The first time you heard the word "autism," it probably was not in a doctor's office.

It was in a chat room. A group text. A comment thread. Someone's plan fell through and they typed, "I completely autismed out today." Everyone moved on. No one thought twice. Because the word had become a shorthand for a passing mood, a moment of wanting quiet, a refusal to engage, an afternoon of not feeling social.

But somewhere, at that exact moment, a mother was sitting alone in a hospital parking lot with a piece of paper in her hands. A diagnosis. A word that, for her son, was not a mood. Was not a phase. Was the name for the way his brain had always worked, and always would.

This book is for her. And if you have ever wanted to truly understand what autism is, what it is not, and what it demands of the rest of us, this book is for you, too.— — —I'm Not Shy — I'm Autistic takes you on a complete, unflinching journey through the history, science, myths, and living reality of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

It begins in 18th-century France, with a child found alone in a forest who had no language and no name for what made him different. It ends in the present day, where one in thirty-one American children receives an ASD diagnosis, and where most families still have no idea where to begin.

Between those two points, this book covers everything the headlines get wrong and everything the textbooks leave out.— — —It is written for the parent who just got the diagnosis and does not know where to start.

For the teacher who wants to reach the student who sits alone at the back of the room.

For the employer who senses that their most reliable worker is struggling and does not know why.

For anyone who has ever seen a child in a meltdown in a public place and felt, alongside the discomfort, a quiet wish to understand.

Not pity.

Not fear.

Understanding — the kind that actually changes how you see another person.