Autism Relationships Handbook cover art

Autism Relationships Handbook

How to Thrive in Friendships, Dating, and Love

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Autism Relationships Handbook

By: Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN, Joe Biel
Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
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About this listen

Ever since he came out as autistic, Joe Biel has been contacted by people wanting to share their stories and ask questions. The most common question by far is: How do I find a romantic partner?

Dr. Faith G. Harper, author of Unf*ck Your Brain and Unf*ck Your Intimacy, joins autistic publisher and author Joe Biel to offer hard-won guidance on a wide range of topics about friendships, dating, and romance and answer a ton of questions. What do you want out of a relationship? What is the difference between flirting and harassment? How do you have a fun date and get to know someone when eye contact and prolonged conversation aren’t your strengths? How do you change a casual acquaintance into friendship or dating? How do you express your needs and make sure you’re hearing your partner when they express theirs? How do you maintain a healthy, happy long-term relationship?

Autistic listeners will find valuable answers and perspectives in this book, whether they are just getting ready to jump into dating, are seeking to forge closer friendships, or are looking to improve an existing partnership or marriage.

©2021 Joe Biel and Faith G. Harper (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing Children's Health Relationships Health Autism Dating Special Need Romance Mental Health Autism Marriage
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A wonderful book. I found it so very helpful as an autistic woman. Thank you so much!

Wonderful book!

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i choose to consume this book to try and understand more about myself and others. I am a late diognosed and struggle alot internally. My Masks are plentiful. I am struggling to understand a friendship conflict this have helped me understand it more.

This book can save lives!

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The writer's voice seems irritated... like she'd still "like to punch the whole world". I started to listen in order to better understand some of the people in my life only to feel like she was constantly throwing barbs at me. Unhelpful.

Angry author?

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At first it was the basic listing of symptoms and general experience of being autistic but it devolves into ableist instructions on how to best act normal so you can maintain a relationship. Basically saying autistic people can be too strange or odd and need to reel it in. Tried to finish it but can’t listen to anymore

Ableist stay away

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I didn't enjoy this book or get much out of it, but I can see that it might be valuable for some. If you're very lost when it comes to the world of human relationships, this could be a Relationships 101 course for you. If you're looking for information about dating and the early stages of building intimate relationships, this is probably not the book for you - it may be helpful in some ways, but you'll probably need to read much wider on the topic to achieve any success. The author's paradigm seems to reinforce unhelpful ideas of "victimhood" for the minority groups discussed. There is a clear dislike of Neurotypicals and the popular underlying narrative that the world is a power based patriarchy where minorities are oppressed. If you subscribe to these ideas, then you probably won't have trouble with this book. If you find these ideas to be disempowering and a little "victimhood chic," then you'll probably struggle with this book. All of that said, I think I found 1 or 2 small useful ideas from this book, but it was a lot of time and pain to discover these 1 or 2 ideas.

Very basic with a strong "victim" paradigm

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.