TITLE: Adult Autism Uncovered: A Guide to Empower Your Independence, Master Financial Literacy, and Excel at Work with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Kindle Edition)
AUTHOR: Hill, R.L., MBA, RN
SUBJECT AREA: Autism-Adulthood
PUBLISHER: Life on Paper
PUBLICATION DATE: 2025
NUMBER OF PAGES: 127 (for Print Edition)
When an individual with autism reaches adulthood, it’s as though he or she is at the edge of a cliff, ready to fall below without a safety net. In recent years, there have been more guidebooks on “adulting” with autism, but R.L. Hill’s book, Adult Autism Uncovered, is one of the best I’ve seen. With clear, concise writing she goes through the process of navigating adulthood with autism with concrete strategies and directions for each area of life.
In the first chapter, the author describes the trajectory from childhood to adult autism bringing home the point that life becomes more complex and harder as one with ASD grows older. She encourages the reader to set aside time to contemplate and reflect on one’s autistic identity, one’s likes and dislikes and what makes one feel most alive and happy. Journaling is thought to be the best way to do this, which can lead to seeing how one’s autism can make him or her unique.
This emphasis on self-acceptance is more important now, than ever. The author mentions well-known people with ASD such as the singer Susan Boyle, Dan Aykroyd, Lewis Carroll, and Charles Darwin to highlight the incredible potential that lies within each autistic person. In addition, the first chapter describes autism’s strengths including attention to minute details, and heightened creativity that’s not only artistic, but also important for problem-solving.
Then, the author gets into the real nitty-gritty, starting with Chapter 2 that discusses empowering adults with ASD to become more independent by building self-confidence and acknowledging one’s successes. As with all the other chapters, Hill suggests concrete strategies- creating a personal achievement log so that one can document their successes and see how far one has come over a certain period and moving away from negative self-talk into more positive practices. As with all the other chapters, this ends with a journaling exercise that asks the reader to list their unique qualities and how one positively impacts others. Using assistive technology and managing one’s home such as decluttering and creating specific “zones” for different purposes-work, relaxation and sleep. Transportation and self-care are also covered. Subsequent chapters discuss dealing with transitions.
Each chapter goes into rich detail about the subject at hand and the strategies presented are concrete and easy to do. I just love the positive tone of this gem of a book as the author emphasizes a positive approach to living with autism-this can go a long way toward dispelling the gloom and doom mindset so prevalent toward autism, especially in adulthood. To R.L. Hill, the sky’s the limit!