Uncomfortable Labels

"So while the assumption when I was born was that I was or would grow up to be a neurotypical heterosexual boy, that whole idea didn't really pan out long term." In this candid, first-of-its-kind memoir, Laura Kate Dale recounts what life is like growing up as a gay trans woman on the autism spectrum. From struggling with sensory processing, managing socially demanding situations and learning social cues and feminine presentation, through to coming out as trans during an autistic meltdown, Laura draws on her personal experiences from life prior to transition and diagnosis, and moving on to the years of self-discovery, to give a unique insight into the nuances of sexuality, gender and autism, and how they intersect. Charting the ups and downs of being autistic and on the LGBT spectrum with searing honesty and humour, this is an empowering, life-affirming read for anyone who's felt they don't fit in.

Barb Cook and 14 other autistic women describe life from a female autistic perspective, and present empowering, helpful and supportive insights from their personal experience for fellow autistic women. Michelle Garnett's comments validate and expand the experiences described from a clinician's perspective, and provide extensive recommendations. Autistic advocates including Liane Holliday Willey, Anita Lesko, Jeanette Purkis, Artemisia and Samantha Craft offer their personal guidance on significant issues that particularly affect women, as well as those that are more general to autism. Contributors cover issues including growing up, identity, diversity, parenting, independence and self-care amongst many others. With great contributions from exceptional women, this is a truly well-rounded collection of knowledge and sage advice for any woman with autism.

GENDER EUPHORIA: a powerful feeling of happiness experienced as a result of moving away from one’s birth-assigned gender. So often the stories shared by trans people about their transition centre on gender dysphoria: a feeling of deep discomfort with their birth-assigned gender, and a powerful catalyst for coming out or transitioning. But for many non-cisgender people, it’s gender euphoria which pushes forward their transition: the joy the first time a parent calls them by their new chosen name, the first time they have the confidence to cut their hair short, the first time they truly embrace themself. In this groundbreaking anthology, nineteen trans, non-binary, agender, gender-fluid and intersex writers share their experiences of gender euphoria: an agender dominatrix being called ‘Daddy’, an Arab trans man getting his first tattoos, a trans woman embracing her inner fighter. What they have in common are their feelings of elation, pride, confidence, freedom and ecstasy as a direct result of coming out as non-cisgender, and how coming to terms with their gender has brought unimaginable joy into their lives.

One of Oprah Daily's 20 Favorite Books of 2021 • Selected as one of Pitchfork's Best Music Books of the Year “One of the best books of its kind in decades.” —The Wall Street Journal An epic achievement and a huge delight, the entire history of popular music over the past fifty years refracted through the big genres that have defined and dominated it: rock, R&B, country, punk, hip-hop, dance music, and pop Kelefa Sanneh, one of the essential voices of our time on music and culture, has made a deep study of how popular music unites and divides us, charting the way genres become communities. In Major Labels, Sanneh distills a career’s worth of knowledge about music and musicians into a brilliant and omnivorous reckoning with popular music—as an art form (actually, a bunch of art forms), as a cultural and economic force, and as a tool that we use to build our identities. He explains the history of slow jams, the genius of Shania Twain, and why rappers are always getting in trouble. Sanneh shows how these genres have been defined by the tension between mainstream and outsider, between authenticity and phoniness, between good and bad, right and wrong. Throughout, race is a powerful touchstone: just as there have always been Black audiences and white audiences, with more or less overlap depending on the moment, there has been Black music and white music, constantly mixing and separating. Sanneh debunks cherished myths, reappraises beloved heroes, and upends familiar ideas of musical greatness, arguing that sometimes, the best popular music isn’t transcendent. Songs express our grudges as well as our hopes, and they are motivated by greed as well as idealism; music is a powerful tool for human connection, but also for human antagonism. This is a book about the music everyone loves, the music everyone hates, and the decades-long argument over which is which. The opposite of a modest proposal, Major Labels pays in full.

This book focuses on smart results in the field of smart automotive mobility concentrating on (semi-)autonomous cars. The results are based on 5 recently finished public-funded research projects with a budget of over 15 million Euro. Providing insights into the next generation of personalized mobility on the road the authors discuss personalized, adaptive cooperative systems for highly automated cars and how they can be developed in a human-centered way. Furthermore, the book reports on a cooperative driver-vehicle interaction. How can the driver and the vehicle support each other? What are their best skills and how can they benefit from each other? It also gives novel insights on intuitive steering gestures on the steering wheel which initiate maneuvers to be executed by the automation, and to be supervised by, influenced or interrupted by the driver. The book finishes with information on a cooperative laser beam system which improves the communication between the different road participants to optimize the road safety of tomorrow. Smart Automotive Mobility: Reliable Technology for the Mobile Human is an ideal source for researchers, students and practitioners working in the area of intelligent systems for the automotive industry. It gives valuable and condensed information from multi-million Euro research projects funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

This book is about success and transformation. It shows how, with patience and energy, parents and teachers can turn a child who is noisy, clumsy and forgetful into a child who is calm, careful and attentive. Creating Kids Who Can Concentrate is a practical and realistic book that shows how parents and professionals can naturally and effectively develop a child's potential to become responsible and thoughtful in a remarkably short time. The authors provide expert guidance on: * proven techiques and strategies for overcoming barriers to learning * developing every child's innate skills * how a child is labelled as having A.D.D. * dealing with disruptive or bizarre behaviour, tantrums and children who won't listen JEAN ROBB and HILARY LETTS are teachers and therapists as well as the founders of Successful Learning, a British education centre dedicated to helping children to fulfil their potential. Their first book is CREATING KIDS WHO CAN.

Meet Doug, an ordinary kid who doesn't like hugs, in this fun and exuberant story which aims to spark discussions about bodily autonomy and consent--from author Carrie Finison and the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of The World Needs More Purple People, Daniel Wiseman. Doug doesn't like hugs. He thinks hugs are too squeezy, too squashy, too squooshy, too smooshy. He doesn't like hello hugs or goodbye hugs, game-winning home run hugs or dropped ice cream cone hugs, and he definitely doesn't like birthday hugs. He'd much rather give a high five--or a low five, a side five, a double five, or a spinny five. Yup, some people love hugs; other people don't. So how can you tell if someone likes hugs or not? There's only one way to find out: Ask! Because everybody gets to decide for themselves whether they want a hug or not.

Eve Bent has been where you are now. She knows how it feels to work your way through the seemingly endless pre-diagnosis period, while trying to access the right financial, medical and educational support for your child. This is a journey that can feel long and immensely challenging, but Eve's here to tell you that you're not alone. Whether you are at the beginning, middle or end of your pre-diagnosis journey, this book will provide advice around how to deal with the practical challenges that come from parenting kids who are developing differently. It also an opportunity to reflect on the fun and the humour in busy family life, and learn from someone else who has done it before and made it through. From the early morning starts to the late-night bedtimes, food aversions, sensory needs and visiting new places, this dip-in/dip-out guide gives you the advice you've always needed, straight from one parent to another.