Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism
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- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Barb Cook
- ISBN：1785924346
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Radhika
，
This is a work of non-fiction I picked up on recommendation of spectrum women I have known in my personal life。 This book marks a departure from my past readings where my selection would be based on qualifications and credentials of the author。 This time I went in search of ‘lived experience’。For quite some time， I have felt that higher education in mental health sorely lacks a social justice view。 We enter the field armed with the toothpicks of antidepressants and are put out to battle the Goli This is a work of non-fiction I picked up on recommendation of spectrum women I have known in my personal life。 This book marks a departure from my past readings where my selection would be based on qualifications and credentials of the author。 This time I went in search of ‘lived experience’。For quite some time， I have felt that higher education in mental health sorely lacks a social justice view。 We enter the field armed with the toothpicks of antidepressants and are put out to battle the Goliaths of complex trauma， deprivation and systemic injustice。 Our talking therapies are ableist， our vision distorted by ‘shoulds and shouldnts’ that we often deliver to the clients without regard to real life happening outside the therapy room。 We presume the ability of therapies， rather than the abilities of clients。 Our deficit-digging minds are every ready with pigeonholes of labels。Reading the stories of these extraordinary women， I felt the renewed hope that ‘neurology’ only needs acknowledgement before it can be surpassed。 Women have accomplished this over and over， their stories untold， their courage unsung。 。。。more
Emma Kiefer
，
I was really excited to read this book since there aren’t that many resources available for women with ASD。 I found the book to be really interesting and it was great to hear from a wide variety of women around the world。 However， I found some of the advice and language to be a bit patronizing and outdated。 For instance， I was not very comfortable with the terms “aspergirl” or “asperfemme” as these not only use Asperger’s name （which has been linked to eugenics） and they over emphasize the femin I was really excited to read this book since there aren’t that many resources available for women with ASD。 I found the book to be really interesting and it was great to hear from a wide variety of women around the world。 However， I found some of the advice and language to be a bit patronizing and outdated。 For instance， I was not very comfortable with the terms “aspergirl” or “asperfemme” as these not only use Asperger’s name （which has been linked to eugenics） and they over emphasize the femininity aspect of being a woman。 I also disliked how some of the authors implied that being non-binary was a “choice” for autistic women to make to “deal with” gender identity。 Being non-binary is not a choice。 Additionally， some of the advice in the book seems pretty bare-boned - exercise， practice mindfulness， try CBT therapy…it goes on。 What about navigating the healthcare system， particularly in the US where it is a nightmare to get diagnosed？ And what about for women of color who are also autistic？ This book talks about intersectionality but there are no women of color authors。 There is a lot missing in terms of analyzing autism in girls and women alongside race， sexuality， class， ethnicity， country of origin， etc。 This book is a good place to start thinking about autism in girls and women， but it is definitely not the place to stop。 。。。more
Paula
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I finished it today but that also included a 2-week break while I waited for my own copy to come in the mail。 I started reading the library copy but I related to so much of it that I needed my own copy。 An awesome resource， especially for recently self-identified or diagnosed autistic women！
Alaina Cyr
，
This book has helped me understand sooooo much！ My only critique: the 15 contributors were white women， so I'm not sure how much this book applies to all women。 This book has helped me understand sooooo much！ My only critique: the 15 contributors were white women， so I'm not sure how much this book applies to all women。 。。。more
Rachel
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2。5 I agree with others' comments- while each essay was interesting， there was no need to have Garrett's "interpretations" at the end of each chapter， it felt insulting and like she was plugging her center。 Also no diversity at all， not what I was expecting- felt directed at a younger audience。 2。5 I agree with others' comments- while each essay was interesting， there was no need to have Garrett's "interpretations" at the end of each chapter， it felt insulting and like she was plugging her center。 Also no diversity at all， not what I was expecting- felt directed at a younger audience。 。。。more
Lona
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The essays were interesting， but they read like they were written for neurotypicals to understand what autism is。 They were also all written by white cis women。 There was a slight mention of the lack of help for autistic people of colour but it was 1-2 little passages。Positive feedback: Since I saw myself in almost every chapter reading this book backed up my desicion to find out if there is an overlap， after my ADHD test in 2 months， so this was kinda helpful。 In regards of the autistic traits， The essays were interesting， but they read like they were written for neurotypicals to understand what autism is。 They were also all written by white cis women。 There was a slight mention of the lack of help for autistic people of colour but it was 1-2 little passages。