All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness by Charli Clement
Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Format: Non-Fiction
Genres and Categories: Disabled and Neurodivergent Authors, LGBTQIA+ Authors, Non-Binary Authors, Queer Authors, Disabled and Neurodivergent Information
My Rating:
Published on: 21st December 2023
Pages: 272
Disability Representation: Author is autistic, ADHD, dyspraxic and has Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), and panic attacks, There is also a lot of other chronic illness and neurodivergent representation included.
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In this ground-breaking debut, Charli Clement combines their own experiences alongside unique short profiles from individuals with chronic illness, to provide an intimate and insightful look at the complexities of living as an autistic and chronically ill person.

From navigating your diagnosis and healthcare, learning how to manage pain and your own sensory needs to dealing with ableism, medical misogyny and transphobia, Clement offers practical advice and delves into the unique challenges faced by individuals living in this intersection.

With a focus on the unique neurodivergent experience and an exploration into disability pride and joy 'All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness' is a necessary and empowering resource for autistic and chronically ill people as well as for family members, friends, and healthcare professionals.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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I’ve been learning about myself a lot in the last year, and when I found out about  by Charli Clement, I knew I needed to read it. I was not disappointed, and you can find out more about why this book has become one that I now highly recommend in my review below.

There have been multiple books about autism and others about chronic illnesses, but until now there wasn’t one that talked about both and what it is like to live with them. All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness by Charli Clement takes into consideration that there are many people who have both autism and chronic illnesses. Talking from their own experience, and incorporating the experiences of people they have interviewed, Clement has built a valuable resource.

The topics, listed as chapters, are:

• Navigating diagnosis and healthcare

• Everyday life

• Sensory needs

• Pacing and routines

• Education and employment

• Personal relationships

• Experiencing ableism

• Gender, medical misogyny and menstrual health

• Disability pride and disability joy

I found this book to be instrumental in helping me learn more about myself. Any doubts I had about my autistic identity were banished by the time I had finished it. I’m currently on a long waiting list for a formal assessment and have had to piece together information as I go along. It was great to finally have someone explain things like interoception, proprioception and the vestibular system in terms that relate to my chronic illnesses as well.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is autistic and chronically ill, but also to anyone who has not been diagnosed or self-diagnosed as autistic. There are a lot of overlaps with chronic illnesses, and many people have been overlooked and/or misdiagnosed due to medical bias. This is something that Clement discusses, and All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness may help you learn something new about yourself.

Thanks for reading my book review for All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness!

This review is part of repDISND (formerly known as GeekDis) an annual event I run for the disabled and neurodivergent community to discuss representation. Follow the hashtag #repdisnd or follow me on social media for more!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my reviews if you’re looking for some more book recommendations 🙂 You can also now sign up for my newsletter to get an email each month with a list of my new reviews!

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