Sensory: Life on the Spectrum

by Bex Ollerton (Editor), Schnumn (Editor), Laila Ahamad (Contributor)

A colorful and eclectic comics anthology exploring a wide range of autistic experiences—from diagnosis journeys to finding community—from autistic contributors.

From artist and curator Bex Ollerton comes an anthology featuring comics from thirty autistic creators about their experiences of living in a world that doesn’t always understand or accept them. Sensory: Life on the Spectrum contains illustrated explorations of everything from life pre-diagnosis to tips on how to explain autism to someone who isn't autistic, to suggestions for how to soothe yourself when you’re feeling overstimulated. With unique, vibrant comic-style illustrations and the emotional depth and vulnerability of memoir, this book depicts these varied experiences with the kind of insight that only those who have lived them can have.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Comics, Disability, Mental Health, Anthologies

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum edited by Rebecca (Bex) Ollerton is "a Comics Anthology featuring comics from autistic creators about their experiences of living in a world that doesn't always understand or accept them."

Neurodivergence is the term used when describing the difference in the way "someone's brain can process, learn, and/or behave differently from the norm. "Autism is so misunderstood, it can feel lonely at times...it doesn't have to be that way."

Thoughts and feelings of some of the comic creators of this graphic novel:

"Being non-verbal is just one trait that can exist in a person's autism 'soup.' And just like ingredients in soup, there's many different traits and amounts of each in an individual."

"Art has been my best coping mechanism. I've never had much confidence in my words and still struggle sometimes...So I'm happy that I have this way to express myself."

"Sometimes it feels like I'm a bridge apart from everyone. I don't seem to think the same as them or act the same...Nowhere felt like home."

"...I wish you knew about masking...How much conscious effort [is needed] to mirror your speech and body language."

"Autistic fatigue is very real and sensory overload, masking and stress can all cause it."

[There are] "Misconceptions that autistic people are rigid or unfeeling through the way we express ourselves and our emotions may vary [from what you are used to]"

Before having read this excellent, heartfelt and detailed tome on autism, I had watched a 16 part Korean television series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo". Woo Young-woo is a lawyer with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who works for a large law firm. She has an encyclopedic command of the law, having memorized everything she has ever read. She uses unique and creative strategies to win court cases, a result of thinking outside the box. A series about a fictitious autistic lawyer begs comparison to the written words and beautiful graphic illustrations expressed in this anthology.

Quotes from Extraordinary Attorney Woo:

"Anxiety can be relieved if pressure is put on the body during sensory overload."
**Pressure therapy can be very soothing. This can be done with a tight hug. Sound cancelling headphones can reduce ambient noise. Attorney Woo wears headphones every day while traveling to work.

"My name is Woo Young-woo. Whether it's read straight or flipped, it's still Woo Young-woo. Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar. Woo Young-woo."
**Repetitive behavior also includes the rituals Attorney Woo must complete before entering a doorway.

"You keep popping into my head like whales. Even though you're not one."
**Whales are a special interest to Attorney Woo. Interjecting dialogue about whales at inappropriate times must be channeled. Whales can only be discussed at lunchtime. Social interactions need to be coached, and will be, by some supportive friends and co-workers.

There will always be naysayers promoting a false narrative, listing shortcomings of the series. However, I'm thankful that Extraordinary Attorney Woo adds to the conversation, bringing more public awareness to ASD.

Autism is a different way of thinking and experiencing life. This comics anthology was written for autistic readers and to promote a better understanding of life on the spectrum. It is an exemplary, informative read. Highly recommended.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really happy that this collection exists and I highly recommend it to anyone who is autistic or thinks they might be, or even has a loved one who is autistic and would like to understand many autistic people's experiences better.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

———
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[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and interesting insights into autism by creators who are autistic. It's an anthology of more than 50 short strips, so it has ups and downs from page to page but remains pretty consistently engaging. I was intrigued by the concept of self-diagnosis being an accepted standard within the community and any moments from day-to-day living that were shared.

I really wish a little more effort had gone into formatting and editing. The stories could really use title cards to help distinguish them as they can sort of run together with their variant lengths and sometimes similar art styles. And perhaps those extra pages would also have been great places to introduce the individual creators more fully right next to their stories. Most of the stories in the body of the book have no titles or creative names on them, resulting in a lot of flipping back and forth to the table of contents. I was also frustrated to see that the table of contents lists many of the creators by their proper names, but the Contributors section in the back of the book and online at https://asdcomix.com/contributors often lists only their online user handles / aliases/ pseudonyms, so it took a little digging to connect Hallowmations to Angelina Eddins and ebm to Kyle Lewis, to name just two. I've included all variations I worked out in the contents included below.

