2026 Reading Challenge Update

I'm pretty happy with how things are going. My aim was to read 24 books this year. I've read 19; I'm seven ahead of schedule, and I'm working on another three or so. I've read each month, so Goodreads has given me an 'achievement' bookmark for each one. There are 174 days left. Here is what I've read so far, in reverse order:

1. Supervisor, Manager, Leader: The Basics of Being a Boss by Mike Kraus
2. Knock 'Em Dead 2016: The Ultimate Job Search Guide by Martin Yate
3. 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions by Ron Fry
4. Can I Recycle That? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics by Jennie Romer
5. The Inspired Houseplant: Transform Your Home with Indoor Plants from Kokedama to Terrariums and Water Gardens to Edibles by Jen Sterarns
6. House Plants for Every Space: A Concise Guide to Selecting, Designing and Maintaining Plants in Any Indoor Space by Green Interior
7. The Lifelong Gardener: Garden with Ease and Joy at Any Age by Toni Gattone
8. The Official We Do Not Care Club Handbook by Melani Sanders
9. Painting in Watercolour: Practical Techniques and Projects for Beginners by Wendy Jelbert
10. All These Ghosts by Silas House
11. I Need a Job!: Be Noticed. Land the Interview. Get Hired. by Gary Burnison
12. CV Handbook: A Curriculum Vitae Owners Manual by Will Coghill Behrends and Rebecca Antony
13. The Everything Guide to GLP-1s: Lose Weight, Build Healthy Eating Habits, and Achieve Lifelong Weight Management by Kayley George
14. What Color is Your Parachute Guide to Rethinking Interviews: Ace the Interview and Land Your Dream Job by Richard Nelseon Bolles
15. A Good Apology: Four Steps to Make Things Right by Molly Howes
16. On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Danya Ruttenberg
17. Why Your Resume Isn't Working: And How You Can Fix It Now by Wendy D. Steele
18. Unmasking Adult Autism: Embrace Your Autistic Identity, Overcome Executive Dysfunction, and Empower Your Neurodivergent Self by Neuro Nurture
19. Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women by Sarah Bargiela

Five more to go. Let's see if I can go beyond that. Hopefully! I've got two works of fiction I'm working my way through (these are almost all non-fiction). One is The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. The other is Mrs. Lilienblum's Cloud Factory by Iddo Gefen. I'll be happy to add those to the list, as I do non-fiction much more easily than fiction these days, alas. I don't know why.

This week

I have put in 15 applications, 6 today alone. I'm doing what I can to find a job as quickly as I can.

My unemployment benefit claim has been denied because I did not understand the waiting week--I thought it was the first full week after you apply, when actually they backdate your week to the beginning of the week in which you apply. So, for me, I lost my job on a Wednesday and applied that day, so my waiting week started February 15th, even though I was let go on the 18th. While I was reeling from that and applying for unemployment, Medicaid, SNAP, and everything else I could think of, calling about my retirement and how to pay off my line of credit and the dryer I'd bought through my paycheque, I'd put in a couple of applications, but in fact I'd needed to put in five. When I had to put in the claim, it became obvious that I'd been wrong about the week (the first week following I did have five, and was fine on the requirement, because I thought that was my waiting week, and I already had enough lined up for the next week--this week to make everything work.

I went ahead and appealed it immediately, throwing myself on their mercy. I really didn't understand the wording of their FAQs, the phone just referred me back to those FAQs, and the Internet just let me down completely, because it seemed to say it was the week after, too. I explained that I often have trouble understanding certain concepts that may seem cut and dry to most people, due to my autism, which is often the case. They did say at the time to keep claiming it in case they decide to grant it later.

In the meantime, I do have Medicaid, which was a big one to me, as my healthcare is a priority. 

This!

