Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Unmasking Autism

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price

9 reviews

michaelion's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative tense medium-paced

4.5

I didn't read this book. Page after page after page, this book read me.

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spacekee's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

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mycology's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book is wonderful. To any autistic person or anyone with friends, family members, or loved ones who are autistic, you should read this. I feel so seen. I feel like I understand myself and my disability better. I feel more okay with myself.

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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I Feel so incredibly seen and understand! So many memories from childhood and adolescence have come flooding in and they make sense now. It’s like putting everything into a new perspective where I’m realizing “it wasn’t my fault, I was never the problem!” 😭

I’ve cried so much from finally feeling understood and knowing what was “wrong” my whole life-

The amount of times I gasped and said “wait I’m not the only one who felt like this/experienced this/does this”

So helpful in my journey, and incredibly validating since starting to look into diagnosis.

It’s been ups and downs of “I can’t possibly have autism” to “maybe I am autistic? hmm I’m relating a little too well to some of these things” to “let’s take a test” “well after many tests I think I’m definitely autistic” to “nah I’m probably faking it…nope def autistic“

It’s been a long and difficult process of accepting this new part of myself (even though I’ve been autistic all along it’s a lot to take in). It’s saddening to realize how much of what I was bullied for growing up was because of my autistic traits but I have hope I can learn to unmask and learn to love the parts of myself that I’ve been taught to hate or needed to “fix” for so long

Incredible resource I recommend to anyone who is Autistic or thinks they may be autistic

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jenny_librarian's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

A very interesting book about being autistic and learning to unmask and accept yourself.

Seeking an autism diagnosis as an adult is extremely difficult. Most people who don’t realize they are autistic before adulthood have low support needs, and have been masking all their life. It makes it incredibly hard then to figure out which parts of you are the mask and which are your true self. Despite the numerous green sticky notes I used when relating to autistic traits mentioned, I gaslighted myself throughout the whole thing, figuring that since I didn’t have it “that bad”, I must be appropriating an identity that wasn’t mine.

This book was illuminating on some points, but should definitely be used as part of a larger research if you think you are on the spectrum. It did include BIPOC and queer perspectives as well as those from people with other disabilities, something that not enough books and research do.

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moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition

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informative reflective

5.0

This was such an incredible book! Written by an autistic trans social psychologist, this focused on high masking autistic experiences. He begins by talking about who is more likely to mask/less likely to be diagnosed as a child, what traits get overlooked, issues with how autism is "treated". Then, he goes into what masking can look like, how we might decide to unmask, and ending with what we need to do as a society to make it a safe place for people to live unmasked. I really loved that he talks so much about the social - not just ableism and stigma, but also aspects of racism, impact of poverty, and transphobia, among other things.

This can be useful for anyone looking to understand the autistic experience, but it's written more specifically for neurodivergent people (especially for autistics, but but he talks about the fact that other ND folks can experience masking as well). I've looked a lot into autism over the years - especially the experiences of those diagnosed as an adult. Even still, there were so many things that he described and connected that made so much more sense. It's another book that I wish I'd had years ago, but am very grateful to have have it now.

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crybabybea's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Unmasking Autism is an intersectional look at autism, and is an empowering read for those in the autistic community and their allies. Dr. Devon Price explores the outdated stereotypes of autism, brought on by a bias in research of rich, cishet white men. They challenge the reader to challenge these stereotypes, and dig deeper into the ways neurotypical expectations and misconceptions have affected their self-worth, identity, and behavior. Masking is a well-known term in the autistic community, referring to the camouflaging and compensatory strategies autistic people develop to fit in to neurotypical society. More and more research has come out pointing to masking as a cause of many comorbidities that autistic people experience, such as anxiety, depression, people-pleasing, and self-worth issues. Dr. Devon Price takes us through a psychological approach called “Values Based Integration”, developed by autistic life coach Heather R. Morgan. Through this exercise, we are taught how to identify what matters most to us, and given the confidence to center those things in our lives.

