Understanding Autism in Adults and Aging Adults: Improving Diagnosis and Quality of Life

by Theresa Regan

Autism is a childhood condition ... right? Not right. Children with autism grow into adults with autism. The great strides we have made in understanding childhood autistic behaviors and interventions have lagged dramatically behind the needs of aging autistics. What of the young adult trying to build relationships? What of the middle aged autistic adult who has been misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and lacks an effective treatment plan? What of the aging adult who is showing increasingly rigid autistic behaviors and is misdiagnosed as having frontotemporal dementia? Understanding Autism in Adults and Aging Adults is a one-of-a-kind resource designed to improve the correct diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in adults. Filled with clinical stories that bring to life the concepts discussed, the book provides strategy-based interventions to address issues of personal and household management, medical care, communication, sensory processing symptoms, and emotional and behavioral regulation.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Psychology

208 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2017

About the author

Theresa Regan was born in the metro Detroit area in Michigan. She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Wayne State University and specializes in Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology. She is a Neuropsychologist at the Illinois Neurological Institute at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in central Illinois.

Theresa and her husband Patrick have a son in the autistic spectrum. Her experiences working at a medical center, interacting with other parents in her community, and raising her son inspired her to write Soul Cries.

Reviews

[Book Him Danno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a doctor, therapist, just a mom who run into everyday people. A lot of children have been diagnosed with Autism and I find that one day they will be adults and I need to understand a little more of what goes on and how to help those who need guidance in this worlds.
Dr. Regan offers both her professional experience working with the adult and geriatric ASD population. I enjoyed her personal experiences as a mother of a child who is in the spectrum.
I have a family member who's adult daughter is has Autism and I have watched how it has effected their lives and how they try and guide her thought adulthood.

I found this book to be helpful in guiding those who have family and those who interact with those with Autism. Everyone needs to have a little more understanding who wide this spectrum is and how to treat those who have are one extreme to the other as well as everyone in-between.
I plan to pass suggest this book to those I know struggling with a child as well as those who are in this area of life.
Advance Copy from Netgalley and the Publisher.

[Ilana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very-well documented book offers a perfect guidance to detecting and offering the proper psychological advice to adults diagnosed with autism later in life. Besides this, it is very useful to family members and people close to them, as they can eventually work together strategies to progress towards a better social and work inclusion. Such books help to diminish the stigma and increase the understanding of autism, particularly to adults not diagnosed at the proper time or being offered an incorrect psychological evaluation.
The book is written in an accessible way, easy to be understood by non-professionals and offering enough examples to better understand the autism spectrum.
Useful, interesting and an indispensable guide for better understanding and coping with autism.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Juliana Haught · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has probably been the best book on Autism I've read to date. Instead of talking about theories on the origins of autism or what the structural differences are in the brain or how to "fix" it, this just bypasses all the fraught issues and gets down to strategies. This is a very practical book that talks about how to recognize signs of autism in older adults, and how to figure out accommodations to make life more functional and less stressful for autistic adults. Our son has autism, and this book has helped me to reframe some behaviors or personality traits in older family members as well as look to our family history to see the pathway of autism in our lives. I liked this book so much that I got Regan's other book, Understanding Autistic Behaviors: Improving Health, Independence, and Well-Being.

[Lili · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Netgalley for Review

First off, I just want to say thank you for this existing, as an adult with Autism, let me tell you, there are not a lot of resources out there for us, a lot of people think that the disorder just goes away when you are an adult or that it never gets worse as you age, believe me when I say it was immensely frustrating. This book is helpful to not just people who have Autism, but also to recommend to people who have to interact with Autistic people on a daily basis or honestly just anyone wishing to understand the disorder and how it presents in adults.

I do wish the book had an appendix or dedicated chapter with a list of resources for more information, but even lacking that this book is very useful. Again thank you for writing it!

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a practical handbook for Adults on the Spectrum. It covers
almost everything I & family members have experienced. It offers practical solutions & all the
potential misdiagnoses ASD adults have been labeled with, so a correct diagnosis can be made & real solutions (that actually work!) can be found. This book
should be required reading for all medical professionals & all ASD
adults, or those who suspect they are autistic. It illustrates the wider definitions of autism, as opposed to the narrow stereotypes that most people
define as autistic. It is a much broader spectrum than even medical professionals realize.
Excellent book.

[Catana]

Not what I hoped for, but it does a good job of what it was written for. I recommend it on that basis. Written by a therapist, and refers to "patients," reflecting the focus on autistics who, mostly, require a fair amount of support. The suggestions might be helpful to people who do live independently, without any supports or assistance, if they can read objectively rather than be put off by the heavily medicalized view.

[T. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book!

I knew nothing about Autism Spectrum Disorder and was curious enough to learn about it. Older adults and aging adults' brain disorders especially interest me. This book is a great introduction to ASD. The information was fascinating and the many suggestions and behavioral interventions for this disorder are useful tools not just for ASD, but, for all memory deficits. Well written and resourced!

[Kendra Morana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Interesting book and easy read!

I chose 5 stars because the book helped me self diagnose myself with Autism. It's very easy to read and the explanations in the book were easy as well and i understood them. I highlighted a lot of the book that i related to and/or wanted to try for strategies to help with my Executive Functioning issues! I am planning on getting an official ASD diagnosis soon! I highly recommend this book!

[Cynthia Parkhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book pays much-needed attention to adults on the autism spectrum, including consideration for those of us who "missed" being diagnosed in childhood. It provides important insight into why some adults may lack official diagnosis, and makes a vital case that recognition at any age can provide valuable insight and meaning.

[Joshua Dancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little repetitive, but it's so refreshing to read a book on autism that actually discusses us like we're humans and not problems to be solved. Highly recommended for allistics who want to understand autism better.

[Alissa Militello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wife of recently diagnosed ASD husband.

This book is a must read first step in understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The use of case studies is helpful in providing real life examples. May this book help you as you learn about your loved ones beautiful mind.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book if they know someone with autism, or even if they don’t! I’ve been reading so many books about adults with autism and none of them have been as helpful and in detail as this one.

[Elizabeth Halsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful

The case studies helped me understand what kind of issues an aging adult may have and pair those challenges with solutions.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, in-depth and very helpful. Great read

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt very much aimed at NT caregivers. Possibly some useful info for autistic readers in there, but hard to get past the medicalized outsider point of view that felt rather condescending/othering.

[Stark]

Her podcast is actually more useful, I didn’t have to read this.

[Karin Karlsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good book. So glad that I got recommended to read it.
Learned alot.

[Jaiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mildly infantilizing

[Laura Hanke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical, more geared to the intellectually disabled ASD person, but very readable. It is nice to see that if you can get the village organized, the individual can be cared for. And it introduces aging, which I also really appreciated.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(received via NetGalley April 2017; read April 2017)

I went through an autism book phase last year and I can’t remember the details of this one. I don’t think it used much problematic language and was up to date with current research.

There is a definite need for more books about autistic adults, and this is a welcome addition to increase awareness of why there are undiagnosed adults and how this can be addressed.

As I said, I don’t remember in great detail, and it wasn’t as good as Luke Beardon’s Autism and Asperger Syndrome in adults, and I’m sure it had some problematic areas, but it’s on the good end of the autism book spectrum.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and well needed book. Adult autistics especially those with late diagnosis are an often ignored group in the autism discourse. I liked the case stories from adults/young adults of all ages. The only thing that was missing is some sort of appendix where existing resources for adults, who want more information and assistance, can go for help. For example, getting a schedule binder created. I would really like to know more about that. I would definitely recommend this book.