INDEPENDENT LIVING WITH AUTISM: Your Roadmap to Success by Wendela Whitcomb Marsh – Autism & Asperger’s Syndrome, Parenting Books on Children with Disabilities, Mental Health (Books)

Author and autism counselor Wendela Whitcomb Marsh has created a specialized guide for those with autism, seen through the eyes of five characters of different ages, with differing needs and aspirations in her book, Independent Living with Autism: Your Roadmap to Success.

Boldly launching her work with the ambitious chapter, “Solutions,” Marsh depicts some of the possible departure points for her readers: those just out of school, those who were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or who self-diagnosed, and all who face the challenges of ASD, whether alone or with family or social supports.

Marsh relays her story, focusing on the lives of five individuals with ASD.

Her five role models are: Jacob, age 18 and a high school senior facing an uncertain future; Emily, 22 and still living at home with over-protective parents; Zach, 33, who without a formal diagnosis investigated AS websites to gain clues to his particular issues; Maria, 45, divorced mother of twin daughters who are now off at college, leaving her alone and indecisive; and Robert, a sixty-two-year-old man who has inferred his AS by helping his daughter with his autistic grandson. A year will pass, during which these five people will take greater charge of their lives, aided by incidents, friends, and advice they encounter along the way.

Marsh examines the lives of her autistic characters in terms of many of the most prevalent aspects of their disorder, which can present itself in widely differing ways.

A person with ASD may feel a terror at loud noise, disgust at certain smells, fear of physical contact, obsession about a certain game or musician, the need to walk with heavy steps or slap one’s thighs rhythmically or compulsively tap one’s ears, talk too loud or too softly, avoid conversation or dominate it, all the while unaware of how these behaviors might seem to the “neurotypical” people around them.

Each of Marsh’s five subjects will learn from others and by their own diligence what changes they need to make, and what habits they may have that are in no need of alteration.

Jacob must ask a counselor’s help in inviting a girl to the prom, and that conversation changes not only his approach but his intended invitee – with positive results. Emily is determined to live on her own, even though it will mean confronting her father about the handling of her monthly support checks and learning to coexist harmoniously in a group home environment. Zach is fortunate to get a job as a temple caretaker so he pays no rent, but will branch out to other, more sociable work when experiences and practice make him ready. Maria, though very nervous about being with other people, luckily lands a home-based job as a book editor, and finds socialization with other women when she joins a book club. Robert, whose career as a TV repairman went dry when the technology changed, spends time with his “old geezer’s club” until he blurts out some inappropriate, but to him logical, remarks, and apologizes, disclosing that he has autism and gaining new acceptance.

Marsh, with two autistic adult children, concentrates her professional efforts on working with neurodivergent adults and their families. As shown in the highly organized, down-to-earth “case studies” presented here, the goal is always increasing independence for her clients, whether that means making radical changes in their habits, or understanding and embracing their quirks and helping others understand and accept them. Her panorama covers life events such as housing, recreation, and employability, and offers a list of references for further road-mapping by her readers. Her book will be of great help to those with ASD, their families, counselors, and indeed, almost anyone looking to hone social, personal and work skills and advance in all realms of life.

Independent Living with Autism by Wendela Whitcomb Marsh won Grand Prize in the 2020 CIBA I&I Book Awards for Instruction and Insight, and it’s one book we highly recommend!