisted I was autistic, I met with two women who didn't take long to diagnose me. In fact, I suppose it's so obvious that its borderline ridiculous that I wasn't diagnosed much earlier. But I'm not here to talk about that. Another time, maybe.

'My brother and sister are both in medicine; my brother is a junior doctor, and my sister is training to be a nurse. Neither of them received more than a few days training in autism care or diagnosis.'

I completely believe that had I met with medical professionals trained in autism care and diagnosis much earlier in life, then I would not have suffered as much as I have. For my therapist who saw behind all of my struggles and pushed me towards getting my diagnosis, I am so thankful.

This book is one that everyone should read. It's emotional, raw - and it is informative. It's brilliant and exactly what the world needs.

I am so so thankful for this book and for @smallreprieves 💛

'You are f**cking cosmic'
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It may be grey and drizzly outside but at least I have a good book to read!

I started How to be Autistic two days ago and I cried within the first few pages - you realise pretty quick how much we (neurotypical people) take for granted in our daily lives

So far I have found the book really easy to read and incredibly enlightening - I’ve known what autism is for a while but my only real reference point has been shows like The Undateables, so I’m very grateful to be able to read about the autism from a first hand perspective

Have you read this? What did you think?

Happy World Autism Awareness Day and Week! #bookreview I’m so happy to be reviewing How to be Autistic by Charlotte Amelia Poe.

This book is imploring, riveting, and enlightening. Charlotte places the reader their shoes and shakes up the reader’s original point of view on Autism. There are moments where you just feel for Charlotte and want to do more than just read their story. It’s dynamic and illustrates the rawness of autism. I also read this book in the eyes of a teacher. As teachers, we are surrounded by different learners and we must see that. We should not only be aware of autism, but to learn and have students with autism feel like they can be successful and limitless in their academics.

Thank you again to @myriad_editions for sending me this book! I couldn’t be more happy with it. If you’re interested in purchasing this book, there is a code on their Instagram for 25% off!

I love the way this book is written, it feels like she’s actually talking to me. I don’t read aloud very often, let alone on camera, so please excuse the odd slip up!

This first snippet of the book is truly inspirational, it feels like some great speech written by a notable person of history. I think, given the current circumstances we’re all finding ourselves in, there’s a lot that we can all take away from this. This is going to be a great read, I can feel it in my bones.
#howtobeautistic @myriad_edition

So I have had this book on my shelves for a while and kept meaning to pick it up, thank you so much Myriad Editions for doing a readalong to raise much needed awareness for Autism Awareness Month. ⁣
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I do think this is an important read for everyone, in understanding how difficult daily tasks can be for people who aren't neurotypical. ⁣
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For those of you who didn't see/read my last post, the reason for wanting to read this is obviously because I wanted to be more educated in the matter but also because my 3 year old is currently going through the diagnosis process...Charlotte put points across from views I wouldn't of necessarily thought of and I found it a really interesting and insightful read.

Charlotte Amelia Poe’s fantastic debut, HOW TO BE AUTISTIC, stemmed from a video they made, of the same name, which won the Spectrum Art Prize in 2018. A beautifully honest account of growing up autistic, despite not getting a diagnosis until their twenties, Poe counters the dominant narrative that there is one way of being autistic or that there are certain characteristics that you have to abide by in order to be diagnosed as autistic.

In a truly enraging, at times, and emotional account of their experience going undiagnosed throughout the whole of their childhood and teenage years, Poe documents the times they were failed again and again by systems that overlooked them as just a melodramatic troublemaker. These personal essays can be difficult to read at times, and Poe doesn’t hide the fact that they are also difficult to recount in writing. They explore topics of mental health, bullying, relationships and sexuality. But Poe’s determination shines through - a determination to provide an own-voice account of autism by and for autistic people, a determination to help neurotypical people understand and do better for autistic people and a determination to create beautiful art.

I loved the personal poetry Poe includes between certain essays - hopefully there will be more of their creative writing to follow this debut - and I loved reading the essays on tattooing and fan fiction as Poe’s passions really enforced how powerful art and creating can be in thinking beyond how others define you. A really stunning collection of personal essays.

