“Loud Hands – Autistic People, Speaking” A Review

The title of the book should be enough for anyone who wants to know, know more or know anything, about autism and Autistics to buy it and read it.

The book has essays from Autistics who are very diverse, yet similar in our wish to see all Autistics understood, heard, accepted.

Autistics of different ages, different backgrounds, speaking, non-speaking, sometimes speaking, have their essays published in the anthology.

We are the real experts on autism and the essays tell why. No one Autistic is like another, but the essays show, through the personal experiences of the authors, what works to help us with what we struggle, what doesn’t, what hurts us. But the book is also a good resource as an identifier of what most Autistics consider “struggles”. These are not the same used by many neurotypicals as the reason why we need therapies and so-called treatments to be “fixed”.

In the book, one can learn how the neurodiversity movement began, what neurodiversity means and why language is important.

The personal stories show how harmful some therapies are, how anyone can communicate when there is appropriate support, how we try to be ourselves, and successful, in a world that is not fully accepting of who we are.

The book also shows the importance of advocacy and activism, how we, Autistics, are claiming our rights, that our participation, the inclusion of our voices in discussions about us is non-negotiable. One can read about some of the hurdles we face while advocating, the steps forward, and what still needs to be done.

There is so much that the neurotypical community needs to learn about what really means to be Autistic and this book is an excellent resource. We are experts on autism, since we live it everyday. For Autistics, the book is a reason to be proud and to never give up our fight to be heard, our fight for our rights.

This is only the beginning of a much bigger project and an important first document about all things Autism. I am Autistic and I am proud of this book.

You can buy the book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Loud-Hands-Autistic-People-Speaking/dp/1938800028 .