Positive feedback: Since I saw myself in almost every chapter reading this book backed up my desicion to find out if there is an overlap， after my ADHD test in 2 months， so this was kinda helpful。 In regards of the autistic traits， struggles and thoughts the essays were good， I resonated a lot with them。 What I did not like were most statements about gender specific topics， here and there it was mentioned that "women tend to be more XYZ" without clarifying that this is not because of differences in the brains of men and women but because of socialisation。 Also Baron-Cohen was quoted， his wikipedia page says:Autism researchIn 1997 Baron-Cohen developed the "empathizing-systemizing （E-S） theory" which states that humans may be classified on the basis of their scores along two dimensions （empathizing and systemizing）。 The E-S theory argues that typical females on average score higher on empathizing relative to systemizing （they are more likely to have a brain of Type E）， and typical males on average score higher on systemizing relative to empathizing （they are more likely to have a brain of Type S）。 Autistic people are predicted to score as an extreme of the typical male （they are more likely to have a brain of Type S or extreme Type S Today we know that there's more solid science to debunk the myth of the male and female brain （I recommend reading some Gina Rippon here） than to back it up。 Confusing was， that in some essays the authors wrote about how women are typically XYZ， but they don't feel like they have a "male brain"， so it's kinda sad that Baron-Cohens theory is seemingly the most known among the authors of this book， who seemed annoyed by the stereotyping themselves。 There was one passage about gender dysphoria though， and it was even said that "a common therapeutic resolution for girls on the spectrum is to consider themselfes gender-neutral， or non-binary" and that gender confirming surgery also can be the solution in many cases - the phrasing of the quoted sentence is unfortunate in many ways， but given that many neurodivergent people are nonbinary I'm glad that this was at least mentioned once。 It was not part of the essay though， but part of one of the comments by the neurogoloist who commented after every chapter （this one was about self care if I remember it right）。 Now people may say "this is a book about autism and not about gender issues" and they may be right， but intersectionality is so important and the lack thereof is a big disadvantage in this book。 Also gender was a big topic in here， especially that many of the women did not feel like the clichés about women applied to them， so there could've been at least one whole essay about this topic， but to be honest， the cis only selection felt intentional。 Anyway， if anyone needs a recommendation with PoC voices and without the whole talk about male and female brains "Stim: An Autistic Anthology" by Lizzie Huxley-Jones would be my recommendation。 。。。more
Oberst Ink
，
This was an interesting read。 The women who share their stories about being on the spectrum were beautiful， but。。。 I was half way through reading it when I realized the clinician wasn't supposed to be the villain。 I've always had a certain amount of cynicism about shrinks， but their writing in this book took what could have been beautiful personal narratives， and instead puts people into these very sterile， off-putting boxes。 If they would rewrite this book so it was just personal narratives， I This was an interesting read。 The women who share their stories about being on the spectrum were beautiful， but。。。 I was half way through reading it when I realized the clinician wasn't supposed to be the villain。 I've always had a certain amount of cynicism about shrinks， but their writing in this book took what could have been beautiful personal narratives， and instead puts people into these very sterile， off-putting boxes。 If they would rewrite this book so it was just personal narratives， I think it would be much better。 。。。more
Jess T
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This book provides a sense of community， validation， comfort， and answers like I've never had before。 The multiple authors provide content on a huge range of subject but the whole book is relatable and warm。 Grateful to carry these women with me through my diagnosis。 This book provides a sense of community， validation， comfort， and answers like I've never had before。 The multiple authors provide content on a huge range of subject but the whole book is relatable and warm。 Grateful to carry these women with me through my diagnosis。 。。。more
Linden
，
Such a good resource for understanding， reflection， insight， and belonging for women on the spectrum。 It took me ages to read this because almost every sentence had me reflecting on my own experiences for like half an hour。。。！ What a wonderful collection from amazing women around the world。 Thank you Barb Cook for pulling this together！！！！ So valuable。
Hip Priest
，
This book is amazing if you are looking for first-person embodied accounts of older women diagnosed with autism。 These accounts are focused particularly around certain topics， which a glance at the ToC will show you。 Each chapter is then followed by a brief word by Dr。 Michelle Garnett， a clinical psychologist and founder of Minds & Hearts， a clinic specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders （ASD） in Brisbane， Australia。Given the extreme difficulty and bias adult women and girls experience in the This book is amazing if you are looking for first-person embodied accounts of older women diagnosed with autism。 These accounts are focused particularly around certain topics， which a glance at the ToC will show you。 Each chapter is then followed by a brief word by Dr。 Michelle Garnett， a clinical psychologist and founder of Minds & Hearts， a clinic specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders （ASD） in Brisbane， Australia。Given the extreme difficulty and bias adult women and girls experience in the first place regarding diagnosis or even basic acknowledgement in the world of spectrum/asd/former Aspergers （now subsumed under the heading of ASD） it's a challenge finding these sorts of information。 This book is a great first place to start， especially if you are just beginning your journey in learning ASD beyond typical portrayals and representations， whether they be clinical or pop culture。 The spectrum is really more of an umbrella， and this book will help you understand that。On a personal note: I stumbled upon this book （thankfully） in the beginnings of my very own exploration of possible aspergers/ASD。 Reading this book felt like coming home。 Beginning the process of working through the trials of possible diagnosis （thankfully with therapist）， and this book is something I will use in order to "back up" my claims， so to speak。 The book is indeed meant to help with this as well。 。。。more
Mariela
，
A book to find yourself Great book if you have felt all your life you are a woman from another planet。。。 such an inspirational book and community。
Kara Rowley
，
Heading
Sara
，
Not written for an Autistic woman。 Written for neurotypical people to help them understand neurodiverse / ASD women。
Jamy
，
Contains a sea of interesting information。 Each chapter is written by a different person。 The chapter concludes with Barb Cook summarising or expanding on what was said。 I really like this format。 It allows for a wealth of knowledge in different areas。There was a very misinformed statement about consensual non-consent at one point。
Courtney
，
3 starsFirst off， I want to say that I love the font this book uses。 So easy to read。 The second chapter of the book almost brought me to tears with how much I resonated with it。 Unfortunately that didn’t happened again for the rest of the book。 There were some insightful moments but it felt more like a motivational book than anything else。 Some practical advice was given but it was very general rather than a step by step approach
Imaan
，
The politics。 It aggravates me。 The authors are Vulnerable narcissists。 OVERRATED book。 Politics has no room in neuroscience。
Bee
，
What a godsend。 Thank you to everyone who contributed to this book。 I am 19 and received my diagnosis last summer， which （I am very grateful to say） has been a very positive experience for me。 Reading this book made me feel heard， welcome and home。 Besides the huge emotional benefits of this book， it is also highly informative and extremely helpful in discussing topics I had not even considered I might need to consider （such as whether to disclose you diagnosis at work）。 I strongly recommend it What a godsend。 Thank you to everyone who contributed to this book。 I am 19 and received my diagnosis last summer， which （I am very grateful to say） has been a very positive experience for me。 Reading this book made me feel heard， welcome and home。 Besides the huge emotional benefits of this book， it is also highly informative and extremely helpful in discussing topics I had not even considered I might need to consider （such as whether to disclose you diagnosis at work）。 I strongly recommend it to women on the spectrum， as well as their close loved ones。 Although really I believe everyone would benefit from reading 。。。more
Laura
，
This book contains lots of very insightful personal accounts from Women who are living with autism and were diagnosed latter in life and the affect it had on them。 What I really had a hard time with was how each account was followed up by a doctors review and their "professional" understanding of each story。 It comes off as extremely condescending to have the women's accounts re-explained by assumed neurotypicals， and those in a position of power。 It often felt like they were examining the women This book contains lots of very insightful personal accounts from Women who are living with autism and were diagnosed latter in life and the affect it had on them。 What I really had a hard time with was how each account was followed up by a doctors review and their "professional" understanding of each story。 It comes off as extremely condescending to have the women's accounts re-explained by assumed neurotypicals， and those in a position of power。 It often felt like they were examining the women under a microscope as if to be dissected， instead of respecting them as individuals。 Its a book that is written for neurotypicals and once again highlighting the voice of the neurotypical doctors on the autistic experience， instead of simply allowing the various authors experiences to respectfully stand alone。 At times the doctors reviews felt overly simplified and infantile。 Plus some of the terminology used to describe the women is extremely outdated。 。。。more
bee
，
（4。5/5）
Preslava
，
I knew very little about people on the Autism spectrum before reading this book， and even less about Spectrum women specifically。 I learned a lot from this book and it encouraged me to read more on the topic。 The writing style varies a lot and some chapters were a bit difficult to follow， but that's how books written by more than one author work， I guess。 This book was partly not very readable， but if you're interested in the topic， it shouldn't annoy you too much。 It took me a while to finish i I knew very little about people on the Autism spectrum before reading this book， and even less about Spectrum women specifically。 I learned a lot from this book and it encouraged me to read more on the topic。 The writing style varies a lot and some chapters were a bit difficult to follow， but that's how books written by more than one author work， I guess。 This book was partly not very readable， but if you're interested in the topic， it shouldn't annoy you too much。 It took me a while to finish it because I had to return it to the library and wait to reborrow it again。 :） 。。。more
Tiffanie
，
Lots of perspectives and resources/footnotes， plus an expert providing their perspective at the end of each chapter。 A valuable read。
Tiff
，
Mediocre。 But it gave me food for thought。 Should Aspergers be separate from Autism？
