RELIABLE RESOURCES: Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You
Jenara Nerenberg writes for autistic women
Books for autistic men outnumber those for women by a large margin, echoing a common belief that most autistic individuals are male based on frequency of diagnosis. Also, most research regarding autism pertains to men and male children, though this is beginning to change, largely due to the efforts of individuals like Jenara Nerenberg.
The problem is that the experience and presentation of being an autistic woman is vastly different, so books and research may be useful in part but ultimately they leave many autistic women still wondering where they fit in. In fact, it leaves them wondering if they are even seen at all.
Autistic girls and women are not identified and diagnosed as frequently as autistic men and boys largely because most diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (DSM-5 in the USA; ICD-11 in other countries) are still based primarily on male behaviors and characteristics, overlooking some of the dominant aspects of female autism. This leaves autistic women, as Jenara Nerenberg asserts, “…walk(ing) around with unnecessary amounts of shame, guilt, depression, and anxiety.”
In this book, Nerenberg (founder of The Neurodiversity Project; this is the link to her Substack) writes about how all aspects of neurodiversity - including autism, high sensitivity, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), synesthesia, and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) - may appear in women and girls, filling in the gaps for anyone wondering about herself or her daughters.
Remember, there are always going to be topics that one single book can’t cover. This book is important for what it includes, not for what is missing and has yet to be written, perhaps by Nerenberg in another book or by someone else with other questions and concerns.
Nerenberg is a gifted writer with the analytical skills of a keen researcher. This book is a gift to women who have grown up with underlying discomfort due to feeling different without understanding why.
Jenara Nerenberg, Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You, New York: Harper Collins. First paperback edition 2021.
For a deeper dive into this subject: Brief Report: Sex/Gender Differences in Symptomology and Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder