Understanding Autistic Adults: Supporting Personal and Professional Pathways and Overcoming Challenges

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Understanding Autistic Adults: Supporting Personal and Professional Pathways and Overcoming Challenges delves deeply into the experiences of autistic adults, providing comprehensive insights into potential professional paths and the psychological hurdles they may face in adulthood. It illuminates the experiences of autistics in professional fields like medicine, music, teaching, and therapy, alongside challenges like gender diversity, eating disorders, dissociative disorders (depersonalization-derealization disorder and DID), sex work, and professional stagnation. Theoretical chapters offer differentiations between autism and other psychiatric conditions; describe autistic thinking in terms of a disrupted integration between primary and secondary processes; provide a matrix for mapping various manifestations of autism; and outline support strategies tailored for autistics, therapists, government systems, and future research. Geared toward the ever-expanding audience of autistic individuals and mental health professionals, this book provides valuable insights into previously underexplored experiences to foster more understanding and validation.

Reviews

Understanding Autistic Adults will be especially helpful to autistic women who may be attracted to careers as primary care doctors, therapists, or schoolteachers. This book provides an interesting perspective on autism from a literary professor. -- Temple Grandin, author of Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions
Blumrosen-Sela's work makes a valuable contribution to the literature on autism. While much has been written about the lived experiences of autistic children, the personal narratives of autistic adults shed light on the many contributions of autistics, as well as the challenges they face. -- Tammy B. H. Brown, Marywood University, author of You're Hired!: Practical Strategies for Guiding Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Competitive Employment
This book is an excellent source for understanding the complexities of adult life and autism, gain invaluable knowledge about the unique challenges and strengths of individuals on the spectrum, and learn practical strategies to foster understanding, support, and success. A great resource to help create an inclusive environment that empowers adults with autism to thrive in their personal and professional lives. -- Francis Tabone, Cooke School and Institute, author of The ASD Independence Workbook: Transition Skills for Teens and Young Adults with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Ultimate Teen Guide
This well-researched and fundamentally empathic book helps us to deepen our understanding of a range of autistic adult experiences. Recommended reading for autistic adults and for others in various professions (especially education), the chapters detail the vital strengths of autistic people as successful doctors, therapists, social workers, musicians, and teachers, as well as pointing towards some of the reasonable adjustments that may benefit such adults. With vital attention to additional topics including autism and gender diversity, autism and eating disorders, and many further intersections of autistic living, Sagit Blumrosen-Selas Understanding Autistic Adults is a heartening and rounded contribution to knowledge. -- James McGrath, Leeds Beckett University, author of Naming Adult Autism: Culture, Science, Identity
Autistic adults and professionals will be able to explore the many dimensions of autism, including aspects that are based on clinical experience that have yet to be examined by research. I am in awe of the authors depth of knowledge, perspective, and analysis. As a clinician and parent of an autistic adult, I will be consulting her insight and wisdom. -- Tony Attwood, PhD, psychologist and author of The Complete Guide to Aspergers Syndrome

Author Bio

Sagit Blumrosen-Sela is an Israeli clinical psychologist holding a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her contributions span both literature and psychology, encompassing works such as Personality Disorders in Israeli Literature (Resling, 2017), Asperger's Lost Generation (Resling, 2021), and Autistic People Among Us (Hebrew Version, Resling, 2023). With substantial recognition and success of her autism-related books in Israel, she has emerged as a prominent authority in the field. Her expertise is rooted in extensive clinical experience with autistic individuals, coupled with important theoretical advancements.