Autism and Self-Esteem

After weighing in on New Ways of Understanding Autism written by two experts in autism, Kim Thúy draws on personal experience as the parent of an autistic teenager to add her voice to this complementary book about how individuals with autism build identity.

With their earlier book, New Ways of Understanding Autism the authors threw a lifeline to many parents and caregivers by helping them understand the hows and whys of certain frustrating behavioural issues. This second book explores how those with autism can create a better life in a world full of neurotypical people. Caregivers must be especially mindful of the reality for those with autism when helping them to build a sense of identity and self-esteem. This book explains how the two fundamental aspects of developing self-esteem for those with autism—competence in areas they feel are important and validation from significant people in their environment—help them to cultivate social awareness.