This graphic is nice, but please follow the link to the post that accompanied it on Facebook, especially if you really want to understand me at all. This describes my reasons for what I do daily spot on. I never recognised autism in myself until a friend was reading an article about Asperger's (not a thing in the DSM-5, but still), to understand a friend of ours better. Then he started to realise they applied to me, right down to trouble with proprioception and motion issues. He had me read it, asking me to keep an open mind, and I realised it, too. That's when I sought an assessment, which was really hard in our area as an adult — it took a year to even find someone here. EKU [Eastern State University, in nearby Richmond, Kentucky] had a five-year waiting list! But I was finally diagnosed, and I'm going forward with finding support and figuring out how it affects my life, what was missing all those years, and what can help now. I do wish I hadn't been missed for 57 years. It would have made such a difference. I wouldn't have spent all that effort and thought I was messing up for no good reason, when I was supposed to be 'gifted and talented'. I wouldn't have spent all those years putting in such an effort masking that I actually lost myself for a long time and built up a huge amount of anxiety. But I'm hoping now that I can release some of the anxiety because I finally know the underlying issue.

#1 for 2026

Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women by Sarah Bargiela, illustrated by Sophie Standing. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019.

This is an introduction to autism presentation in women in graphic novel format, aimed at young adults aged 11-18, so it was a quick read as I was making coffee this morning. I found it informative, but I especially found the bits about how autistic women are often the victims of abuse in relationships because they fail to form a network of female friends in their adolescence to help them navigate dating and sexual relations. This is my experience. In her book, Sarah Bargiels described how they were forced to learn to be assertive on their own and how it finally empowered them. I never did. I got stuck, so I just shut down in this area and stopped dating. I divorced in 1991 and stopped dating about 1994. Period. It wasn't worth it, I told myself. Maybe this diagnosis will change this--I don't know.  But it could, now that I know what's going on, it's definitely a part of my life I should talk with my therapist about.

Hmmm....

I was looking at a list of autistic traits, and I'd never thought of doodling as autistic 'stimming'. I did this all through school. I didn't need to really do notes back then, or at least didn't think I did, and did well enough on exams; this belief was underscored. Given that later I took notes for our Cthulhu game, initially for myself (I didn't know it would be for posterity and for the group, and that I'd be doing it 34 years later), my notes from then would suck. Those early notes are full of doodles, but little content, and of course I remember little of the stories, and I've gone back and looked at the modules, but our game master does so much improvision and modification there was no way to get the notes right, and most of the people who played are gone on to other things and are unavailable. I have tried to reconstruct them, trust me. But when I was younger and unmedicated, and therefore my memory was less impaired, I did actually remember more of my classes, and there was structure, and I comprehended most of what I heard, plus I was pretty much bored because I'd read the assignment and many of the lectures were just out of the book, so in my boredom I drew doodles in the margins and took few actual notes. It worked for me at the time. I got A's and occasional B's in secondary school and early college. Things started to unravel once I started to have a social life, and I lost the structure that I'd had in high school in school in college. I still did okay, but let's just say I only made the dean's list my freshman year. I needed to start taking notes, but if anything, I just doodled more, because it was a way to soothe my anxiety.

Also, two of the things they list that are missed in girls a lot are twirling hair and biting nails. Also me. My mom had to get this bitter stuff to put on my nails. I'm surprised my hair didn't break off, too.

PS For the last 15 years, for the game I've used a digital voice recorder that plugs into a USB-B slot into a computer and transfers a file so I can then listen and write up what happened; not so much a verbatim transcript but the gist in story form. My phone will do an AI transcript, but that actually takes longer to turn into story form than listening, believe it or not, because there have been a couple of times I've run out of batteries and I've had to use it as backup.

Interesting

Early vs. Late Autism Diagnoses Linked to Distinct Genetic Profiles

A large-scale international study has revealed that autism diagnosed in early childhood is genetically and developmentally distinct from autism diagnosed later in life. Researchers analyzed data from over 45,000 autistic individuals and found that early-diagnosed children often show social and behavioral difficulties from a very young age.

#10

Divergent Mind: Thriving in A World that Wasn't Designed for You, by Jenara Nerenberg. New York: HarperCollins, 2021.

The book itself isn't bad, it's actually pretty decent. I hate how it's exclusively geared towards women but you don't get that until you start reading it--there's nothing in the title or subtitle indicating that, and I think if I were a guy I'd feel like there was a bait and switch, because 1) male experiences matter, too, and 2) with the exception of a few cases, most of what she wrote would also apply to men, but it is written through a feminist, women-only lens. I'm saying this as a woman myself. I'm not saying we can't focus on our issues, but just be up front about it and don't alienate half the population, especially in a group that's already been alienated for being different from neurotypicals.

