What does it mean to discover later in life an AuDHD identity and what impact does that have on an individual’s sense of self?

Author Rachel Winder explores how 40 years of not knowing her AuDHD identity impacted her life – from Autistic masking (a subconscious survival tactic to camouflage social differences and so avoid unwanted attention and rejection), through to developing complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPTSD). Discovering her neurodivergent identity gave her the tools to shed harmful and incorrect labels and to see her life through an AuDHD lens.

An Autistic-ADHD Journey explores a brief history of Autism alongside the author’s unique lived experiences that aim to dispel the many harmful misconceptions surrounding Autism and ADHD. This book takes you one person closer to knowing more about AuDHD.

Through the exploration of a complex and shifting understanding of self, this book is ideal reading for AuDHD folk and allies, anyone wishing to understand Autism and ADHD more, carers, mental health practitioners, Medical Students, and students of Disability Studies, Autism and AuDHD Studies, and Mental Health Studies.

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Acknowledgments
• Abstract
• Disclaimer
• Table of Contents
• Content warning
• Learning objectives
• 1 Introduction
  • A brief background of where the term Autism has been historically
  • Autism, as it appears to stand today
  • AuDHD identity versus PNT identity
  • The Autistic brain, versus the PNT brain
  • Different ways of thinking
  • Context, detail and “absolute thinking”
  • Why comparisons go wrong
  • Beyond stereotypes
  • Non-verbal communication and me
    • “Autism + Environment = Outcome” (Beardon, 2019, p. 11)
  • Ground-up thinking versus top-down thinking
  • Hyperphantasia: Accept first Analyse later
  • Masking
  • Unmasking
  • Low masking and high masking Autistic people
  • Answers to frequently asked questions
  • What are the joys of the spiky profile and how does the PNT perceive it?
  • Aren’t we all a little bit autistic?
  • What is it like being AuDHD?
  • Are all Autistic people good at maths?
  • Are Autism, ADHD and other neurological differences superpowers?
  • What are some unfair expectations of neurodivergent people?
  • What is the difference between neurodiversity and neurodivergence?
  • Is Autism genetic?
  • What is emotional resilience?
  • What is rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD)?
  • What is owning wrong labels about?
  • What are sensory needs?
  • What is stimming?
    • Stimming analogies
  • What is self-harm?
  • Eating disorders and neurodivergence
  • My strong moral compass and platonic relationships
  • Some notes on language and terminologies used throughout the book
• 2 Pre-discovery
  • A lack of a sense of belonging
  • Bullying at school
  • Puberty
  • How could things be improved in schools?
  • Romantic relationships
  • The night I met my husband, Tim
  • Platonic relationships
  • Gold (Au) digging: stories of movement towards discovery
  • Pre-discovery parenting
  • Moving from being able to hide away at home to feeling reluctantly ushered towards society
  • Time blindness and the value of money
  • Reflections of how I experience time and money
• 3 Post-discovery
  • Square pegs: round holes
  • The silver lining
  • The lost years
  • Coping strategies
  • Here are five things I like about being neurodivergent
    • One: Perception of micro expressions
    • Two: A strong moral compass
    • Three: attention to detail
    • Four: Hyperfocus
    • Five: Innovation
  • The building blocks of securing my identity
• 4 My learnings from a comparison of pre- and post-worlds
  • Learnings of ground-up thinking
  • Learnings about neuro-discrimination since discovering my identity
  • Learnings about creating space for self and self-advocacy
  • Sensory processing learnings
  • Audio processing learnings
  • Learnings about social experiences
  • Learnings about parenting (moving beyond motherhood without identity)
  • Learnings about authentic expressions
  • Learnings from my workplace experiences
  • Learnings about interactions and conflict
• 5 Conclusion
  • Anxiety about the future
  • For those who were lost and never found
  • My advocacy role
  • Recommended further reading
  • Suggested discussion topics
• Appendix 1: Tribunal Letter
• Appendix 2: DSM-5 criteria
• References
• Index

Rachel Winder, BA (Hons), QTLS, PgCert Autism, MA Autism, is an Autistic-ADHD autism consultant, educator, and researcher who integrates lived experience with academic scholarship. She has over two decades of experience supporting Autistic, Deaf, and Deaf-Blind communities.