Books I have written
The autism friendly guide to periods
april 2019
£12.99
a book that is aimed at young people who will have periods, but is very readable for those who care about someone who has periods, the book explains what periods are , how they are part of the menstrual cycle and how you can manage them including information about menstrual cups and cloth pads, and photo step by step instructions. There is also a frame which allows you to reveal only one image at a time.
Before I wrote this book, I was working mostly with Young Autistic people as a mentor. I could see that many Autistic people were vulnerable and wanted to try and help. To start the research for this book I created a online survey of 100 non autistic and 100 autistic people who identify as women , looking at the different experiences women have around safety ,
This book is split into small junks and with lots of strategies.
1 Platonic friendships
2 Sex
3 Romantic relationships
4 Drugs and alcohol
5 Planning to go out
6 Internet and mobile communication
7 Money
8 Work
9 Emotions
Books I appear in or have contributed to.
Ultra Violet Voices
Ultra Violet Voices is a book published by Autism West Midlands, the book features chapter written by a range of individual women and one trans man, discussing their experiences on particular issues.
Auti Power!
Auto Power is a book published by Jessica Kinsgley Publishers. The book is a series of interviews with Autistic adults who consider themselves to be successful in some way. This book can be very useful for parents.
Sisterhood on the spectrum
Sister hood on the spectrum is a book by Jennifer cook O'Toole, who is Autistic as are her 3 children. Jennifer created the popular Asperkids series, and this book looks at supporting females on the spectrum.
Breaking the silence
Breaking the Silence is a book which was written by participants of a research project which aimed to better understand the female experience of being Autistic. (Most of us didn't like the title Autism in Pink), Several of the members of the research groups which were based across Europe wrote chapters for the book, which is available in several languages.
The book is free and can be downloaded from the website below.
http://autisminpink.net
Academic publications
Life as a deck of cards
Commentary for the Autism Journal Special Issue on Women and Girls : Autism Journal, Volume: 21 issue: 6, page(s): 659-660. Article first published online: June 9, 2017;Issue published: August 1, 2017. DOI:
Click here to read
Experiences of late diagnosed Autistic women
This is a academic paper published in the Autism journal which aimed to try and understand more about the experiences of autistic women who were diagnosed as adults. Click here to read it
S Bargiela, R Steward, W Mandy, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders October 2016, Volume 46, Issue 10, pp 3281–3294
“Life is Much More Difficult to Manage During Periods”
Autistic Experiences of Menstruation is a paper published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and came from my period research for my book. You can read the academic paper by clicking here .
Autism Matters podcast host
Host for Autism Journal's podcast Autism Matters click here to listen.