My first book 'Life Behind Glass' is available for purchase. You can buy it here from the publisher Jessica Kingsley Books. It is also available from Amazon.co.uk. The book is also available from the National Autistic Society in the UK. Their online catalogue at http://www.nas.org.uk should also include my book.

The book explores my experience of life as a person with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, it also aims to help others deduce strategies for living with autism in various ways, such as an autistic person, a parent or worker who lives or works with autistic people.

For Wendy Lawson the world is indeed a strange place. It is noisy, confusing and full of contradictions. And the people in it are distant and make no sense: why do they laugh and cry? Why don't they say what they mean? Wendy lived with feelings of disconnection, anxiety and confusion for 40 years before she was correctly diagnosed with autism, or more specifically Asperger's Syndrome.
Life Behind Glass is about the determination to come to terms with the constraints of her condition and find a place of acceptance and purpose. It is a remarkable and unique personal account of growing up "different". Revealed are the extremes of human nature: the creative power of love and acceptance; and the cruelty of intolerance.
For carers of autistic children and health practitioners, the book's honesty and directness provide not only clear insight into Wendy's very unusual perceptions and behaviour, but also an understanding of the contributions that autistic people can make to society.
Despite the deficits in communications and social understanding and obsessive tendencies that are part of her condition, Wendy Lawson has successfully undertaken tertiary study and holds both a Bachelor of Social Science degree and a Bachelor of Social Work.

My second book is called 'Understanding and Working with the Spectrum of Autism An Insider's View'. It explains more of the way people with ASD think and react to the world using comparisons from the non-ASD world to help professionals, families and carers to relate to and communicate with people with ASD better. Exercises at the back of the book are designed to reflect and consolidate on what has been discussed. The second part of the book contains chapters presenting a range of interventions and strategies for particular situations. I have included examples from my own life and from the lives of those I have met or worked with. The book also covers interventions for dealing with social skills, anger management and self-esteem. Stress, its effects on the families of children with autism, and how best it can be alleviated, is also explored. The book is wide-ranging and will be of interest to both parents and professionals. The book is published by Jessica Kingsley and is available here on their website.

My third book is called 'Build Your Own Life - A Self-Help Guide For Individuals With Asperger Syndrome'. In this book I have tried to write specifically for those with high-functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome. It talks about what it is like for us being adults in an alien world. It explains some concepts such as 'self' and 'other' and how we can relate to others around us - how we can use their support and protect ourselves in the process. By using poetry and illustrations, I explain the difficult notion of 'putting on a face', and look at how to assess personal skills in order to develop them into a suitable career and how to deal with unwelcome changes in life. This book will be valuable reading for all those on the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum, helping them to get the best out of a world that is often confusing and aiding those close to them to understand their perspective. The book is published by Jessica Kingsley and is available on their website.

My fourth book is called 'Sex, Sexuality and the Autism Spectrum'. As an openly gay adult with Asperger's Syndrome, I write frankly and honestly about autism, sex and sexuality and the implications of being autistic on relationships, sex and sexuality. Apart from discussing subjects such as basic sex education and autism, I cover the wider issues of interpersonal relationships, same sex attraction, bisexuality and transgender issues. I also cover the unspoken rules that exist between people in relationships and explains why these rules can be difficult and confusing for people with autism. This book will give courage and information to adults with autism or Asperger Syndrome and provide essential insights to those living and working with them.

'Life is like a poem; sometimes it rhymes and sometimes it does not.' - from the Introduction.

Wendy Lawson's well-known poetry reflects the many aspects of a life lived with Asperger's Syndrome. In this illustrated collection of poems and short prose pieces, including some from her childhood and teenage years, Wendy engages with her past and present, writing frankly about childhood, self-discovery, adulthood and friendship. Her poetry also conveys the day-to-day challenges presented by divorce, bereavement, emigration, disclosing homosexuality and Asperger's Syndrome.

Both reflective and life affirming, these poems offer evocative glimpses of the Asperger experience and will enrich readers' understanding of autism spectrum disorders.

Although I certainly understand the concept of 'friend' now, as a child I didn't understand this. The concept that other people were separate from me was not a consideration. If I thought a thought, I believed others would know what I was thinking. Therefore, they must have known what I needed. Failure to meet my needs resulted in my feeling angry, hurt and unimportant. Even now, as an adult, I still 'feel' that the other person might know what is happening for me because I feel it. Academically, however, I know that only I know what is going on in my head and heart. But, because the feeling is so strong for me, I still need frequently to check out that the other person doesn't 'feel' it too! Imagine the effect on your friendships if you believed your friends knew stuff about you but did nothing about it.

DVD

A DVD of my lecture 'A Personal Perspective' given on a recent UK tour is available for purchase. The DVD is approximately 100 minutes long (1 hr 45mins). You can order it direct from the NAS website.

© Wendy Lawson 2000

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