Epilepsy and autism sometimes co-occur. While less than 1% of people have epilepsy overall, about 12% of autistic people have epilepsy.
Autistic people and their families face extra challenges. Non-autistic family members may not know how to help or connect with their loved one. Lack of social acceptance may isolate the autistic person and the whole family. On top of this, services can be limited, especially in adulthood.
To make matters worse, not all resources are accurate or helpful. Some autism groups publish things that are needlessly scary or negative. Snake oil and scams abound, wasting people’s hopes and money.
Still, help is out there. It’s just harder to find. Plenty of autism groups and dedicated people are doing their best to help.
We’d like to offer some of our favorite online resources. While we can’t vouch for every single sentence you may read, we find that these resources are generally accurate, respectful, and helpful.
Autism Organizations
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network creates resources and booklets for autistic adults. Most of all, it’s known for fighting for the rights of autistic people.
The National Autistic Society, focused in the UK, shares both online and offline resources. We recommend the online resources. To learn about how autism feels from the inside, try watching its videos.
The Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network publishes books and resources. It focuses on helping minorities in the autism community.
Books
What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew offers advice from autistic writers to parents of autistic children.
Knowing Why shares perspectives on life from autistic people. It may help autistic people feel less alone. Also, parents may find it helpful to learn more about what their child’s future could be like.
I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder shares the pitfalls of trying to “defeat” autism. Sarah Kurchak offers insights into living well as an autistic person.
Living Well on the Spectrum offers advice for autistic teens and adults.
Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity describes the history of autism in depth.
Other Resources
The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism shares articles by autistic people themselves, along with articles by parents and professionals.
The Autism Spectrum articles from wikiHow feature advice for autistic people and their loved ones. Its articles cover many helpful topics.
Spectrum News covers the latest research related to autism. While some might find its highly medical approach off-putting, it can help keep you up to date with research news.
#AskingAutistics: Though it may be unusual to list a hashtag as a resource, this tag brings the community together. Both autistic people and family members can get advice from autistic people.
For autistic people who have seizures, there will also be our upcoming diagnostic app. Our app aims to help doctors make a correct diagnosis so you have one less problem to solve.