In this book Travis discusses the relationship between autism and suicide. Autism does not cause suicide but it can lead to situations in a person's life that might cause them to become suicidal out of loneliness or social isolation. It may be hard for some with autism to ask for help because they do not have the social skills to connect with others so someone else might know that they need help. People with autism have an increased risk of suicide due to their lack of social skills. I know many people with autism who have attempted suicide. It is important to recognize the symptoms in someone with autism and get them the help they need immediately. Sometimes all people with autism will need is a listening ear to understand them and let them know that they are not alone. I have always desired to be neurotyipcal but that is impossible. I sometimes hear voices telling me I should self-harm or hurt myself because I am not neurotypiical and I have autism. Those voices are very loud and they isolate me from the rest of the world at an even deeper level. It is hard for people with autism to feel like they belong in the world because of all of the social difficulties that we have. This book will give you tips and ideas on how to reach out and help someone on the autism spectrum. Here is an excerpt from the book. "I have had four suicide attempts and with each one it has been because of my social skills. I do not have good enough social skills to connect with someone at the level in which I want to connect with them and this is terribly frustrating to me. I just want to have good social skills and connect with other people but that seems like it is impossible thanks to the autism that I have. Autism would not be so bad if I had the skills and tools I needed to connect with others and form more meaningful social relationships. I only have one meaningful social relationship with a friend and it is not enough to just have one friend. A person needs more friends than just one. We need to be able to work on social skills to be able to go out and meet new people but my insurance will not allow us to do that."
About the Author: I'm Travis. I'm a 30 year old author of books about autism. I like football, basketball, tennis, hiking, music, rock, writing, reading, and talking. I have overcome the greatest challenge in my life. I no longer cope with autism I live happily with it. I have some really amazing friends and a truly inspirational and awesome best friend! Life had always been a struggle for me until I started taking responsibility for my own life and situation. I spent a long time wanting and expecting others to fix or improve my life and make it what I wanted it to be. Truth be known, I was the only one who could and can do that. Now I write books about autism and how I am taking responsibility for my own life. What a difference I've seen in life. Life is what we choose to make of it.