(An aside: I probably spent 4 or 5 times longer compiling the contents and adding creator credits to Goodreads and LibraryThing for this book than I did actually reading it. Happy obsessive time for me! Yay!)

FOR REFERENCE:

Bio profiles and social media links for all creators are available at https://asdcomix.com/contributors . Social media handles are included in brackets after the name that appears on the book's Table of Contents.

Contents:
• Introduction / Bex Ollerton [Rebecca Ollerton and Schnumn]
• Better Now Than Never / Emma O'Friel [Moodypidge]
• Two Bridges Apart / Arian Sebastian Farzad [CSomeoneH and CertainlySomeoneHere], story; Laila Ahamad [Laila Portrays], art
• Consent Is Beautiful / Suzanne Wdowik [MargaretWind]
• Overwhelm / Chloe F. McKay [AcidKeyLime and Wren]
• How I Found Sense / Allie [AllieIllustrate]
• Cover for Me / Alice Williams
• Things That Help / Matt Crane [Mattihase]
• Greater Understanding / Buddy O. Baker
• 54321 / Dean McColl
• Until There Was Nothing Left / Noel Fox [Hexed Boy]
• Masking and Mirroring / Bex Ollerton [Rebecca Ollerton and Schnumn]
• Fly / Jo Svensson [Mr. Squidgereen]
• Autism and Me: What You'll Find / Rhia May-Byrd [SaltedGayFish]
• Behind the Wheel / Angelina Eddins [Hallowmations]
• How I Fit into the World / Charlie Watts
• Home / Almond
• Halfway / Dominique Morris [Newtsoda]
• The Truth Behind Asperger's / Micaela Wainstein [Tismoonie]
• Masking in Autism / Mell Stansel [DandelionLambs]
• Going Outside / Jinx Peregrine
• Retreat / Alicia Wdderburn-Graham [Leesha] and Bex Ollerton [Rebecca Ollerton and Schnumn]
• Things I Didn't Know / Laila Ahamad [Laila Portrays]
• Special Interests: The Ups and Downs! / Ash Ortiz
• Accepting My Autism / Reloaxa [Morgan Jordan]
• Compliments / Kayla Gilliam [Konnichibot]
• Theatre / PJ Fairweather [PJ Draws]
• Autigiography / Jo Blakely
• Burn Out / Kyle Lewis [ebm]
• Clothing Language / Lindsay Miller [Seacow Soda]
• Battery / Nova Kahan
• Tips for Autistic Adult Life / T Catt [Tea]
• The Special Interest Suplex / CJ Barrett and Toria McCallum
• Infantilization of Autistic Women / Alexandra McCarthy [One_In_Hundred]
• Meeting My Needs / Molly McCracken [SheepEtc]
• Music Waves / Michiums [Michi]
• Sparks / Katie Cunningham and Alice Williams
• Of Fairy Lights and Change / C. A. Crisóstomo [Et Fictor]
• Autistic Joy / Taylor Reynolds
• Autism Soup / Cy Popps [Cypopps]
• Getting Autism Diagnosed / T Catt and Allie
• Self-Diagnosis / Bex Ollerton [Rebecca Ollerton and Schnumn]
• Hurting and Helping / Shay Commander [Cadaverkeys]
• Autism and Jobs / Rhia May-Byrd
• Triple-A / Jo Svensson [Mr. Squidgereen]
• Autistic Person / Cy Popps
• Autistic Burnout / Dominque Morris [Newtsoda]
• Seeing Ourselves / Kai Mycelium [Shroomy and uboaappears]
• Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria / Bex Ollerton [Rebecca Ollerton and Schnumn]
• Community: On Autism, Race, and Representation / Alicia Wedderburn-Graham [Leesha] and Micaela Wainstein [Tismoonie]
• What Day Is It? / Dominique Morris [Newtsoda]
• Sharing Your Story / Arian S. Farzad [CSomeoneH and CertainlySomeoneHere], story; and Alexandra McCarthy [One_In_Hundred]
• The Wrap Up / Alicia Wedderburn-Graham [Leesha]
• Autistic Pride / Bex Ollerton [Rebecca Ollerton and Schnumn]
• Contributors
• Acknowledgements

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I contribute to a lot of kickstarters for comics, most of which wind up being average or even disappointing. As fate should have it, this one popped up on Kickstarter a couple days after our pediatrician advised us to get Miles tested for Autism.

