Odd Girl Out : An Autistic Woman in a Neurotypical World

A powerful memoir about dealing with a diagnosis of autism in womanhood.

<p><b>What do you do when you wake up in your mid-forties and realize you've been living a lie your whole life? Do you tell? Or do you keep it to yourself?</b><br><br>Laura James found out that she was autistic as an adult, after she had forged a career for herself, married twice and raised four children. This book tracks the year of Laura's life after she receives a definitive diagnosis from her doctor, as she learns that 'different' doesn't need to mean 'less' and how there is a place for all of us, and it's never too late to find it.<br><br>Laura draws on her professional and personal experiences and reflects on her life in the light of her diagnosis, which for her explains some of her differences; why, as a child, she felt happier spinning in circles than standing still and why she has always found it difficult to work in places with a lot of ambient noise.<br><br>Although this is a personal story, the book has a wider focus too, exploring reasons for the lower rate of diagnosed autism in women and a wide range of topics including eating disorders and autism, marriage and motherhood.<br><br><b><i>Odd Girl Out</i> gives a timely account from a woman negotiating the autistic spectrum, from a poignant and personal perspective.</b></p>