#9

The Mindful Guide for Adults Living with Autism: Empowering Adults with Autism, Thrive in Work, Love, and Self-Discovery by Steven Fain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good overview of what an autistic person needs to know about dealing with adult life, and while helpful for anyone, it would make a good gift for a young adult going into the world or someone who struggles to find mindful balance in life. It doesn't overwhelm with detail, but rather gives practical advice for a wide-range of areas of life in terms of balancing relationships, learning, work, personal interests, and online life in a way that is meaningful while drawing boundaries and being assertive, advocating for oneself, and looking out for one's own mental and physical wellbeing. It is a worthwhile look at all ways to improve all aspects of life that can be challenging to those on the spectrum, without being preachy or pedantic.

View all my reviews

*Note I did receive this book free in return for the request to review it.

Unfortunately, yes

 

Someone on a Facebook group

 asked about getting diagnosed with ADHD or autism in later life and how someone went about it. So I wrote this.  It seemed the best way to explain what's been going on here:

I had a friend we heavily suspected was autistic, and my roommate was reading an article to educate himself in interacting with him, when he realised it all applied to me, then had me read it without bias, and I realised it applied to me, right down to the clumsiness (lack of proprioception awareness). I was poleaxed. I'd already been diagnosed a decade before with ADHD at 48 and was on medication [both diagnosis and medicine had been covered by my work health plan]. I began to look at online resources and tried to find local places to seek a diagnosis. Someone online mentioned Embrace Autism, which was great--I highly recommend her site, and I took the validated tests and came out pretty much squarely autistic, which increased my drive to seek out an actual psychological diagnosis locally, but it was really hard. The only place I could initially find was a college in another town (I have driving anxiety), but they had a 5-year wait. I'm in central Kentucky in the US. Finally, I found a private psychologist who did assessments. Still, since my insurance does not cover autism assessments (she does not take insurance anyway), I socked more money into my flexible spending account at work this year. I used it for the assessment since it is a behavioural health expenditure that is covered by that; it's just out of pocket. After several sessions of interviews, observations, and a variety of testing (including a questionnaire for a friend who had known me for 40 years--my family had all pretty much passed away), I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 in March, right before my 58th birthday, with the full report received last month. All told, it was about $1300. People ask me why I did it. Partly, it makes everything make more sense. I wasn't just the ugly ducky-nay, ostrich trying to make it in a swan world. And it helps me try to figure out how to make the rest of my work years work. I've had some trouble with changes going on at work, with new responsibilities and changes in jobs over the last few years. I used to be a librarian; now I work in a busy clinic, and it's very different, and I'm struggling. I'm trying to find ways to navigate that. I'm trying to strengthen relationships and basically figure out how to act like my brain is more together than it has been without being inauthentic. I've masked so long I don't even know who I am anymore, or who I ever even was. This gives me a chance to figure out before it's too late. I couldn't figure out the masking thing at first and then it hit me that when you do it, you're not just say, modeling off of one person, you're modeling off of more than one, plus people you see on TV, plus anyone you meet, and you lose all sense of self, to the point where you bury the real you. Not only is that exhausting, but that person is so far down, there's almost no way to unpeel the layers to get to them. When I was young and depressed from my homelife, I'd surpressed emotions and personality to the point I'd had to find the real me and almost had to be dragged out of a whole fantasy world I'd been hiding in (hyperfixation to a high degree I guess), and I'd thought that was bad, and now I have to consider that even then with masking I wasn't completely finding the real me. Now I'm going to focus on getting to the person I would have been. Not the person who I would have been 'if only I'd been diagnosed earlier' or 'if only they'd seen the signs'. But the person I always was. Just me. But still able to function at work, still able to not freak people out by being too weird. I have friends who love me even though they know I'm weird, and I cherish them, even though I sometimes frustrate them to no end. I couldn't try to do that if I didn't know about my autism. It's the first step. One of the first recommendations of the psychologist was to find a therapist (who did take my insurance) who is versed in autism challenges, which I have done, and we're working on that. Another was to find a community, either online or locally in person, or both, and this group is part of that, where I can be myself. I hope that helps.