In the time between getting this in the mail and finally reading it, Miles was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He's also hyperlexic and hyper numeric. He can count to 1000 and reads as well as a seven year old, pretty amazing since he's not yet three.

Anyway, I'm glad I got this. It's a collection of stories about Autism by 40 comic creators with Autism. The stories are typically about day to day life with Autism. The stories are personal and unflinching, making this a powerful little book.

The art styles are diverse, ranging from cutesy to manga inspired to manga inspired cutesy and various other points on the comic style map. Getting the day to day accounts of people with Autism gave me a little more insight into my son's current behaviors and what he might do when he gets older. See, Mom, comics are more than super heroes punching each other!

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What these autistic graphic artists have learned about their autism is a delight to read. The art is wonderfully varied even as the message is uniformly self-affirming. Many of the contributions focus on themes of self-acceptance and self-care, and this is exactly what autistic people need to hear, over and over again, after enduring a lifetime of harmful messages.

This upbeat graphic-novel anthology will help anyone who is coming to terms with their own autism. It's full of heart and help. 100% endorse.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

this cozy and colorful comic anthology has such tremendous value!! the bite-sized individual comics have a variety of styles and attitudes, but all are educational, comforting, or both. as someone who has been hesitant to embark on autism research and reflection, doing so through comics feels very easy and accessible.

particularly helpful were the discussions of autistic burnout, masking & safe spaces, rejection sensitive dysphoria, and sensory joy.

it's also exciting to discover so many new creators! i do wish each comic had a lil title page to make it easier to identify each author, as i found myself flipping back to the table of contents to figure out exactly where i was. but overall this is a really well-done collection.

[mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set of short graphic novels by autistic authors. We can read about various themes that help us understand autism and that every autistic person is different. So there is no better or worse autism.

All the graphics and styles were not to my liking, but there are a lot of authors. Some illustrations are excellent and go well with the subject they present. Overall, great selection on a particular topic.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a lovely eye-opener for me. I think it's the first book on living on the spectrum that I've read, that is completely written and drawn by people living on that same spectrum. And it showed me perspectives that I hadn't considered. It made me wonder about myself, as I recognised certain behaviours and social difficulties.



If I have one small bit of criticism, it is that I think the book could've done with a page at the start with short little explanations about some terms and concepts - for example, stimming.

Loved the art, loved all the different perspectives. Recommended for everyone.

(Picked up a review copy through NetGalley and Edelweiss)

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review from an #ActuallyAutistic reviewer!

Like with most anthologies, you're always going to like some contributors more than others. I liked a bunch of them, but some had art styles I didn't connect with, and some I skipped completely because the style was too heavy on my senses.

I did feel like I was among friends while reading this; I felt understood. Things like autistic burnout and the various misunderstandings we experience when trying to communicate with neurotypicals was relatable.

Overall, I'm a bit disappointed by how I felt about it, but I think I'm one of the few people who didn't love this, so that may just be a me-problem. 😅

Recommended for fans of the Quick & Easy Guides series.

⭐️⭐️ 2 stars: it was okay

[Anniek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exactly what I was hoping it would be, such a great, uplifting anthology! There's mini comics from 40 autistic creators, and I really loved most of them - some of them I even recognized from seeing them online at some point.

I'm definitely picking up a physical copy of this, because it'll be a great resource to revisit regularly. There's lots of empowering and uplifting stuff, and also even coping strategies.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this comic.

40 different autistc artist made an anthology about having autism and living with ASD and it's such a good and informative read. I recognized a some of the tools described in some of the stories to prevent anxiety attacks etc and I only wished I've seen this comic when I was younger.
Some of the stories hit home more than others, but that is only to be expected. All of them are important and I really reccommend reading all of them to educate and help understand the people and the diagnosis in it self.

[Emily M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short comics about autism by autistic creators. Would make a good gift for family members who want to be supportive of their autistic loved one but don’t quite know how, or an affirming read for autistic teens and adults.

