I’m writing a book about being autistic

It’s about what it’s like to be diagnosed late, and the benefits of finally knowing who we are

There are lots of books written by autistic authors about autism. They are all valuable, and there is plenty of room for more! I think my book has a different slant to most of the books out there so far. There’s lots of great things that come with being autistic and knowing it, and I want to write about this.

A late autism diagnosis can be a lot to process and handle, but knowing we are autistic can also prove very positive. My autism diagnosis has been one of the most empowering and freeing pieces of information about myself I’ve ever received, although I appreciate that not everyone who is autistic will feel like me. Some may be struggling with the diagnosis and what it means to be autistic, or dealing with a range of difficult emotions about what could have been, had they known earlier. I want this book to provide hope for a happier future because after so many years of darkness and difficulty, even though I had already turned my life around, now that I have this missing piece in place it feels brighter than ever.

Crucially, my diagnosis made me deeply aware that as an autistic person, I experience the world in a profoundly different way to most. I have many sensory sensitivities that require lots of downtime and quiet solitude, and a need for ritual and routine. I am naturally talented at some things (like seeing themes, patterns and connections) and very bad at others (like directions and driving), and being autistic explains my uneven skill profile. I see the world as brightly coloured, responsive and sometimes quite magical. That’s a joyful thing to see, know, and embody. It has propelled me into submitting this proposal and feeling great enthusiasm for researching and writing this book and sharing this version of the Heroes Journey with people who will benefit from it.

I’m interviewing people in Spring 2025

As well as being an HSP and Autistic Coach, I’ve been a social researcher for over 25 years, and I’ve interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life about a wide range of things.

It has been such a privilege to hear so many people’s stories and views, and I’m very excited to now be interviewing other people who like me, have received a late diagnosis of autism. Our stories are so important for those who have gone before and those who will come after us.

Would you like to be a part of the autism late diagnosis story?

I am only part of this story. I’ll be referring to what others have already written, and I’m interviewing other late-diagnosed autistics to explore how they came to be diagnosed, and the impact knowing that they are autistic has had on them. I want to talk about so many things, including:

  • How we came to be diagnosed as autistic, later in life, and our experiences of the process

  • Our initial reaction to the diagnosis

  • Disclosure, who we told and how they responded

  • Any changes we made in the light of our diagnosis.

The particular focus of my book is how finally knowing we are autistic has benefitted us, and the benefits might include things like:

  • Making sense of past difficulties and trauma

  • Having a better understanding and more acceptance of ourselves

  • Feeling we have permission to ask for what we need

  • Finding a community of other autistic people who share similar experiences

  • Feeling more able to say no to things like social events that we know won’t be good for us

  • Recognising that we have particular skills, strengths, and gifts

  • Validation that we perceive the world in a different way, and that we really enjoy some aspects of this

  • Giving us information and impetus to change our lives to better suit who we really are.

But I am interested in the whole lived experience of late autism diagnosis, before, during, and afterwards, and what this means for our future.

If you’re autistic and have received a diagnosis / formal assessment of autism when you were over 25, then I would love to talk with you!

What an interview with me involves

Taking part in an interview with me is really informal, it will feel more like a nice chat with someone who understands some of what you have been through. Here’s how it works:

  • We can do the interview on Zoom or by phone, whichever you would prefer

  • I’ll send you a link to my calendar so you can book a time and date that works for you

  • The interview will last about 90 minutes. We can do it over two or three shorter sessions if that works better for you

  • There is no need to prepare anything in advance, you can just show up as yourself. But if you’d like to know the key questions I’ll be asking about in advance then I’d be happy to send them to you

  • If you’d rather just be sent some key questions to write answers to in your own time, then we can do that instead of talking

  • With your permission, I’ll record the interview but no one except me will have access to the recording. It just means I don’t need to take notes while you talk so that I can fully focus on you, and also have an accurate record of what you say.

What I’ll do with what you tell me

  • I’ll use the recordings to thematically analyse the key overarching themes to cover in the book, and I’ll identify some individual stories and direct quotes to illustrate the themes, and to illustrate the similarities and differences in our journeys and our stories

  • I can use your first name in the book if you’re happy for me to do that, or you can choose a pseudonym so that no-one except me will ever know what you said

  • I’ll also be including research that others have done in the past, although to my knowledge, no-one has done research on this exact topic before. We will be breaking new ground!

  • If you would like me to, I’ll include you in the acknowledgements of the book with your first name, your full name, your pseudonym, or not at all.

Is there anything else you’d like to know? I am happy to answer any questions you have, so just let me know by dropping me an email at jane@janeelizabethaston.com

As a thank you for taking part in this research, I’ll give everyone I interview an early draft of the book, as well as a free copy when it is published.

I’ve been writing and researching for over 25 years, but this time, it’s personal

I trained to be a coach a few years ago, but I worked as a researcher for over 25 years. I’ve written many reports for charities and government departments on subjects including health, education, employment and access to justice. But I’ve never been able to include myself until now, and I’m very excited to be writing about a topic so close to my heart! If you’re interested in seeing some of my previous published reports, you can look at my research website at janeastonassociates.co.uk. This link will take you to some of the reports that have been published. My book will include similarly high-quality research, but it will be much more fun to read than these!

Get in touch if you would like to help others by telling your important story

If you’re a late-diagnosed autistic then I’d love to talk with you as part of my research for this book.

To let me know you’d like to take part in an interview, please send me an email at: jane@janeelizabethaston.com

I’d love to know a little about you, so I can make sure I set up the interview as well as possible.

Please let me know if you need any adjustments to participate or if there’s anything you’d like me to be aware of beforehand.

Thank you!

Jane x