MILAN, Mich., March 4, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The social expectations of women today are difficult for many people. For women on various places on the "autism spectrum," those silent demands can be especially challenging. In her new book, Women from Another Planet? Our Lives in the Universe of Autism (now available through 1stBooks), Jean Kearns Miller has collected the thoughts, ideas and advice of about 20 women with autism, relaying how they get by in today's world with a condition that few people know much about or assume its existence is only seen in boys and men.
Miller created an email list of autistic women who would raise important issues and identify what it means to be a woman with autism today. It collects the thoughts of these women on growing up, love, intimacy, motherhood, social involvement, work, gender, emotion and daily survival. They offer a new voice in the field of autism and hope to spread the message that being autistic at any level still means one is a whole, complete woman with potential and strength.
Often underdiagnosed in girls, autism isn't recognized as easily as it is in boys, where its effects are more dramatic. Autistic girls are often assumed to be quiet underachievers with little social contact. Society often assumes women are to be social nurturers and initiate relationships, making that extremely challenging for autistic women. Women from Another Planet? fills a gap in books on autism, highlighting this issue and many others autistic women face daily.
Perfect for those battling this condition themselves, parents, researchers, members of the disabilities community and those interested in women's rights, Women from Another Planet? is a real conversation about autism among women who know it best.
Miller is an English instructor at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Mich. She received a degree in English from Marygrove College in 1970 and a master's degree in rhetoric and writing from the University of Tulsa. With experiences as a technical writer, she completed doctoral coursework in rhetoric and writing at Purdue University. An autistic woman, she hopes to educate people about neurological disorders and diversity.
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