What I Wish We Knew: The Memos of an Undiagnosed Autistic with a Side of Post-Traumatic Stress (My Personal Autism Journey)

I am "that guy". I know why they ran. I made them uncomfortable. I am the reason a lot of people don't answer their phones. I have been fired, kicked out of school, in debt, separated, fired, evicted, in deeper debt, lost a business, kicked out of school again, fired, divorced, even deeper debt, kicked out of a band, labeled as "un-hirable", closed another business, fired, unable to buy groceries, oh-my-goodness-how-far-into-debt-are-they-going-to-let-me-go...And now, I have a beautiful wife (who used to hate my guts), two great kids, a job I enjoy, a successful hobby, an imaginary dog, and, most of all, peace with the world I live in.I was not diagnosed as autistic until I was in my 50s. I actually discovered I was autistic in my 40s, but work needed something official. Up until then, I have had to navigate through a world I had difficulty understanding and communicating with. I didn't understand it, and it didn't understand me.This book isn't going to be a typical book. I gave up on that years ago.

Instead, I would like to share how the world works inside my head. This is less of a "research project" full of technical "expert speak" and more of an autoethnographic "one conductor pointing out glitches in track" exploration of how I have experience things over the past 50 years as an autistic person and how it relates to the wider cultural and social paradigms around me.I am not trying to write a "fix it" book or "advice" book. There are dozens of those available. I think my main goal of this book is to simply say: You are not alone. It covers: Handling Stress, Flipping Switches and Blowing Fuses, Zoning Out, Shutting Down & Crashing the System, Medicine, Sensory issues and Sensitivities, Decision Making, Detachment & Social Norms, Empathy, How I was Overbearing, My Identity, The Need to be Safe, Rules, Complication with Simple Tasks, Learning Patterns, Routine, Relationships, Eating, Sleeping, Short Cutting and Memory, Jobs, Holidays and Gifts, Transitions-----------------------------------------------------------------Review:Have you ever wondered what it means to be on the spectrum? Have you ever thought about why an autistic person is different? Or how they process life? Whether you know about this topic or not, I'm sure What I Wish We Knew by Zarqnon the Embarrassed will give you a good experience. You get to see what it is through the eyes of the writer, who was diagnosed as an adult after the diagnosis of his children.

The book talks about every detail in life and how people on the spectrum can handle it.I liked everything about this book. The writer's style is smooth, simple, and clear. You'll not face a moment of boredom. I like how the writer poured out his heart into this book and talked so sincerely. The book is very educational and eye-opening. It gave me a much better understanding of how people can be different. It also showed me how people on the spectrum process every detail of life differently. I admired how the writer could go through life before his diagnosis but still succeed in it. I can't imagine how hard it was and the number of obstacles he had to go through.There is absolutely nothing to hate about this book.

It was well-written and well-put-together. The editing of the book was exceptional. I could not notice any errors or mistakes. I enjoyed every page of the book. Therefore, I rate it five out of five stars.I recommend the book to everyone. I believe the book is useful and suitable for everyone. It suits people on the spectrum, especially those who haven't been diagnosed yet. It is also educational for people who would like to learn more about our differences and how we don't all have the same experiences in life.