What do you think?
Rate this book
Trauma, Stigma, and Autism: Developing Resilience and Loosening the Grip of Shame
This book presents ground-breaking ideas based on current research on how stigma can cause bodily felt trauma in stigmatised or marginalised people, particularly those on the autism spectrum. Gordon Gates draws on his academic research, professional knowledge as a counsellor, and lived experience with Asperger's syndrome to provide a unique framework for combating the psychological and emotional impact of stigma.Explaining how to develop resilience and essential coping mechanisms to manage distress and improve mental health, this book casts new light on the significance of stigma in mental health, and marks a new way forward for anyone who has been made to feel like an "outsider".
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2019
23 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 25, 2021
TW: Ableism, use of functioning labels, R-slur, other ableist language
Please note this review is coming from an autistic and ADHD non-binary white person.
I picked it up as my spouse and I have years of autistic/ADHD trauma to sift through, and was looking for anything to aid us in reflecting and acting in dealing with it. The actual strategy didn't appear till well near the end of the book and was dealt with too briefly, in my opinion. It seemed pretty generic but did have some aspects I'm interested in trying.
I had very mixed feelings about this book. One paragraph I'd be thinking "Yes, yes, this makes SO much sense!" and then the next I would feel quite uncomfortable and be squirming in my seat. I found myself going from one extreme to the other so many times I could not comprehend what the message or meaning of many sections were intended to be.
Some critiques I want to address:
The small section on race was the most mind-boggling. While the author made great strides to talk about the intersectionality and very real issues that relate to being autistic and a POC, he interviewed zero POC, only quoting from one interview he found online. He then proceeded to state that single person's opinion of their experience with race and autism as if it settled the entire matter. It was, to quote page 72: "lack of attention to [being autistic and Black] creates the perception that 'the majority of Black people must be "normal", which [Mike Buckholz] says helps them "Go about their business"'.
This quote was very uncomfortable because I follow a few Black autistic advocates, and they have continually repeated the issue of Black people being rejected as autistic or withheld from important resources because of Black autistic erasure. I have seen so many Black autistics pushed aside, spoken over, and mentally exhausted by us white folks talking over them and ignoring all the differing factors the Black autistic experience brings. This is a book about stigma and trauma, and not going into the intersectionality of that along with race is literally erasing all people who are not white.
The section on self-diagnosis (page 56) was also head scratching. He seemed to give no opinion on it, and yet the entirety was about how "being on the spectrum seems as fashionable as ever". As if to make it a point he points out no one "clamber[s] to be on the 'severe' part of the spectrum'." On that subject I REALLY disliked his constant use of the label "ASHF": Asperger's syndrome/high functioning'.
This is why functioning labels are so darn damaging. In some areas of my life people would not know I'm autistic, and in others, given the day, I literally cannot answer the phone or get myself to eat. My levels of 'functioning' vary, and due to being labeled as "high functioning" I'm excluded from badly needed resources like help cleaning my home, respite care, or basic dignity of being believed by my GP. Other autistic folks have more visible needs of support, but that doesn't mean they are not able to function in other areas. It's not a competition of which of us suffers more or less from societal stigma than the other.
Also self-diagnosis is valid and needs to be respected. Gatekeeping this is classist and racist. Getting a professional diagnosis is expensive. In my country is around $1000.00, and that depends which doctor you get and how many misdiagnoses you might get along the way (shoutout to the many doctors that misdiagnosed me and my spouse! (waves) Appreciated the medical trauma!). Already us autistic folk are usually unemployed so cannot afford to be professionally DX'd to appease others.
Overall, an interesting read, but messy and doesn't quite know where it stands.
Please note this review is coming from an autistic and ADHD non-binary white person.
I picked it up as my spouse and I have years of autistic/ADHD trauma to sift through, and was looking for anything to aid us in reflecting and acting in dealing with it. The actual strategy didn't appear till well near the end of the book and was dealt with too briefly, in my opinion. It seemed pretty generic but did have some aspects I'm interested in trying.
I had very mixed feelings about this book. One paragraph I'd be thinking "Yes, yes, this makes SO much sense!" and then the next I would feel quite uncomfortable and be squirming in my seat. I found myself going from one extreme to the other so many times I could not comprehend what the message or meaning of many sections were intended to be.
