The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism

A Community Book and Blog Project 

The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism (TPGA) is the book and website we wish had been available when our children with autism were first diagnosed. We want to help people with autism and their families make sense of the bewildering array of available autism treatments and options, and determine which are worth their time, money, and energy.

Think of us as a little bit of Snopes for the autism community — trusted, accurate, and friendly. Our essays will cover informed approaches to autism and autism treatments, as well as the personal experiences of people with autism and their families. Our attitude is cautionary yet loving — we’re  honest, but we’re not interested in negativity.

We envision TPGA as a community-based effort, with the very best writing on evidence-based approaches to autism from autistics, family members, and professionals. If you have something to say about autism that meshes with our mission statement, then we want to hear from you!

If you want to contribute but not with an essay, you can help us develop our Autism Resources page, or help spread the word about TPGA by forwarding this post to receptive folks in your own autism community.

The submission deadline to includes essays in our book is July 2, though we’ll continue publishing essays online. The book will be released August 3rd, through Deadwood City Publishing, at which point you will be able to purchase it via Amazon.com.

Our schedule may seem intense, but this is how editors Shannon Des Roches Rosa and Jennifer Byde Myers have successfully turned blogs into books since 2007. With the added superpowers of editor Liz Ditz plus science editor Emily Willingham, the Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism is poised to be the ideal resource for anyone who wants or needs to know more about autism.