The psychologist I went to was very thorough, had a clear understanding of neurodivergence, and I would highly recommend her. Here is her contact information, if you are in the Lexington area:

Neurodiversity Consultants LLC

Dr. Jessica Newland, PsyD
713 Millpond Rd, Suite 12
Lexington, KY 40514-1570
859.780.3805
https://neurodiversityconsultantsllc.com/

I really need to get to reading

 I've only read four books this year. The last one was Your Knee Replacement: A Patient's Guide to Understanding Knee Arthritis, Preparing for Surgery, Maximizing Your Outcome, by Ryan C. Koonce, MD. OrthoSkool Publishimg, 2019. ISBN: 9781733135849 (that's the eBook ISBN).

I have had a lot on my plate these days and just have had no time for reading. With the surgeries coming up, I will. I did ask a librarian at Lexington Public the other day about any issues in terms of trouble getting them back to the library as I am the only driver in the house. If I can't return them, that's fine, even if I don't tell them. Most books have multiple copies, and even if not...they don't do fines. I can probably get a friend to get hold or take them back on Sundays when she comes in to play in the game when I'm feeling well, but still, that's reassuring.

In the meantime, I have a VERY large to-be-read pile.

Here are the books I have out from two different libraries to read:

LEXINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

1. Allegiance - Stories by Gurney Norman. Old Cove Press, 2022. ISBN: 9781956855029 [Gurney Norman taught me creative writing when I was at the University of Kentucky and is a well-known local author. He was the 2009-2010 Poet Laureate for the Commonwealth of Kentucky].
2. Autism Adulthood: Insights and Creative Strategies for a Fulfilling Life, 2nd. edition by Susan Senator. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2018. ISBN: 9781510732711
3. Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World that Wasn't Designed for You by Jenara Nerenberg. New York: HarperCollins, 2021. ISBN: 9780062876805
4. The Electricity of Every Living Thing: a Woman's Walk in the Wild to Find Her Way Home by Katherine May. Brooklyn, NY: Melville House Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781612199603
5.  Information Desk: An Epic by Robyn Schiff; New York: Penguin Books, 2023. ISBN: 9780143136804
6. The Jewish Way to a Good Life: Find Happiness, Build Community, and Embrace Lovingkindness by Rabbi Shira Stutman, The Experiment, LLC, 2025. ISBN: 9798893030174
7. The Lifelong Gardener: Garden with Ease & Joy at Any Age by Toni Gattone. Portland, OR, 2019. ISBN: 9781604698534
8. Neurodiversity for Dummies by John Marble, Khushboo Chabria, and Ranga Jayaraman.  Hoboken, NJ.: Wiley & Sons, 2024. ISBN: 9781394216178
9. NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman. New York: Avery Books, 2016. ISBN: 9781583334676
10. Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs by Jill Mays. Future Horizons, 2024. ISBN: 9781963367058. (this is aimed at helping autistic children, but I figure a lot still applies)
11. Off the Spectrum: Why the Science of Autism has Failed Women and Girls by Gina Rippon. New York: Seal Press, 2025. ISBN: 978-154160-502-2
12. Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library by Wayne A. Wiegand. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. ISBN: 9780190248000
13. The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention, a 70,000-year History by Simon Baron-Cohen. New York: Hachette Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781541647145
14. A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Barriers, by Sari Solden and Michelle Frank. Oakland, CA.: New Harbinger Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-168403-261-7 [which, when I went to grab the ISBN on Amazon (because the book unhelpfully just says Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data on File and doesn't even include the ISBN) I bought on Kindle 5 years ago, so I might as well give that one back for someone else to read. :)]
15. Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, New York: Harmony Books, 2022. ISBN: 978-0-593-23524-9
16. The White Storm: How Racism Poisoned American Democracy by Martin Gelin. Essex, CT: Prometheus Books, 2025. ISBN: 978149308351

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY LIBRARY

1. Julian's Gods: Religion and Philosophy in the Thought and Action of Julian the Apostate by Rowland Smith. London: Routledge, 1995.ISBN: 0415034876

So 17 on the TBR pile. Whew. Let's see if I can get through them all. That would put me at 21 if I can get through them all, so still 15 more after that (the goal is 36). I also need to look at a book on shoulder surgery that I've already read, which I own, that has exercises for my right rotator cuff. I'd hurt it picking up a box of kitty litter back in March, but we'd decided to just do home exercises like I did with the left after that surgery, rather than do surgery on the biceps and rotator cuff on this one, both of which are torn. I need to get it strengthened before I go into my knee surgery as I'll need better upper body strength.