Some critiques I want to address:
The small section on race was the most mind-boggling. While the author made great strides to talk about the intersectionality and very real issues that relate to being autistic and a POC, he interviewed zero POC, only quoting from one interview he found online. He then proceeded to state that single person's opinion of their experience with race and autism as if it settled the entire matter. It was, to quote page 72: "lack of attention to [being autistic and Black] creates the perception that 'the majority of Black people must be "normal", which [Mike Buckholz] says helps them "Go about their business"'.
This quote was very uncomfortable because I follow a few Black autistic advocates, and they have continually repeated the issue of Black people being rejected as autistic or withheld from important resources because of Black autistic erasure. I have seen so many Black autistics pushed aside, spoken over, and mentally exhausted by us white folks talking over them and ignoring all the differing factors the Black autistic experience brings. This is a book about stigma and trauma, and not going into the intersectionality of that along with race is literally erasing all people who are not white.
The section on self-diagnosis (page 56) was also head scratching. He seemed to give no opinion on it, and yet the entirety was about how "being on the spectrum seems as fashionable as ever". As if to make it a point he points out no one "clamber[s] to be on the 'severe' part of the spectrum'." On that subject I REALLY disliked his constant use of the label "ASHF": Asperger's syndrome/high functioning'.
This is why functioning labels are so darn damaging. In some areas of my life people would not know I'm autistic, and in others, given the day, I literally cannot answer the phone or get myself to eat. My levels of 'functioning' vary, and due to being labeled as "high functioning" I'm excluded from badly needed resources like help cleaning my home, respite care, or basic dignity of being believed by my GP. Other autistic folks have more visible needs of support, but that doesn't mean they are not able to function in other areas. It's not a competition of which of us suffers more or less from societal stigma than the other.
Also self-diagnosis is valid and needs to be respected. Gatekeeping this is classist and racist. Getting a professional diagnosis is expensive. In my country is around $1000.00, and that depends which doctor you get and how many misdiagnoses you might get along the way (shoutout to the many doctors that misdiagnosed me and my spouse! (waves) Appreciated the medical trauma!). Already us autistic folk are usually unemployed so cannot afford to be professionally DX'd to appease others.
Overall, an interesting read, but messy and doesn't quite know where it stands.
November 1, 2023
I think the early chapters of the book work the best and make some good points regarding stigma and autism. The problematic things start to trickle in after a while though and become exponentially worse as the book progresses.
The author acknowledges that the term ”high-functioning” is problematic and explains why, then proceeds to use it throughout the book in abbreviated form (???). Overall the book has a strong aspie supremacy lean to it. Gates claims that the only thing that is problematic to him with being autistic is the stigma the diagnosis comes with. This is simply not true for any autistic person, and is a hurtful claim, playing to the hands of ableist people in society. Then throughout the book he provides numerous examples of ways that being autistic gives him trouble, that have nothing to do with stigma.
A few of the examples are him becoming overwhelmed and driven to meltdown by unexpected changes, feeling anxious about social situations etc. All 100 percent valid, and very common autistic experiences. What makes it less nice to read about is the way that the author beats himself up about these experiences, and ironically making them even more stigmatizing than they should be. There is a horrific chapter about cognitive behaviour therapy, mindfulness and other kinds of snake-oily mumbo-jumbo. Gates thinks that if only he used some silly CBT-method in the situations that caused him stress, he could’ve prevented them. Meltdowns, for example, *can’t* be prevented. And CBT is built on exposure, which doesn’t work when you are autistic. Being autistic, you will have a lived lifetime of being invalidated, ridiculed and gaslit just for experiencing the world in a different way than the neurotypical norm. The type of anxiety this gives will not go away by using a therapy method that assumes your anxiety is irrational.
I was deeply troubled by what Gates wrote about neurodiversity. For some reason he claims that you need a formal diagnosis to be included as a neurodivergent? I have read about autism daily on social media for months and have read eight books on the subject, to the contrary there is a *strong* acceptance for self-diagnosis in the movement. Also Gates thinks that differences in communication is not because of neurotype, but a prevailing societal communication norm… which is based on… neurotypical standards! What else would it be? He gives no explanation. And by the way, neurodiversity is proven, it’s not some magic assumption. Go read ”The Autistic Brain” by Temple Grandin. Autistic peoples’ brains are literally physically different from NT ones.
Gates also claims that anxiety is completely treatable. I will leave you with that.
