Member Reviews
I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.
I have recently discovered that I am Neurodivergent and I’ve been reading up about it to learn more about myself and others in the community when I came across this book I was really excited to learn more and was not disappointed. The information is presented in a really interesting way and I felt gained a lot from it
Accessible, full of Facts and useful tips for day to day life of a neurodivergent person. I do hope there will be a change in the cover art, as it is absolutely horrendous.
I had really complex thoughts about this one because, for a lot of it, I really felt as though I was being talked down to. This perhaps should have written on it 'an introduction to' somewhere. For someone like me, who reads a lot of similar content on these topics, I found it much more a text aimed at high schoolers than adults.
Still, that doesn't take away its use as a comprehensive text! People need to start reading about this stuff somewhere, and for anyone who wasn't familiar with a lot of what was being discussed, that feeling of being talked down to probably wouldn't be so prevalent.
I will admit that I personally only stuck with this to see the section on alexithymia which turned out to be the second last section of the book. There are fantastic infographics the whole way through for anyone who remembers and learns from that kind of visual method rather than blocks of text.
The last section was one I accidentally found really useful. I recognised before it was stated that it went into Acceptance Commitment Therapy, which I personally have found useful for years prior to picking up this book. So the parallels that were made specifically between someone who is ND and what they can gain from value based living were really interesting to me to find.
Thank you Net Galley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was very eye opening for me, I cried multiple times while reading this because I could see myself and my experiences on almost every page. I was not diagnosed with ADHD until I was in my twenties, and have been trying to figure out how to help myself to function better ever since. This book was very helpful, but it was most importantly filled with so much thought and compassion towards it's readers where other Neurodivergent books can sometimes fall short.
Highly, highly, highly reccommend it.
"Nurturing Neurodivergence" is such a versatile read, both for NDs and people who live with, work with or love someone who has ASD or ADHD/ADD diagnosis. In easy to understand ways, Jasmine K. Y. Loo explains the difference between autism and ADHD, going in depth into many aspects of being neurodivergent. In my opinion, this book will be very helpful to those who want to understand their presentation of ASD or ADHD and why it's not always "typical" but more often quite subtle. The worksheets were a nice addition, encouraging self-reflection.
The only thing that I found annoying in "Nurturing Neurodivergence" was the design - it was too busy for me in terms of colours and infographics/illustration style with many fonts that were not always easy to read. I'd prefer something more coherent and "clean".
Fantastic read. Easy to follow, I appreciated that there was a positivity about being neurodivergent and learning more about neurodivergency.
I don't typically go for self-help-type books for a number of reasons. They're too boring. They're too "just be positive." They're too accusatory. They're too "just do better." The list goes on. I find them useless. But there was just something about this one that drew me in, and it did not disappoint.
The author wrote the book with compassion and understanding while still including scientific evidence. It was easy to read, and it kept my attention. I never felt like my AuADHD was viewed negatively throughout this, but I also (thankfully) never felt like the author was writing about some 'superpowers.' The author wrote it to educate through a lens of understanding and grace - not judgment.
I really enjoyed how the book presented information in a variety of ways (sentences, infographics, thought questions, etc.) because it helped me to truly understand the author's points. I didn't think I would enjoy the thought questions because normally "self-help" thought questions don't do anything for me. However, the author wrote her questions in a way that wasn't intimidating or fishing for a specific answer. She encouraged you to reflect on your experiences as well as better understand your own neurodivergence. Many of the questions she posed were difficult to answer in the sense that I had simply never thought of them before. It undoubtedly made me understand my strengths and weaknesses better, and the author offered some tips and tricks throughout.
If you're looking for an active read to truly help you better understand your own autism and/or ADHD, this book is amazing! If you're looking for an interactive book to help you and/or your child understand how their brain works, this book could be amazing!
I say "could" instead of "is" because the book does cover some more adult concepts (such as abuse). All topics are clearly defined and pointed out within the table of contents and before each section, so a parent can easily skip sections as they see fit for their child's age. However, "hard" topics are covered really well and could benefit a child when appropriately navigated with an adult's help and supervision. For example, the abuse section discusses friendships, establishing healthy boundaries, and spotting unhealthy relationships which are all topics neurodivergent children struggle with. Starting the conversation and education on these topics helps to prevent neurodivergent children from falling into easy traps.
I know this book is written specifically for late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults, but the author did an amazing job working through a range of topics that any neurodivergent individual could benefit from. I strongly encourage adult discussion and supervision if getting this book for your child, but this book could greatly benefit a neurodivergent child too. It can also help a parent understand their neurodivergent child's needs better.
As someone who found out they were autistic as an adult, and fairly recently, this book sounded like it was made for me. This is definitely not a book that will help you determine whether or not you are autistic, but rather a toolbox for people who already know they are autistic and are learning how to cope and figure stuff out. I really liked the comparison of finding out you are autistic as an adult to wearing the wrong prescription glasses for most of your life.
This book had a lot of worksheets the reader can work through, and presented the information in a clear, easy to follow manner. I didn't really feel the need to do the worksheets and some stuff felt fairly common sense to me, but that's just a me thing, and others may find the worksheets helpful.
I also think this would be a good book to give an NT loved one who is struggling to understand your autism diagnosis. By breaking it down into the things you may be trying to understand and improve upon, it can help others better understand. This is especially true if you've already spent your entire life perfecting masking so most people think you are NT, and they have no idea the internal negative affects that has on us NDs.
Clearly written and easy to follow with man great diagrams to visualize the topic. Nicely integrates both autism and ADHD and how they interrelated. Like that there was focus on late identification since there are many out there.
Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was definitely excited to read a book for adults with ADHD and autism written by a neurodivergent mental health practitioner, and I think that this fits well into that category. The book is written in relatively plain language and explicitly targeted for a neurodivergent audience who doesn't know much about neurodivergence and is trying to understand themselves better. I think it does a good job of serving this audience. I also appreciated the discussion of the "female presentation" of autism, which has historically been neglected. Overall, this seems like a good starting point for adults who have recently realized that they are neurodivergent
That said, I had a couple of complaints, all of which are likely consequences of it being a self-published work: there were some typos (though not a huge number, I felt), and the typesetting sometimes leaves a bit to be desired. And, well, I found some of the language more informal than I tend to like, although I recognize that that may actually be a net positive for many readers. In addition, I was quite annoyed that the book doesn't contain a bibliography, instead offering a QR code to scan for access to the bibliography. (The URL the code links to isn't even given for readers who might not be able to open QR codes!)
Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was both accessible and easily digestible. I did notice a large amount of typos, but that may be because this book is not originally formated for electronic consumption. It was very distracting, but I pressed on.
The book is a great length- I like books that are on the shorter side. It was written without a lot of jargon that would make it difficult to understand.
The topic of this book is extremely important- there is a large population of either late diagnosed or self-realized neurodivergents who essentially fell through the cracks during childhood.
I liked that the book also had access to additional online content on the author's website for further activities. I wish the section on values had included more for people who don't have values rather than people who want to prioritize too many values 😂 I can't identify my values.