As with any anthology, your mileage may vary on each entry. Some seemed to me to stop oddly abruptly. My favorites were:
- AcidKeyLime’s visual depiction of sensory/social overwhelm
-‘Fly’, which shows a hummingbird trying and failing to fly like a “normal” bird, falling…and then realizing they are in a garden of other hummingbirds, hovering like they were meant to. (Reminded me of my dad telling me: “It’s not that you can’t do it. It’s that you have to find YOUR way of doing it.”)
-‘Battery’, for a good explanation of how it feels to have your social battery drain faster than other people, and how feeling shame about that makes it worse
-‘Autistic Joy’, for including some very relatable stuff like making time for special interests (birds! moss! and organizing/sorting stuff related to it), sensory joys (sand & water under toes, favorite textures), when you can set up work to go at your pace in a good environment (MAN do I feel fortunate to have ended up with a flexible schedule that allows a good bit of work from home…and wish that was more widely accessible!), when you have someone to share special interests with…etc.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic stuff. A wide assortment of contributors talk about what their diagnosis means for them, as well as demystifying certain things in the public consciousness. Fantastic project, well executed. Very glad to see it in the list of Eisners this year.

[Serena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recieved an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This might be more of a 3 stars. Might come back later for that.
My one and only problem was that it was really disorganized. It was pure chaos at time. There's no title page or anything to signify that a comic ended and another one is starting. They are just thrown there in no particular order. There should be accessibility guidelines to AT THE VERY LEAST make sure the text on the comics is readable, which isn't true for many many of them. Small fonts, thin fonts, tons and tons of text in a single page, contrasting colors that made my eyes hurt, everything that could have gone wrong in that regard went wrong at some point.
There was also no theme besides from autism. That's where the right order might have done some good. About half of these were about the authors telling their experiences being autistic, and the other half were textbook stuff: what's sensory overload? What's a meltdown? Why is it difficult to get diagnosed as an adult? I didn't care about these because I honestly already knew everything in them (I am making a thesis on autism currently so I might be unusually privileged), but either way I don't think you should waste book space in things that you can easily google. Or if you do, make it make sense. Put them as openers for a section of comics. What's a meltdown? This is a meltdown. Now we'll read a few comics about the authors' experiences with meltdowns.
The mood was also all over the place. Some were like "I hate my autism and I wish I was dead sometimes" and then after two pages of that would come a comic that's like "autism is the best! I love being autistic!". Which are two completely valid and real experiences, but as a reader it felt wonky. This is a problem of order, not of content.
Overall the book made it really hard to pay attention to it. I would say the longest comic was 6 pages long, the book is almost 200 pages long so you can imagine how distracting constantly jumping from one idea to the next, unrelated one got over time. I finished it last night and I have trouble remembering more than three or four of the comics. I understand this was more of a zine that got traditionally published than a full fledged comic anthology, but there are still some things that would've taken almost no effort to fix and would've made my experience reading this much better.

VERY IMPORTANT THING: as I mentioned I'm currently doing my thesis on autism and as far as I can tell there's no misinformation in this book. That's a heavy enemy in the academic sphere for the autism topic, and I was glad honestly that the authors didn't contribute to it. So don't be afraid to read it, just know that you may end up dizzy when you finish it from the chaos that's inside.

[Emmalita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago I was visiting with a friend from college. During our conversation she looked at me and wondered if I had a lot of air signs in my star chart or if I was perhaps on the autism spectrum. At the time, neither of those things made any sense to me, but I figured that since she was a professional astrologer and the mother of an autistic daughter that she was seeing what she was used to seeing. At the time, my ideas about autism were entirely formed by the way autism has been portrayed by non-autistic people and none of that looked like me. Lots of air signs seemed like a more likely option than autism.

In the last couple of years I’ve seen a lot more from actually autistic people sharing their real life experiences unfiltered by neurotypical spokespeople. Now, maybe being autistic isn’t as wild an idea as I thought it was 15 years ago. I have official diagnosis for chronic depression and generalized anxiety disorder. I am 98% certain that I have ADHD. I don’t know how much ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder overlap, so I’m reluctant to diagnosis myself with ASD as well. Someday I may seek testing and diagnosis. Getting a better handle on how my brain works has made my life so much better. Getting an authentic picture of how different brains work is an inherent good.

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum – An Autistic Comic Anthology is an anthology of short webcomics by 30 creators about life as actually autistic people. With 30 different people, there is a depth and breadth of experiences and perspectives on being autistic. I have no idea if or where the collection falls short. Not every installment spoke to me, but I’m sure that anyone looking to learn more about autism will find value. I think this collection would be a great for people who know they want to know more but aren’t sure what they want to know. At least one of the experiences illustrated here will be the right doorway.

