I was an autism mom before I was autistic. 

I mean, obviously that can’t actually be true, because I’ve been autistic my whole life, but I came into the autism community as a parent years before I knew I was autistic. My introduction to autism was as a mom to my young son Jack back when he was turning three. 

It didn’t take me long to suspect that I was autistic as well, but it did take me a long time to claim autism as an identity. 

At first, this was just because I was spending all my time taking care of Jack and his brothers. I was learning how to navigate therapies and decide what was important. I was learning how to advocate for my son to get him the services he needed in the school system. I was also dipping my toes into the online autism world, reading blogs of parents and autistic adults and seeing myself in both places. 

The really tough parts of Asperger syndrome are obviously the most difficult to talk about, but if we don't... if we pretend life with AS is all jolly and cheer-filled, then we set ourselves up for certain failure.

This book was exceptionally hard for me to write because it shows my vulnerability and because it made me remember things I wish I could forget; things I wish never happened. Nevertheless, I am glad...

This conference, organised by The National Autistic Society, is a response to increasing calls from parents and professionals for specific information about autism in women and girls, as well as from women with autism who feel it is important to highlight their specific needs and the differences between autism in men and women. 

The event aims to explore further the issues around the possible under-diagnosis of women and girls with autism.

Katie Bridges is a full time writer who lives in Vancouver, Washington. By full time writer, she means that she hardly ever stops writing! Whether she's working on a piece of fiction or composing a letter of encouragement to someone, she's often sitting at her computer typing away. If she wasn’t writing, she would be hiking, as she loves to be amongst nature. She also enjoys reading children's science books and is quite addicted! Katie owns a huge assortment she's collected over the years. In between writing, she spends time with her family, giving a great deal of care to her grandchildren who she has has a lot in common with. Together, they love to star gaze at night and talk about the latest scientific discoveries. To find out more about her life, visit: warriorsoftheedge.com