Abelist and frustrating
Those of us with ASD don’t want a cure. We don’t want “awareness”. We want acceptance. We want a less ableist society that respects our needs. This book talked multiple times about how disappointing it was that we didn’t have a cure for autism. I am not broken. I am different. For me, the most frustrating part of ASD is social situations, but all this book did was explain how to mask! Masking increases depression, anxiety, feelings of alienation, and increases the risk of autistic burnout and isolation. I should not have to pretend to be someone I’m not to make others comfortable, and it’s really disturbing that a psychologist who treats autism tells patients this. I don’t need to lie about myself to make friends, I don’t need to be disingenuous to fit in. This book reminded me of autism speaks, a hate organization.