Anxiety, meltdowns and emotional regulation can be hugely challenging for autistic people. This book is full of proactive strategies for understanding, accepting and respecting the processing differences in autism. It contains tools for reducing sensory, social and mental drain, and offers strategies to protect from ongoing stress and anxiety. These help minimize shutdowns and burnout, while maximizing self-esteem, autistic identity and mental health. Learn strategies for matching environmental demands to the person's processing needs, how to support vulnerabilities, and how to prevent and manage meltdowns while protecting the identify and self-esteem of the individual with autism.

This book compiles posts from the popular online Autism Discussion Page to provide simple and effective strategies for helping children with autism spectrum disorders to feel safe, accepted and competent. This volume focuses on the core challenges faced by those with autism: cognitive, sensory, social and emotional.

This book compiles posts from the popular online Autism Discussion Page to provide simple and effective strategies for helping children with autism spectrum disorders to feel safe, accepted and competent. This volume covers anxiety and stress, challenging behaviors, stretching comfort zones, discipline, and school issues.

Drawing on her own experience and using examples to explain how autistic people think, the author distinguishes between meltdowns and tantrums, showing how each begins, and most importantly, how to identify triggers and prevent outbursts from happening in the first place. Practical and simple solutions to avoiding anxiety are offered throughout.

This ground-breaking book provides the first detailed clinical analysis of the various manifestations of catatonia, shutdown and breakdown in autistic individuals, with a new assessment framework (ACE-S) and guidance on intervention and management strategies using a psycho-ecological approach. Based on Dr Amitta Shah's lifetime of clinical experience in Autism Spectrum Disorders, and her research in collaboration with Dr Lorna Wing, this much needed book will be a valuable resource for professionals, autistic individuals and their families and carers.

Barb Cook and 14 other autistic women describe life from a female autistic perspective, and present empowering, helpful and supportive insights from their personal experience for fellow autistic women. Michelle Garnett's comments validate and expand the experiences described from a clinician's perspective, and provide extensive recommendations. Autistic advocates including Liane Holliday Willey, Anita Lesko, Jeanette Purkis, Artemisia and Samantha Craft offer their personal guidance on significant issues that particularly affect women, as well as those that are more general to autism. Contributors cover issues including growing up, identity, diversity, parenting, independence and self-care amongst many others. With great contributions from exceptional women, this is a truly well-rounded collection of knowledge and sage advice for any woman with autism.

"To think of PDA as merely involving demand avoidance is to me akin to thinking of tigers as merely having stripes." This book is a unique window into adult Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), exploring the diversity of distinct PDA traits through the voices of over 70 people living with and affected by the condition. Sally Cat, an adult with PDA, has successfully captured the essence of a popular online support group in book form, making the valuable insights available to a wider audience, and creating a much-needed resource for individuals and professionals. Candid discussions cover issues ranging from overload and meltdowns, to work, relationships and parenting. This is a fascinating and sometimes very moving read.