Read the Book

Welcome to the Autistic Community has 9 chapters. You can read each chapter by clicking on the links below. Or, you can use the drop-down menu to choose a chapter. If you don’t know much about autism, reading the chapters in order is a good way to start. Or, you can choose the chapters that you want to learn more about.

Each chapter is split into sections. You can choose the section you want to read by clicking on the section on your left. At the bottom of the list of sections is a page called “Words to Know“. We will teach you some new words in each chapter, so you can look there if you want to know what each word means.

We wrote the book in 2 formats: Plain Language and Extra Space.
In Plain Language, the sentences are longer, and arranged into paragraphs.
In Extra Space, there is more space between each sentence. The sentences are shorter. Some of the words are shorter, too.
Both formats have all of the same information.
You can toggle between each format using the dropdown at the top.

Here is a list of the chapters in Welcome to the Autistic Community:

Chapter One: To Start
Chapter One is about the book and who it is for. It talks about how to use the book.

Chapter Two: All About Autism
Chapter Two tells you more about what autism means.
It talks about things autistic people experience, and what we need.

Chapter Three: Who Can be Autistic?
Chapter Three talks about who can be autistic.
Autistic people can have other disabilities besides autism, so this chapter also talks about those disabilities.

Chapter Four: Autism Facts
Chapter Four answers some questions about autism.
It tells you the facts about autism, along with some wrong ideas people have about autism.

Chapter Five: Autism and Disability
Chapter Five talks about what disability and neurodiversity mean. It shows why disability and neurodiversity are important.

Chapter Six: Self-Advocacy and the Self-Advocacy Movement
Chapter Six talks about self-advocacy. It talks about what self-advocacy means, and tells you who can be a self-advocate. It also talks about the self-advocacy movement, and gives you tips about how to be a self-advocate.

Chapter Seven: Know Your Rights
Chapter Seven talks about disability rights in the United States. It shows the rights of autistic and disabled people.

Chapter Eight: Finding And Making Autistic Community
Chapter Eight talks about the autistic community. It says what autistic community is, and tells you where you might find autistic community. It also talks about who is left out from autistic community, and gives tips about how we can make sure nobody is left out.

Chapter Nine: Being An Ally
Chapter Nine is all about allies. It gives some advice about how to support autistic people. Even autistic people might find this chapter helpful, since it can be useful to help other autistic people!