Supporting Autistic Girls & Gender Diverse Youth

by Yellow Ladybugs (Editor), Chenai Mupotsa-Russel (Illustrator), Ginny Grant (Editor)

Want to know how to better support autistic girls and gender diverse youth? This is an authentic resource for parents, teachers and allied health professionals inspired from and written by autistic women and gender diverse individuals. You will be given the inside scoop, through their intimate knowledge, recollections and advice from growing up autistic. This book masterfully blends what you must know, what you need to know, and what you should know, all while gently walking you down the path towards a more neuro-affirming and inclusive approach to home and school life. You will close the book with a better understanding of autistic identity and culture and how you can help shape a better future for the ladybug in your life.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Nonfiction, Parenting

322 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2023

Reviews

[Taylor Caves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see myself reading this many times over the next 20 years. If you are teacher or someone who works with neurodivergent girls, this is a really great read to understand them just a little better.

[Haylee Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for parents and educators of autistic kids

[Kylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book was available 5yrs ago when we got my daughter's diagnosis.
This is a positive affirming informative book covering all the must know basics of having an autistic daughter or being an autistic woman. Excellent resource for anyone who has recently received a diagnosis or is thinking they may need one.

For me I didn't learn anything new, it just cemented all my knowledge I've gained during our journey. It is really lovely to see a book focusing so much on the positives and explaining the challenges in a way that doesn't make our ladybugs feel "less than".

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic resource for parents, educators, and others. Simple, supportive, but also unflinching and full of truth and genuine autistic voices. For me, it's a big bonus to have the Australian viewpoint in an area where most book resources are UK- or US-based.

[Sarah Poling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yellow Ladybugs is a group in Australia, and this book was published by the Victoria Department of Education. It is written for parents, teachers, and allies who are neuro-affirming.

Reasons I liked the book:
Quick Read.
Includes: Austistic interviews, quotes from Autistic girls, experts, and well-known Autistics in Australia.
Promotes: Hope and explains how to be more neuro-affirming, what Autistic girls especially need and want to be affirmed, better understood, and included.
Format: purple headings throughout, quote pages, and even images
Direct: includes the culture of Autism, as well as reminding all that there are underrepresented subcultures that are also identities of an Autistic (like gender diversity, nationalities, etc.)

Reasons that it gives me pause:
Includes lots of reference to Autistic girls who may be oriented to LGBTQ+ trans etc. While I know this is a statistic, I always fear that we are in a culture that is so focused on this element that many young Autistics look at this or claim this because it makes them fit in a group directly, it could be selected as a mask, and I thought this book is for young children and I think we plant this idea way too early into little minds. Since cognitively they can't even focus on peers as equals developmentally til age 7 or older. the 6-year-old skill is this is ME on the map, and they aren't ready to add others til 7 or 8- so ... and it will also prevent parents and teachers who believe in what the Bible teaches from avoiding this helpful resource if they don't agree with this concept.

I am thankful that my library ordered this book to be available. It's a solid resource to help people grasp neurodiversity with real-life examples, I just could have appreciated it more with less focus on the sexuality choices.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

This is a great book on how to support your autistic child (specifically those who are not boys). As an autistic adult who used to be an autistic child, I thoroughly approve!

The resources are very Australia-focused, as this is an Australian organization, but the rest of the info is very applicable to the USA and likely other areas of the world as well.

I particularly like that they end the book with, "hey, if you related to any of this info, it's possible you might be autistic too" (paraphrased) because it is SUPER common for autism to run in families.

You'll find info, insights, and tips about schooling, bullying, family dynamics, home environments, whether to tell your child they're autistic (YES PLEASE), and how to help your child feel more accepted and better about being themself.

The Yellow Ladybugs have done an excellent job with this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants an in-depth introduction to autistic issues and culture and/or would like to better support and understand their autistic child!

[Nancy Valentino]

I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be recommending it to lots of my colleagues. It’s such a positive, neuro-affirming look at the female and gender diverse autistic experience. Funnily enough, unlike all the neurospicy memes out there, reading this book made me think “no, I’m pretty neurotypical”. I’ll be doing my best to take some of the pearls of wisdom from this book into my professional life.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting and accessible! some of this was information I had already known but as a neurodivergent allied health care worker, that makes sense. I think that this can be read in sections quite nicely, or specific strategies or tips pulled out for parents and families. I appreciate the specific though they’d put into the actual reading experience (eg font, bright colours, page and chapter breaks).

[Pania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great starting point in my learning journey, following my daughter's diagnosis. It's written in simple language and provides a helpful overview of autism and how it presents in girls and gender-diverse people. While it covers some difficult topics the tone is hopeful and neuro-affirming. There are quotes and interviews from autistic people interspersed through each chapter and I found their perspectives really helpful.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous must-read for any health and allied-health workers, teachers and education workers, parents/carers and family of autistic young people. As the title states, its main focus is on girls and gender diverse youth, but the majority of the information included would be highly beneficial to those supporting autistic young people of any gender. Absolutely wonderful and neuro-affirming. 💛

[Skylar Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS!!!! So informative and helpful for those who want to further their understanding of autism and the neurodiversity paradigm! It serves as an amazing resource for neurodivergent allies and advocates. Perfect and engaging read (especially for any fellow future educators who plan to teach and support neurodivergent students).

[Rebekah Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! It contains so many helpful insights into supporting my autistic kids!

[minerva kimdracula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book on a topic that needs more public knowledge. Recommended to anyone who works or is contact with young autistic people to understand variety of internal and external presentations.

[Stephanie Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super informative and an enjoyable read. The stories were both impactful and insightful. If you can't tell from my review, I am a 'neuroqueer' person. Reading this book helped me understand a lot about myself and my family. Would highly recommend