After reading it I’m still half and half on where I land. A lot of the sensory issues did not resonate with me, but masking and autistic burnout felt very familiar and would explain a lot. So Shanna, if you’re reading this, you may have been on to something. Drop me a comment because I lost your address and I don’t know how to find you. I still don’t understand air signs. Please explain.

I received this as an advance reader copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

[Salem ☥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i went through this anthology like it was nothing. it was super easy to read and felt like a nice dump of information. the soup metaphor joke made me feel so seen.

(i don't know why this review updated today i read this over a year ago lol).

[Mariella Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting bunch of graphic essays written by folks on the spectrum who are learning to live with their diagnoses and see what that means for them. I had studied the spectrum quite a bit in college for some research courses, as well as working with children on the spectrum in different settings. But it's always a different experience reading work created FROM the mind and heart of that person rather than factual or narrative work ABOUT them.

[Eva B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine I guess. Anthologies are very hit or miss for me and that's especially true when it's slice-of-life comic anthologies that vary from multiple pages crammed with information to much more laid-back two-pagers with mostly art. Some I related to, some I didn't. I liked the soup metaphor.

[Blaise Kyrios · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. I do wish it had more specifics about what it means to be Autistic, as this felt very surface level, a very beginners guide feel. Valuable, but I was hoping for more detail. The art was lovely and, as a beginners guide, was a great graphic novel.

[Sarah Pucknell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a book about life on the spectrum featuring comics from autistic creators. No better insight that only those who have lived them can have. Loved reading each individuals story.

[Liv (LivTheBookNerd) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel so seen 🥹

[Hannah Boyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored reading this, as someone who is autistic it was really nice to read the lived experiences of others. Really recommend to both my autistic friends, and those that want to know more about autism!
My only issue with this book was to do with the formatting of the book, as it was hard to differentiate between new comics sometimes!

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and informative.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

:')

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this comics anthology. Even though it tackled some hard topics I felt so much joy and validation reading it. Highly reccomend, especially for my friends on the spectrum.

[harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a fun and insightful amalgamation of many aspects of being autistic. it made me laugh and smile but also opened a window into the struggles faced by autistic people around the world. As an autistic person, it helps to destigmatize many aspects of autistic life, combat some of that internalised ableism and generally feeling less alone. with such beautiful art too!! i loved it, and i love celebrating autistic joy.

[Faith Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

With over 20 years associated with the autism community, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what it was like for people on the spectrum to live in the neurotypical world. I was wrong. This book is heartbreaking and enlightening as a number of artists and writers on the spectrum tell us of their lives and their struggles for dignity, understanding, and respect in a (sometimes) uncaring world. The bright note in this book, is that the autism community has used the modern communication tools at their disposal to organize and advocate--something that past generations didn't have access to. The contributors to this comic anthology are a dynamic and diverse group doing great work for themselves and their community. Highly recommended!

[Meredith Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5/5) This quick graphic novel was such a good and informative read! Of course, every autistic person you meet will have a different experience (as no person is the same as another), but this compilation of comics from 40 different autistic artists and creators. For a book so small, it's really quite powerful! If most of your understanding of autism comes from the way autistic people are represented in media, this is a good book to learn from #actuallyautistic folks. This book isn't a replacement for getting to know an individual, but I think it really helped me understand overstimulation, burnout, masking, and a start of how to support folks who are autistic.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Raegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

-Disclaimer: I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.-

1.5 stars

Disjointed & hard to read font.

"There are no words to describe the pain of denying yourself for a lifetime".

Some information was new to me. It was interesting to see some overlap between neurodivergent and neurotypicals. It mentions how measuring time can be hard to some. How some Autistic people use notecards to talk. Hair can also cause overstimulation which results in them cutting it off or covering it.

But other than that, a bunch of the information was repetitive (a lot is about mirroring, masking, & recovering). The majority of the art was horrible. It was hard to tell when one story ended and another began. All-in-all, the book wasn't well-presented.

[lostcupofstars · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt seen reading this. Would love to see more from autistic black women, the perspective that was in there was really relatable and I hoped there would be more.
Some of the stories had text that was difficult to read and some of them were quite overwhelming to look at. Also this really needed structure, some were basic informative types, some were experience based and I think reading this was a chaotic experience.

Overall though, this is the first book I’ve come across written by autistics and it was nice not to experience that sinking feeling of realising you’re reading something ableist. A good and informative collection.