Unmasking Autism takes a compassionate, acceptance-based approach to exploring autism and undoing the years of masking many autistics develop for survival. Dr. Devon Price is also incredibly welcoming to self-diagnosed, or self-determined autistic people, acknowledging the difficulties that women, gender nonconforming folks, and Black, Brown, Indigenous, and non-Black people of color face when seeking a diagnosis. Instead of following typical ABA masking advice, the author argues that autistic people practice centering their autistic traits and accepting them. Special interests, routines, stimming, and sensory sensitivities are all important parts of the autistic experience, and have long been demonized and shamed by neurotypical society. The author encourages the autistic reader to embrace these traits with confidence and love.

The book does have an increased focus on the parallels between autistic masking and the internal struggles that LGBTQIA+ folks experience, thanks to societal conditioning that certain traits are bad and shameful. It makes sense that the author, a trans queer person, would focus more on this part of their experience as it has shaped them.

While this book could be off-putting to those who are not progressive enough, it’s an important read for autistic people, allies, and neurotypicals alike. The author makes a plea that our world move towards acceptance rather than shame, so folks of all walks of life and neurodivergencies can feel comfortable to be their authentic selves. They also make a case for reworking society, suggesting universal basic income and overhauls of the current welfare system to be beneficial for everyone, not just disabled or neurodivergent people. Similarly, Unmasking Autism takes autistic people through an internal evaluation in an attempt to separate conditioned shame and fear and accept themselves. Overall, Unmasking Autism is an important perspective on the autism movement, and an important book for acceptance and love.

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readwithasherreid's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity is an absolute must-read for all Autistic people and all non-Autistic (allistic) people with an Autistic loved one in their life! Devon Price does an absolutely phenomenal job at writing this book in an easy-to-digest/understandable way. Not only does he use this book to talk about how we, as Autistic people, can learn to unmask in an ableist society, he also uses this book to shed light on tons of other marginalized communities that are affected by the ableist white-supremacist society we live in.

Autism is not the only neurodivergency touched upon in this book; we discuss ADHD, schizophrenia, BPD, PTSD, anxiety, depression, just to name a few. Price also weaves in stories from Actually Autistic individuals to showcase his points. I deeply appreciate him interviewing such a diverse range of Auties! We get to see into the lives of Auties who are physically disabled, Black, brown, trans, queer, etc. As an Autistic Latino queer trans man, I was very grateful for these discussions. It is very often white people forget POC in conversations about diversity/marginalized identities and even though Price bringing us into the narrative is the bare minimum white people can do, it was still greatly appreciated!

I cannot express in a cohesive manner just how much this piece meant to me. During my reading, I cried dozens upon dozens of times. Feeling seen as an Autistic individual is something I am still getting used to after spending over twenty years unaware the reason I didn’t fit into our ableist society was that I was disabled the entire time. Reading about the universe experiences Autistic individuals face was very cathartic. Not only that but there is great advice provided within the text! Devon Price adds tons of exercises and resources throughout the book to truly help Autistic individuals learn to live happy fulfilling lives as our true selves. With that said, I applaud Price for acknowledging the fact lots of Autistic people with intersectional marginalizations (Black and brown Auties, Auties in poverty, etc) do not always have the privilege or resources to be able to unmask themselves.

Unmasking Autism is worth the read! It is by far one of the best pieces I have read about Autism. Price’s work truly will change so many lives of masked Autistic (and Neurodivergent) individuals! I will say, this book dives deep into so many discussions. Due to this fact, there are lots of potentially triggering subject matter throughout the text. Below I will list the ones I clocked onto whilst going through my first read. I am sure when the book is released and I start my reread through the physical copy, I will think of more to add on, so please tread carefully through your read! To end things off, this was a five-star read and I *will* be picking up his other work!!

TWs/CWs: Ableism, medical content, eating disorders, medical/physical/mental/emotional abuse, racism, police brutality, self-harm, alcohol/alcoholism, depression, anxiety, suicide attempt (minor), suicidal ideation (minor), Nazis, antisemitism, eugenics, forced institutionalization, anti-gay conversion therapy, JK Rowling/Harry Potter/TERFs/transphobia, etc.

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missrosymaplemoth's review against another edition

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4.75

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