I did cancel my Kindle Unlimited subscription because 1) DEI and 2) I'm tired of giving money to billionaires and instead have been buying locally or from other companies such as Better World Books. alibris is another one. But for Kindle books, I'm stuck with Amazon. :(

Okay, that's a long post. I've got to wrap this up. I think it's been an hour or more!

Twenty-six

Citation:

26. The Autism and Neurodiversity Self Advocacy Handbook: Developing the Skills to Determine Your Own Future by Barb Cook and Yenn Purkis, 2022, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 167 pp. ISBN: 978-1787755765.

I didn't care for this one. It was too general and really didn't give me what a sought, which was ideas for advocacy and requesting accommodations if needed.

Oh, well...I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads.

Twenty-five

Citation:

25. Asperger's on the Job: Must-have Advice for People with Asperger's or High Functioning Autism, and their Employers, Educators, and Advocates by Rudy Simone (with a forward by Temple Grandin), 2011, Future Horizons, 159 pp. ISBN: 978-1935274285

I liked this one pretty well. I'm having difficulties with management at work and I'm trying to get ideas for helping myself do a great job and navigate some of the issues I'm having.

Exciting

New Imaging Technique Identifies Autism Markers with 95% Accuracy

Summary: Researchers have developed a system that detects genetic markers of autism in brain images with 89-95% accuracy, potentially enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment.

This method, which identifies brain structure patterns linked to autism-related genetic variations, offers a personalized approach to autism care. The technique, called transport-based morphometry, could transform the understanding and treatment of autism by focusing on genetic markers rather than behavioral cues.

Key Facts:

• The system uses brain imaging to spot autism-related genetic variations.

• Accuracy of the method ranges from 89-95%, promising earlier diagnosis.

• This approach could shift autism diagnosis from behavior-based to genetics-based.

Connexions

Yesterday before I left work I had a nice conversation (since all the patients had left and we might have been two of the few in the building on a Friday at almost 5 pm) with a nice young man who I would never see again because he was moving out of state. I'd seen him a only few times but had never gotten to exchange more than five words with him. In the 10 minutes we chatted, we talked about several things, including comics (I used to work at a comic book store back in the day), especially Marvel vs. Marvel movies (a sore point for both of us) and I told him my favourite comic book was Neil Gaiman's Sandman, despite recent accusations of sexual harassment towards the writer that have come out. He assured me that he himself had no toxic masculinity despite the testosterone he injects each day. The fact that he was comfortable and disclosed his trans status made me happy. That we could talk about it in an off-hand way meant things have progressed.

Don't get me wrong, I sometimes wonder if gender re-assignment is for everyone who seeks it, because trans and the many other forms of gender and sexual orientation are sort of trendy right now, and I say that as someone who is technically part of the community but tends to see herself as an ally because she hasn't dated since 1994 and it's not really all that important to her identity. But the fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter if I approve or not, that is a personal choice, and it was obviously part of his identity, I'm glad we had that talk because people need to be able to live their lives accepted for who they are.

We never know what aspirations, thoughts, dreams, or feelings people really have when we interact with them each day. We aren't all mind-readers or true empaths. But we can be empathetic to them when they tell us (or show us) how they feel about themselves, and what they strive for (so long as it's not something like serial killing or world genocide, but I try not to interact with the true monsters in the world, at least if I can recognise them).

I'm sure there are plenty of people who would have reacted badly and called him a monster, which simply is not true. I don't understand why people focus so much on hate when they can be kind. We all have dark parts in our personalities and our souls, [I certainly can be a complete and utter terrible person on bad days], but we should be kind to each other, listen to each other, and try to make things better for other people and the world in general, and for ten minutes out of my week I felt a connexion because someone felt comfortable enough to share a bit of their life with me.

The last time I felt that way was when a young man excitedly told me he had just found out was autistic. He was so happy about his diagnosis, and I understand now, though I didn't really then, though I was happy he was happy. I'm sure it made things make more sense, and that is a very special feeling.