You will be told you are a troublemaker, that the thing you can’t put into words yet that divorces you from everyone else is responsible for the way the other kids pick on you and you really must try harder to fit in.” In the memoir How To Be Autistic, Charlotte Amelia Poe describes how hard life is for many autistic children and adults. The primary reason is often not their autism but the demands of, and sometimes mistreatment by, the people around them. There are shocking descriptions here of bullying not only by peers but also by teachers. Even when trying to help autistic people, researchers, clinicians and other professionals are often inadvertently giving the clear message that they need to change because, as Poe puts it, “you are wrong, and what you do and say is wrong”.

That is not to suggest that autism does not present its own challenges, or is not disabling in a neurotypical world. How To Be Autistic powerfully evokes the sensory and motor challenges that Poe, like many autistic people, experiences. As a child they (Poe identifies as non-binary) stopped brushing their teeth. That led to perhaps their first trauma, from dental work; their panic during treatment was so severe that they were prescribed diazepam. Eating is a challenge, too, when anything new is resisted; “Rest in peace, Tesco’s Vegetarian lasagne, you were a god among foods and your replacement will never compare”. Motor difficulties include not only coordination problems – making school requirements for neat handwriting and ball skills a nightmare – but also problems initiating even desired actions.

These difficulties, however, are nothing compared to the mental health difficulties that dog Poe from their early school years. Crushing anxiety and panic attacks, accompanied by vomiting, are an almost constant companion throughout childhood and adolescence; Poe also loses a decade to agoraphobia. The descriptions of depression are visceral: “you become a husk of a person, utterly devoid of anything … Being depressed doesn’t necessarily mean you want to die, it just seems like the easiest option”. Only recently has research uncovered the worryingly high rates of suicide among those on the autism spectrum, especially among autistic women. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including flashbacks, must have made this memoir particularly hard to write. The acknowledgement of PTSD in autism is a new development; autistic people may be traumatized by experiences (bullying, for example) not recognized as traumas in some diagnostic systems.

Given that Poe was in contact with a variety of health professionals from the age of eight, it is extraordinary that it took until they were twenty-one for autism to be considered as a diagnosis – and then only because their mother by chance saw autistic adults on the television programme Employable Me. Why would it take so long? Diagnostic overshadowing – the failure by a clinician to look beyond the first presenting problem (depression, in Poe’s case) – is common. Eating difficulties in autism, for example, which are often to do with sensory dislikes (of certain textures and so on) or a need for control (such as maintaining an exact weight) rather than body- image issues, may lead to a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, with autism overlooked; recent research suggests that around 20 per cent of women referred for anorexia nervosa have undiagnosed autism.

In addition, Poe did not conform to a narrow stereotype of autism. They had friends, and their intense special interests – in writing, fandom, body modification and tattoos – were not so unusual in their focus as to raise a red flag. Indeed, they provided a means for Poe to find their tribe – including the online community, with all its benefits (and risks) for marginalized groups. Camouflaging autistic traits, often by putting on a neurotypical “mask”, is one way in which many autistic people cope with social demands, try to escape bullying and stigma, and negotiate school or the workplace. Poe describes their face and body tattoos as “a sheet of armour … a distraction from the way I can’t quite make eye contact … it’s just nice to be thought of as ‘the girl with all the tattoos’ before ‘the girl with autism’”. Camouflaging and masking, however, can have severe costs in terms of burn-out and the loss of an authentic self; and they can compound vulnerability. Poe describes an intense online friendship that was exploitative and wounding, as well as college “friends” who took advantage of their being “a chronic over-sharer” to bully and betray them.

By the end of the book, Poe has successfully tackled many challenges and gained recognition and greater knowledge of their own worth through their rawly honest short film, How To Be Autistic, which won the inaugural Spectrum Art Prize. Poe describes this book of the same title as flowing out of them, “this burst of words, anger, sadness, hope, joy, trauma”, as they search for identity, struggling “to be the person I knew I was supposed to be”. This book will help many readers going through similar experiences, as well as their families; one has to feel for Poe’s mother, who – as Poe makes clear – fought so long and shouted so loud for her child, with so little help forthcoming. “By continuing to fight,” writes Poe, “every damn day, in a world that is not ours and is not shaped to handle us, we show how strong we are, and every second we’re breathing is in utter defiance of everyone who ever told us we were wrong.”

Francesca Happé is the co-author of Autism: A new introduction to psychological theory and debate, 2019, and the co-editor of Autism and Girls, 2019

The book is about Charlotte’s life growing up in a village town in Suffolk, going through school life thinking there was something wrong - but with teachers, parents and even the health service not being able to pinpoint what it was. Finally, at age 21, Charlotte was diagnosed with autism and it felt that all the pieces fit together. With this, they made a raw video about living with the condition and submitted it to the Spectrum Prize. The latter half of the book details the journey of submitting the video and then winning the prize.

