Human: Finding myself in the autism spectrum

“Astounding, unusual, unique, extremely personal view from the inside out.” PattyMacDotComma

“A brilliant memoir that I related to very much! Highly recommended reading. I could not put this book down.” Maxine Groves (Booklover Catlady Reviews) Top Ranked Reviewer

“As soon as I started this memoir I knew I was in the process of a life-changing read.” Carrie

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Wearing my mask of rules,
I imitate the person,
You expect me to be.

Am I wrong to deceive you?
How could we interact otherwise?
What would the world see?

A life spent in coping,
Alone, overwhelmed and ignorant,
Cannot be my whole story.

Why am I this way?
And without this disguise,
Who is the real me?

Written after Warren was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age 43, this is a memoir focused on the cause, effects and outcomes of being born different from others. You will find fascinating personal stories placed against technical information to give an understanding of autism that is wider than Warren’s own story. Warren shares the plain truth of his life, ways that he overcame adversity, and that self-understanding is critical to be the best version of yourself, whether you are in or out of the autism spectrum.

Human: Finding myself in the autism spectrum is the book by Warren Mayocchi. Stay up to date on the latest news with facebook.

A knowledgeable yet intimate account that takes you through the marvelous intricacy of a human mind.

Dr Winnie Yu Pow Lau, Clinical Psychologist Tony Attwood’s Clinic

Having read several books on this subject, mainly in order to help develop some coping strategies for my daughter who has Semantic Pragmatic Disorder, I found this account more helpful than most.

Whilst being very personal, and I can only imagine how difficult that was, the detail was sequenced well, clear and easy to read. I especially liked the “Asperger’s Syndrome Primary and Secondary Features” table which is concise and relevant. The section on Autistic Burnout was enlightening and I think schools and HR departments everywhere should read and understand this. Our own term at home for this is “meltdown”, and the consequences of not dealing with it early enough are painful and significant.

This book, will not only help those diagnosed with Asperger’s, but spouses, parents, care givers and employers too.

Chris Stanley

Whether you are an Aspie yourself, a parent or carer or one, an educator or professional you will get something great from this book. After reading so much on the topic I have lost faith in a lot of books as I find them repetitive and nothing new touches me or educates me. Warren’s book is one of only two memoirs I have read where I was really nodding my head a lot and saying “I get it, I get it”.

I give this one an easy five stars and really recommend it highly.

Maxine Groves (Booklover Catlady Reviews) Top Ranked Reviewer

By drawing upon his personal struggles, Mayocchi provides a rare and profound insight not only into Asperger’s but also the fragility and vulnerability of human existence. Mayocchi illustrates the challenges of living in harmony with himself, whilst adhering to a strict set of rules designed to allow an inconspicuous existence in a judgmental world. Through these illustrations, I found my own insecurities being bought to the surface and was forced to examine my fears, prejudices and ultimately my self-understanding and purpose. Human is a unique book which is truly a seminal text I would recommend for all readers both on and off the spectrum.

Jody Connelly

Despite any former knowledge of Asperger’s that a person may have, this book is guaranteed to teach the reader something new.

By using real life examples Mayocchi reveals an insight into his own personal struggle living on the autism spectrum, to live cohesively in a mainstream society. The most interesting thing that sets this book apart is the breaking down of the strict set of rules which the author abides by to avoid situations which reveal him as different.

Highly recommend “Human” as an insightful read.

Tyler Hofmann

As someone with late in life diagnosed Asperger I found this book to reach somewhere inside me where I thought I was alone and bring it to the surface showing me I am in fact not alone in my struggles, please read this book if you have any interest in autism.

C Reed

As soon as I started this memoir I knew I was in the process of a life-changing read. Like Warren Mayocchi, I too have just recently discovered I am autistic at the age of thirty-five and despite spending ten years working with autistic children in my early twenties, it is not until reading Warren’s story that I feel I am truly starting to understand this complex condition.

Warren begins the book with good solid information on what autism is and what it is not. He explains why labels like ‘high/low functioning’ are not appropriate (I totally agree) and attempts to explain the complexity of what he describes as the “effects and outcomes” of autism.

The book then introduces the reader to Warren’s personal experience of undiagnosed autism from early infancy, school life, work and marriage. Throughout the journey there are extracts from studies and books about autism that describe various elements of the disorder such as autistic burnout and gastrointestinal issues. These extracts not only give the reader a better understanding of Warren’s experience but also provide information for further personal research.

Warren is very candid in his discussion of depression, self-harm and suicidal thinking that plagued him throughout most of his life. This made the book difficult to read at times but only because it is hard to see someone else going through something so awful that I myself have experienced due to lack of diagnosis. Whilst this subject matter may be too difficult for some to read, I personally want to thank the author for including it in his story as it shows people just how difficult life can be without correct diagnosis and appropriate support. This area in particular is something that I hope adult services will improve on so that other adults with autism don’t have to suffer as Warren and so many others have.

The reason I enjoyed this book so much and why it affected me to such a degree is because it was like reading my own story. Warren talks about his passion for music and how he would play songs on repeat, catalogue them and spend hours just listening. I too found music at a very young age and I now understand that I used it as a means of coping with my undiagnosed autism throughout my childhood and even today. I also recognised some of my own social mistakes, the feelings of self-loathing and surprisingly the various masks worn depending on which doctor is being seen and what outcome is needed from the appointment.

This book will be one I go back to again and again in my on-going search for understanding and knowledge on my own autism. It is thought provoking without being too distracting and has provided me with a long list of research papers and books that I hadn’t even considered looking into.

I highly recommend Human:Finding myself in the autism spectrum, to anyone who is diagnosed, waiting for diagnosis or simply suspects they may be on the spectrum. I also strongly recommend spouses and parents of adults with autism to read this book if you want to understand autism from a non-text book source.

Finally I want to thank Warren and his wife for sharing his journey and the immense difficulties he has had along the way. I no longer feel I am the only person in the world who hates the feeling of wrong underpants.

Carrie

Human : Finding myself in the autism spectrum, is a fascinating and complex blending of creative non-fiction in your life story with carefully detailed analyses of information about autism. Balancing the creative and factual aspects of narrative can’t have been easy but you do it well. Your achievement in interweaving your story and the subject of autism is in part due to your willingness to reveal your difficulties as a person experiencing life from within the autism spectrum. Your book gives the reader a very clear understanding of the challenges, as well as the strengths, in seeing the world through this lens.

The struggle to overcome adversity along with the courage to continue the quest for understanding and a sense of self-worth make for engaging reading. The challenges, strategies and solutions you describe would interest readers who are looking for answers as well as readers for whom the subject itself holds interest. There’s nothing quite like being inside an experience to understand it, and your book gives the reader this opportunity.

Your memoir has a very good balance of personal experience, social expectations, diagnostics and medical discourses around autism. Your ability to describe your experience of living in the spectrum, and to research it, brings a wealth of information to the public about an often unrecognised and very confusing condition.

Dr Maria Simms, Author and Editor

An interesting read from inside the spectrum.

This is a very in depth, technical and personal account of someone who was diagnosed as autistic. There are many pages from clinical journals and hence this is not an introductory guide or for anyone who has not already read up the subject or has some prior medical terminology knowledge.

There are some wonderful scenarios and “things to give you an idea”, like the Rubik cube – one side appears normal, or almost done – but the rest is in chaos.

Warren ends up being diagnosed with Asperger’s and whilst on the same spectrum is very different from “normal” autism and needs to be treated as such. He is clearly a talented, sporty man who can very much see “outside the box” technically but not always with other human beings. An argument on a train journey concluded with him reading a book and his wife taking over the debate!

For anyone dealing with someone with autism or Asperger’s (or both) this is a useful tool to give the personal perspective of how the world functions to them. Written with a touch of pathos and much humour to situations Warren found himself in, this is a touching story of a brave and talented man. Through feeling suicidal, to living “until the next film or book” and taking each day at a time with all of the terrors it holds (Will I do the right things, what if they hate me, what if they like me?) this put you right there.

A very interesting read for me as I have a medical interest having worked in the medical field. Not a book for everyone but for those that pick this up this is a unique insight into that “wired” spectrum.

Be proud Warren – you have and can do it! (Whatever “it” might be!)

Misfits Farm