The Young Autistic Adult's Independence Handbook

Acknowledgements; I. Note from the Author; II. What is "Independence" Anyway?; Defining Independence; The Myth of "Do it all yourself"; Asking for Help When Needed; Autistic Self-Discovery; III. Self-Care: Not Just Bubble Baths and Special Interests; Monitoring Your Mental Health; Healthcare and Doctors; Coping with Massive Life Changes and Stressful Events; IV. Healthy Habits; Establishing routines; Actual Bubble Baths: Personal Hygiene Routines; Clothes; No-stress-rest: sleep issues, insomnia, and feeling recharged; Food and Mealtime; Get moving! Exercise and Staying Active; Drugs and Alcohol Use and Addiction; V. Socializing; An "Adult" Social Life; Dating 101; VI. Ruler of my Own Domain - Having a Home; Household Maintenance: Cleaning, Avoiding Staring at Old Photos, and Executive Functioning; The Sensory Overwhelming Grocery Store and Other Errands; How many autistics does it take to change a lightbulb?; Having Roommates; VII. Financially Supporting Yourself; Eager for Employment; Money Matters: Responsibility and Not Going Broke; VIII. Making My Mark on the World: Self-Advocacy; Being an Effective Self-Advocate; Using Your Self-Advocacy Skills For Good: Community Engagement; Staying Out of Trouble; Elections and Voting: Your Voice, Your Choice; The Census; Jury Duty; Obeying the Law; Driving and Rules of the Road; What Happens if you do Need a Lawyer; Knowing Your Rights and Laws that Interact With You, Explained by a lawyer; Dreaming Big in Civic Engagement; IX. Sending You Out Into The World; X. References