The book overall is a fantastic, sometimes harrowing read which does not talk down to you and really feels like Charlotte is there with you, telling you these things. If you are looking for a great, no-nonsense memoir which does not gloss over anything, this is the book for you.

Before we set off to the book launch, we sent Charlotte some questions about the book and autism. Here are their responses:

How did you find the writing process for the book?

I started writing the book as soon as I got home from winning the Spectrum Art Award, it felt like a natural extension of the video and it just flowed out of me, I didn't eat, didn't sleep, just wrote and wrote until it started to resemble what it is today. There were moments when I could barely look at what I'd written because it was so triggering, even now, and there were moments of catharsis too. And I realised how lucky I am to have such a supportive family throughout it all, and what a privilege that is.

What is the one thing that you wish neurotypicals knew about autism?

I just wish they understood that we're people, not stereotypes. I worry neurotypicals will read my book and think 'ah, this is what an autistic person is like', when in fact we are all so unique and individual - that's what makes diagnosing autism so difficult, if we were all the same, people wouldn't slip through the net so often! So, to summarise, I wish neurotypicals know about our individuality, and also our ability to, in the right circumstances, thrive and create great and exciting things.

Do you think fandom is a welcoming space for people with autism?

Definitely. I think it's the one place where you can be truly unironically enthusiastic about something without being called cringy or worse. We live in a world where you have to act a certain way, have a certain disinterestedness about yourself at all times and about the things you like, whereas with fandom you can pour your heart and soul into something and find other people who want to engage and find the same characters and stories as intriguing as you do. Online spaces like that are great at combating isolation, and at bringing people together who wouldn't have found each other otherwise.

Do you think the representation of autistic people in the media has gotten better or worse?

I worry, with the anti-vax movement ramping up lately, that we are still seen as an unfortunate side effect, and I still don't see autistic characters that I can relate to personally. I was lucky enough to help out as script consultant on a short film which has just been entered into the BFI film festival called 'Our Sister', which features an autistic character, but her autism is not the overlying theme of the film, rather, she is autistic, and she is in the film. And the character is played by an actually autistic actress, which I think is brilliant. So, I think it's a mixed bag. We need to break away from the stereotypical 'all autistic people are young white boys' narrative and start including people from all walks of life, because that's what autism is, it doesn't discriminate, and it can be anybody. And I'd really like to see that more often.

The book is a mixture of poetry and prose, and relates Poe’s experience as a woman living with autism. To be honest, I didn’t know that much about autism when I started reading, and this quickly became clear to me: without realising it, I, too, had formed particular ideas about what autism is and does to people. I think that’s my major take-away from this book: that autism manifests itself in highly individual ways. Although I wrote my thesis about this in relation to anorexia, was a good reminder for me to keep educating myself about experiences that I have not personally had. Poe also discusses her views on sexuality and gender, and the way in which her family handled and handles her situation, which I found very informative. ⁣
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In general, I liked some chapters more than others: my favourites were those in which Poe zoomes out a little to analyse a situation, and I loved learning from her. I think it’s an important book that everyone should read, and I’m glad @myriadeditions made this story accessible to us. ⁣
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The essayistic pieces at the end are such a great addition, and emphasise how strongly Poe feels about mental illness activism and sharing her story. This one I found particularly powerful: ⁣
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“Who tells the stories of autistic people? Ninety-nine per cent of the time, it’s neurotypical people - neurotypical authors, neurotypical scientists, neurotypical voiceovers. It’s their narratives we are forced to conform to, and their narratives the public sees.” ⁣
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3.5 ⭐️ for me! And to end this post with a reminder from Charlotte Amelia Poe: you are fucking cosmic.

We hear autism being talked about a lot, but nine times out of ten it will be by neurotypical people who can only ever be outsiders looking in, and often in way that can impersonal and degrading. Written by autistic artist and writer Charlotte Amelia Poe, How To Be Autistic flips the perspective completely, retelling Charlotte’s experience growing up autistic from harrowing middle school days to the life-changing moment when they won the inaugural Spectrum Art Prize. I blew through this thing in under a week. It’s an incredibly candid, impassioned account that’s as difficult to put down as it was sometimes to read. But it was also funny, hopeful and most of all human. I was able to interview Charlotte for the blog and you can check out their responses here.