How does a lack of diagnosis affect a young girl, autistic and unaware, as she grows up?

Historically, autism has not been well-understood as a condition, and current evidence suggests that it has been systemically mis-diagnosed in people assigned female at birth, with many autistic women and girls unaware of their autism until adulthood. This was author Becca Lory Hector’s experience; growing up in New York City, she was aware that she was somehow “different” but did not get correctly diagnosed with autism until she was an adult.

In this intimately honest book, she reflects on her childhood experiences of misdiagnosis, isolation, and misunderstanding. At times painfully honest, the narrative explores the trauma that can result from a missing diagnosis, and the healing that the “right label” can start to bring once one is received. Ideal reading for students of disability studies, psychiatrists in practice and training, teachers in practice and training, medical students and practitioners, and social support workers in practice and training, this book provides a raw insight into the experiences of an undiagnosed autistic child.