Book review: Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Book review: Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, book by Dr. Stephen M. Shore.

I read Dr. Shore’s memoir several years ago and have continued to find his story to be helpful and inspiring both personally and professionally. He discusses his history of receiving his diagnosis and growing up as an autistic child, however most of the book focuses on his adulthood. The experiences that he relates as an autistic adult in the workplace, academia, and in romantic relationships have been invaluable to me over the years both professionally and personally. When I have had clients or when my own spouse was been bullied or pushed out of positions at work for no clear reason other than that they are neurodivergent, I have related Dr. Shore’s experiences. When I have had clients struggle in academia with little to no understanding or support from professors, I have related Dr. Shore’s experiences. When I myself was forced to change my doctoral capstone midsemester, causing extreme distress, loss of executive functioning, and increases in symptoms of my anxiety disorder, I kept reminding myself that “If Stephen Shore could start over his whole doctoral degree at a new university, I can start over my whole capstone project.” (This mantra truly got me through some truly awful months!). When I have had clients struggling to understand their partners or how to know if someone is interested in them romantically, I have related Dr. Shore’s experiences. So, if you couldn’t tell already, I highly recommend reading this book if you are a neurodivergent adult, or you want to better understand the neurodivergent adult(s) in your life!