Finding Your Superpowers: A Guide for People on the Autism Spectrum and Their Allies

Finding Your Superpowers: A Guide for People on the Autism Spectrum intentionally mimics and uses the popular images of superheroes. The book is a quick read with a fun and approachable format for a wide age range. The author has extensively interviewed families and "experts", including talking/consulting directly with adults on the spectrum.The target audience is young adults and adults on the spectrum, parents/care givers and allies. It would also be useful for educators, case managers and specialists in health and mental health care. The author has included examples, stories from individuals and families as well as resources and further information sources in the text. At the end of each chapter the reader is invited to note their discoveries. The focus of this book is on discovering and nurturing the strengths, personal traits and focused interests' people on the spectrum bring to their world over their life span. Through their individual strengths, many people on the spectrum can experience a positive and fulfilling life.  The systems that surround neurodiverse people put more emphasis on the person's "deficits" and/or "developmental delays" than affirming differences – often feeding low self-esteem, depression and anxiety.  This book is a guide to engaging or challenging these systems to nurture each person's "superpowers". It is hard, but attainable.