Both of those situations were cases of people who shared something about themselves that sometimes receive quite a bit of stigma. And we need to be open to, even if it's only a momentary glimpse into another person's life, of how important that is, and we can bond over that sort of thing as easily as we bond over comic books.

It has been so freaking busy lately

*Warning, long, somewhat whining post, even though I have so much to be grateful for, and others are going through so much more than I*

Up briefly in the night. I'd struggled after a long day of work with way too much stimulation with fraying just a bit but not actually breaking down, had to go to two stores to get challah, came home and crashed for two hours, came out to make and eat a sandwhich, and went back to sleep shortly thereafter. Essentially I was utterly exhausted; my roommate virtually sent me to bed when I got home at 7 PM (I'd started my day working at about 7 AM, scheduled till 5 PM). He even did a couple of my chores. It's 4 AM now and I finally feel human again. Although we were very busy and the flow of the front desk, which I was covering all day while training a new person, is different, I don't think today was what did it, but a combination of weeks of too much stimulation with lights and crying children and happy ones, and other noise and all the stress of being 'on' all the time., plus a lot of personal life stress. Plus we're in fracture season, the numbers are up, and it's difficult to fit people into the schedules [although thank goodness I can overbook on the computer now, rather than having to call others to do it]; I feel like I'm constantly juggling and I'm just trying not to drop any balls. And today things just were not so much chaotic as crazy, with weird stuff that happens but are involved all while other people are coming in. I was scheduled for a 10-hour day and had had one on Monday as well. I used to do that all the time when I was working two jobs, but it's somehow not the same. I finally ate lunch at 3:30. My legs are killing me from sitting even more than I do at my desk. I think I had taken two bathroom breaks and got up a total of five times during the time I was out there. I just felt a little tied to the desk. Don't get me wrong, I love my job in many ways. I am also very grateful to have it, as I have been laid off once and partially so (hours cut back or position eliminated twice) over 27 years and they've always done their best to keep me on, bring me back, or move me to another job. I love where I work, and the health insurance is outstanding, which I need badly. But I was much more suited to being a librarian and I know it. Even the insurance job, while stressful and a lot rode on it, was quieter and less stimulating.

I'm sure I'll feel better about it once I've had the weekend to decompress and recharge. I feel better already now that I've gotten some rest. It's not like I'm the only one who has days like this, and a lot of people have much more stressful jobs that they have to take home with them or have to make decisions with a lot riding on them. I don't. But I just recently began to understand a little more of why days like today nearly make me shut down, and while that's great to know, it's also very frustrating, because it takes so much effort to do things when it shouldn't, but I just have to try to deal with how I'm wired. And I have always been able to hold work, and do a good job, and a lot of people with similar issues struggle a lot more than I do. And while I came close to breaking down today, I did for the most part manage to keep it together, so that's a plus. I don't normally feel this way every day.after all. But today surprised me. It wasn't one of our super-busy days. In some ways, the job I was doing was easier than the one I usually do. I don't know why today was just so much in terms of feeling overwhelmed, but tomorrow, as Scarlett O'Hara would say, is another day. And I'm back at my desk and it'll be a busy Friday but slower than the rest of the week. It'll be okay, although I have to get up early again due to physical therapy. For now though, I should just go back to bed for a bit and let my dreams hopefully wash away the day and allow me to get some rest. Thank you for listening.

*whine off*

Something to remember

The monkey is from my therapist, a reminder to calm 'monkey chatter' when I'm anxious. The post-it was given to me by my supervisor the day before my surgery when I had a massive panic attack. I need to remember to be mindful. It works for autism meltdowns, too, I'm sure.

Fifteen

15. Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask! by Megan Anna Neff

Thirteen

13. Asperger's and Adulthood: A Guide to Working, Loving, and Living With Asperger's Syndrome by Blythe N. Grossberg

Ten, eleven, twelve

10. Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Your Diagnosis, Finding the Best Resources and Support Team for Emotional Regulation, Self-Advocacy, and Obtaining Employment by T.G. Alexander

11. Essential Art Therapy Exercises: Effective Techniques to Manage Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD by Leah Guzman

12. Asperger Syndrome: A Comprehensive Guide For Understanding, Living With, And Treating Asperger Syndrome by Frank Ryan