I'm thrilled to see a comprehensive, own-voices guide to independent living for autistic adults. The guide itself is detailed and useful, covering everything from cleaning schedules to budgeting to dating to registering to vote and it approaches the concept of independent living in a broad, non-judgmental away, acknowledging that it could mean different things to different people.

There were a couple pieces of advice I wasn't sure about (questioning a host about what food will be served at a party is a trickier conversation than the author implies, for example) but this is a great place to start. There are a lot of interesting thoughts about autistic identity and ableism that are valuable reading for anyone. I would strongly encourage anyone who is autistic or is close to/has regular contact with people who are autistic to give this a read!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I absolutely LOVE that this book’s title isn’t embarrassing. (Others I’ve seen in the past were downright cringe-worthy!) Readers will feel that they’re being talked to by an adult, for adults – which is exactly what a neurodivergent teen transitioning into adulthood needs.

In particular, the chapters on dating and job preparation were encouraging and insightful!

I’ll be adding this book to my library's YA Non-Fiction collection.

Thanks Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What does it mean to become independent when you are neurodiverse? Haley Moss uses her experiences and advice from professionals to give her take on moving on from teens to adulthood when you are neurodiverse. She talks about everything from self care, taking out the rubbish, having emergency numbers on hand to navigating employment, jury duty, voting, and so on. There are so many useful tips, as well as just having a first hand experience point of view. My neurodiverse teen loves to hear about other neurodiverse persons and their experiences as inspiration and encouragement. I have preordered the hardback as this will be one of those books, he just keeps coming back to. On the final section: Sending You Out Into the World, Moss explains: "Independence is the freedom to be your full, wonderful, autistic self" and that "all we can do is to have the strength and vulnerability to acknowledge when we need help". These are perfect words to help navigate the world- be yourself and ask for help when needed. Definitely essential reading for any neurodiverse teen ready to navigate a path to independence and their support team helping them achieve it. #theyoungautistadultsindependencehandbook #haleymoss #netgalley #neurodiverseteen #seeking independence #autism #neurodiverseyoungadult #independence