Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to get approved for this book as I am newly diagnosed with autism as a 26 year old young woman. I think this book will be very helpful as I go on my journey. I would recommend this book to any other adult just newly diagnosed with autism as well.

With its empathetic approach and real-world advice, The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Building Independence by Jennifer Brunton and Jenna Gensic is a must-read for anyone in the autistic community, as well as their families and caregivers. The authors’ expertise and commitment to supporting autistic individuals in building a fulfilling, self-directed life shines through on every page. This book will be a go-to resource for years to come.

I found this book to be extremely helpful. I especially liked how it offered useful steps in helping an autistic adult child launch successfully into adulthood.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very helpful book!

I enjoyed reading this, as someone struggling to feel independent, and dealing with the everyday pressures of being autistic. What I like about books like this is being able to read about other people’s experiences in anecdote form, as it creates a sense of real connection and empathy. I think this was very well written and edited, and will be a valuable resource for others like me, but also those loved ones and authority figures in our lives looking to support us as best as they can.

I'm sure this will be a good resource for a lot of people, but I personally expected more from it. I found the advice very broad and pretty vague, which is understandable when trying to reach a broad audience, since everyone's situation is different, but it led to the advice not feeling very specific nor applicable. I would have at least liked to see more specific examples and smaller helpful tips, rather than broad, general life advice.

This is a fantastic way to get into the minds of autistic people. It includes many, many insights from young adults and adults with autism about what high school, college and transitions into adulthood have been like for them. I gained a lot of knowledge about what is hard for them, how to be more inclusive and what organizations can help. I’m so glad I read this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for granting me an eARC. I am writing this review voluntarily.

This was a good resource for parents and teens. It is divided up into different sections with clear steps throughout.
I found it easy to understand and transfer to the teens I support at work.

This was an informative guide to help both autistic folks and the people who love them. With real, practical tips on how to gain independence while also not being afraid to ask for help when you need it, I think this will be a wonderful tool for anyone who knows someone with autism. There's a handy terminology guide in the beginning which helps integrate people who aren't familiar with these terms into the book with ease. I plan to remember several of these tips and tricks for my life because they seem like they'll come in handy!

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

Excellent and well thought through. Divided into easily accessible sections.
We could do with a version for UK and Republic of Ireland.

The writing style feels unpolished, and too fast paced in parts where advice is given. The authors are quick to give advice and quicker to avoid writing how to enact it, evidence of effectiveness, research (outside of an opinionated survey).

Despite the blurb telling readers that this is a book written by #ActuallyAutistic people for the ActuallyAutistic community, it is more aimed towards parents and "other adults" which can be seen as patronising - since the book is aimed at young adults, who are spoken about like they are children who need help.
Autistic people are referred to as "they" throughout this 'self-help' book, rather than as 'you' (the reader). This isolates autistic readers as the book is obviously not written for them first, but instead their parents.

I could not connect with this as much of the advice is parental and does not help a teen/young adult establish independence, it is for parents to be more understanding.

A teen experiencing racism or homophobia probably would not appreciate the advice "learn about racism/homophobia" - this is advice not aimed at them.
"Understand young people need a refuge" - a teenager cannot control the home environment without parental support - this is parental advice.
Having a solid understanding of an "autistic child" - The young person was/is the autistic child, they aren't looking after one.

This doesn't help independence or provide context. If this was labelled as advice for parents of autistic children/teens it would be more suitable.

I expected this to be a self-help guide for autistic young people getting ready to leave home but found it to be aimed at parents/guardians and teachers (referring to autistic people as ‘they’, not ‘you’). I think if the book had referred to the reader as ‘you’ it would’ve made a better connection with my autistic daughter.
The quotes from autistic young people or ‘autistic youth’ as referred to in the book, were a nice touch and made this an interesting read.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

A good book on how autistic people, and the people in their lives, can advocate for ourselves in different areas of our lives and become more independent. As someone in their early 20s this book made me feel seen and I will be coming back to it again

This book gave me much food for thought. I’ve bookmarked pages to come back to and discuss with my autistic teen.

Divided into different sections and steps, this book delves into most portions of our lives and how we can advocate for ourselves, our loved ones and autistic people.
Anything that was not my favourite; the prose at times, and tone and style are entirely due to my personal preferences. This book is timely and I will recommend it to my colleagues and refer to this guide.