Fern Underground
，
i liked the confessional tone and personal insights but i missed more quantitative data。 i know that wasn’t the point， but the personal accounts of the “condition” were sometimes a bit alienating。 at the same time， knowing these women are on the spectrum gave me perspective into how idiosyncratic autistic girls can be。 it did inspire me to think about my own journey in the terms established by the book。 i did at times think wow i’d like to have coffee with this woman even if it is to disagree wi i liked the confessional tone and personal insights but i missed more quantitative data。 i know that wasn’t the point， but the personal accounts of the “condition” were sometimes a bit alienating。 at the same time， knowing these women are on the spectrum gave me perspective into how idiosyncratic autistic girls can be。 it did inspire me to think about my own journey in the terms established by the book。 i did at times think wow i’d like to have coffee with this woman even if it is to disagree with them！ anyway a good book if you’re beginning to explore the aspie/autistic world as a woman/girl。 but i could’ve used more reaching out and more general thoughts on the subject。 。。。more
Andrea
，
It's interesting to read stories from successful autistic women and to have a glimpse into how they navigate their worlds。 I wish they had shared a bit more about their struggles and how they overcame them， I felt like they skimmed over a lot of the ugly stuff and concentrated on their current state of success。 I did not appreciate the endings of each chapter， where a person who is not autistic comments on the different topics discussed， not from their perspective as a neurotypical human who has It's interesting to read stories from successful autistic women and to have a glimpse into how they navigate their worlds。 I wish they had shared a bit more about their struggles and how they overcame them， I felt like they skimmed over a lot of the ugly stuff and concentrated on their current state of success。 I did not appreciate the endings of each chapter， where a person who is not autistic comments on the different topics discussed， not from their perspective as a neurotypical human who has to deal with the same situations， but from the perspective of the "savior" who has to deal with the problems that arise from having to interact with autistic people。 Overall it's a good book， I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to know a bit more about what it's like to be autistic and a woman。 It's not exceptional， but it's a beginning。 I'll probably also dig into some the other books that the authors of this book wrote individually。 。。。more
Melissa
，
Thorough and useful， sometimes I felt it dragged but only insofar as I already knew the information and was glad it was there for others。
Dia
，
I am very happy that I came across this book。 I have a teenage daughter with autism and what I learned in this book will help both of us as we try to figure out how autism works for her。 The book is written in essay form by multiple women， many who found out in their 30s-50s that they had autism。 Each take a topic or 2 and discuss how it affects their life， the lives of others and what they have learned through research and education。 These women are leaders and advocates for autism either in th I am very happy that I came across this book。 I have a teenage daughter with autism and what I learned in this book will help both of us as we try to figure out how autism works for her。 The book is written in essay form by multiple women， many who found out in their 30s-50s that they had autism。 Each take a topic or 2 and discuss how it affects their life， the lives of others and what they have learned through research and education。 These women are leaders and advocates for autism either in their communities or world wide。 Each chapter addresses a topic。 At the end of a chapter Dr。 Michelle Garnett gives her thoughts on the topic from the education and experiance if a clinical psychologist who runs a clinic for those with autism。 There were a couple opinions/ approaches that I didn't agree with but over all this is an eye opening， interesting， well written book。 。。。more
Sébastien
，
Spectrum Women （Book & Garnett， ed。， 2018） jouit de revues prestigieuses， et justifiées。 Sur 20 chapitres thématiques， il passe en revue avec exhaustivité les enjeux cliniques touchant les femmes de spectre – en se focalisant sur des profils très compétents， pour l’essentiel à diagnostic tardif。 Sont ainsi traités le sentiment d’appartenance， le sens de l’identité， le lien socialisation/anxiété/addiction， la régulation émotionnelle， etc。 Les chapitres associent de façon systématique le traitemen Spectrum Women （Book & Garnett， ed。， 2018） jouit de revues prestigieuses， et justifiées。 Sur 20 chapitres thématiques， il passe en revue avec exhaustivité les enjeux cliniques touchant les femmes de spectre – en se focalisant sur des profils très compétents， pour l’essentiel à diagnostic tardif。 Sont ainsi traités le sentiment d’appartenance， le sens de l’identité， le lien socialisation/anxiété/addiction， la régulation émotionnelle， etc。 Les chapitres associent de façon systématique le traitement « profane »， autobiographique， de la notion par une Aspergirl， suivi par le commentaire， la mise en lien avec la littérature scientifique， et les préconisations， d’un pragmatisme typiquement anglo-saxon， de Garnett。 Le livre m’a beaucoup éclairé sur bien des points : ainsi de la distinction shutdown/meltdown/tantrum （implosions/explosions/crises）， du sentiment irrépressible de honte qui les suit， et du lien entre ces difficultés dans la régulation émotionnelle， le déficit intéroceptif， et la fragilisation narcissique。 Sur ce dernier point， le chapitre signé ARtemisia （i。e。， Rudy Simone）， articule parfaitement les enjeux de construction identitaire – vers un vrai self。 。。。more
Mills College Library
，
616。85882 S7419 2018
Taryn
，
InsightfulRelatable Inspiring
Brenda McGurk
，