The author acknowledges that the term ”high-functioning” is problematic and explains why, then proceeds to use it throughout the book in abbreviated form (???). Overall the book has a strong aspie supremacy lean to it. Gates claims that the only thing that is problematic to him with being autistic is the stigma the diagnosis comes with. This is simply not true for any autistic person, and is a hurtful claim, playing to the hands of ableist people in society. Then throughout the book he provides numerous examples of ways that being autistic gives him trouble, that have nothing to do with stigma.
A few of the examples are him becoming overwhelmed and driven to meltdown by unexpected changes, feeling anxious about social situations etc. All 100 percent valid, and very common autistic experiences. What makes it less nice to read about is the way that the author beats himself up about these experiences, and ironically making them even more stigmatizing than they should be. There is a horrific chapter about cognitive behaviour therapy, mindfulness and other kinds of snake-oily mumbo-jumbo. Gates thinks that if only he used some silly CBT-method in the situations that caused him stress, he could’ve prevented them. Meltdowns, for example, *can’t* be prevented. And CBT is built on exposure, which doesn’t work when you are autistic. Being autistic, you will have a lived lifetime of being invalidated, ridiculed and gaslit just for experiencing the world in a different way than the neurotypical norm. The type of anxiety this gives will not go away by using a therapy method that assumes your anxiety is irrational.
I was deeply troubled by what Gates wrote about neurodiversity. For some reason he claims that you need a formal diagnosis to be included as a neurodivergent? I have read about autism daily on social media for months and have read eight books on the subject, to the contrary there is a *strong* acceptance for self-diagnosis in the movement. Also Gates thinks that differences in communication is not because of neurotype, but a prevailing societal communication norm… which is based on… neurotypical standards! What else would it be? He gives no explanation. And by the way, neurodiversity is proven, it’s not some magic assumption. Go read ”The Autistic Brain” by Temple Grandin. Autistic peoples’ brains are literally physically different from NT ones.
Gates also claims that anxiety is completely treatable. I will leave you with that.
December 19, 2023
Such a missed opportunity. Author is autistic and a therapist. Started off seeming to say the functioning divide is not helpful but then spent the entire book using "ASHFA" ( "Aspergers Syndrome / High Functioning Autism" ) & "CLAWHS" ("Classic Autistics Who Need High Levels Of Support"). There also did not appear to be a lot of diverse voices (genders/races/ages/other). Just really underwhelmed with the entire book after being excited to read it based in title.
August 29, 2022
I stopped reading at 33% because his study this is based on included only one female. Unacceptable.
July 24, 2024
Very disappointing overall. He buys into polyvagal theory and uses very irritating and disorienting nomenclature. ASHFA instead of Aspie, CLAWHS for auties with high support needs, etc. He uses the word telegraphic wrongly and profusely. ("Telegraphic stigma of presence"), has factual errors and says his book is based on a "study" he did. There are few details about this study, but the sample was all white and had only one woman...
January 1, 2020
Very disappointing. A bit of useful content lost in a sea of opinion, speculation, rambling discussions of blog posts, the odd research paper and the author's MA research with six participants.
December 26, 2022
As an autistic like the author, his book helped me understand why I unconsciously did certain behaviours, such as sharing facts no one cares to know before the convo switches topics or volunteering to help around to avoid socialising (stigma cloaking). A lot of Aha moments regarding the whole stigmatization/invalidation topic; the more I read, the more I reflected on my own past exp. :')
The book also offers some valid coping techniques to survive a neurotypical world while making me question some subliminal biases I had amongst the community.
The book also offers some valid coping techniques to survive a neurotypical world while making me question some subliminal biases I had amongst the community.
December 4, 2022
This book did a fantastic job covering autism and PTSD, but was still written by a white cishet male, so there’s a lot of bias when it comes to incarceration, institutionalization, CPTSD, and ableism and racism. The book also doesn’t talk about CPTSD with the intersections of folks being Queer and autistic. Other than this, it does give a scientific explanation of neurodiversity, which is helpful.
June 16, 2019
Although I liked the subject of this book, I really struggled to immerse myself into it. It was a little dry for my taste and I found myself skimming chapters that I found more relevant to my reading purpose.
February 21, 2025
Reflexiones necesarias y revisión de temas que no son suficientemente hablados dentro de lo que conocemos del autismo.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews