We're Not Broken: Book Discussion Series

Unit 1: Intro & Chapters 1 & 2: Policy and Education

In your Reflection, address the questions listed below; use "Reply" to compose & post your Reflection in the Discussion board:

• Introduce yourself: Why were you interested in joining this book discussion, and what do you hope to learn?
• The author describes himself as "autistic" rather than using people-first language saying he is a person with autism. What are your thoughts on the terminology differences, and what terminology do you think we should be using here in our discussion series?  
• In these first two chapters, did anything come up that changed your ideas about autism or lived experiences of people with autism? What was it and how did your idea(s) change?

Unit 2: Intro & Chapters 3 & 4: Work and Housing

In your Reflection, address the questions listed below; use "Reply" to compose & post your Reflection in the Discussion board:

• In Chapter 3, Garcia mentions the challenges that job interviews may present to candidates who are on the autism spectrum. Think about how the library typically interviews job candidates.
  • Based on Garcia's observations, what examples can you think of that might create barriers for autistic or other neurodiverse candidates? Regardless of whether we know if a candidate has autism, can you think of alternative practices that might be more autism-friendly and inclusive for all?
• In Chapter 4, Garcia discusses housing issues and the barriers that many adults with autism (including himself) have faced.
  • What are your thoughts about these and the higher and lower support needs relevant to housing that Garcia mentions in the chapter for himself and the adult individuals he interviewed?
  • When you have searched for housing for yourself, what kind of parameters did you need to consider?   

Unit 3:  Chapters 4 & 5: Health Care and Relationships

In your Reflection, address the questions listed below; use "Reply" to compose & post your Reflection in the Discussion board:

1. Garcia opens “Somebody Get Me a Doctor” by mentioning two models; the medical and social models. The medical model looks for a cure for autism (and other disabilities), while the social model looks to modify society to better fit those with disabilities by increasing services to allow them “to live more fulfilling lives.” He gives many examples of treatments prescribed under the medical model and the problems autistic people face when trying to get the proper treatment for health issues as well as for their autism, especially as they grow older, along with mentioning the disparity of funding in the US going toward ‘cause research’ (my words) rather than ‘life-improving research’.

• What are your thoughts on these apparent contradictions?

2. Relationships are tough enough for everyone, so “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” really opens one's eyes as Garcia details successes and failures people with autism face given some of the challenges in regards to successfully navigating the world of relationships.

• What in this chapter gave you pause  as you tried to understand the needs and challenges of people on the autistic spectrum for love and relationships?

Unit 4: Chapters 7 & 8: Gender and Race

In your Reflection, address the questions listed below; use "Reply" to compose & post your Reflection in the Discussion board:

• Chapter 7 explores autism and the gender gap, introducing theories and behaviors like "extreme male brain theory," "masking" or "camouflaging," and "passing."
  • After reading Chapter 7, what are your thoughts on how societal gender expectations ("boys do this," "girls do that," etc.) have impacted our perceptions of autism? And what about transgender and nonbinary people with autism- how have gender expectations and autism theories impacted them?
• In Chapter 8, Garcia discusses how precarious it is to be a person of color with autism where normal autistic behaviors and reactions, such as stimming, being nonverbal, avoiding eye contact, being "just different" (p. 190) can be viewed with suspicion, hostility, or extreme violence. 
  • Before reading the Chapter, had you previously known about or considered the intersections of autism or neurodiversity, race, and police violence? What are your reactions now?
  • What are your thoughts on Garcia's explorations of what it means to be a 3rd generation Latino and how this has impacted his own autism journey?

Unit 5: Intro & Chapter 9, Epilogue, and Book Overview: What Comes Next

In your Reflection, address the questions listed below; use "Reply" to compose & post your Reflection in the Discussion board:

• On page 176, A. W. Link states, "It's tough and frustrating, but I hope that we can teach people that neurodivergent individuals are just different, not less." What can we as a library do to further this goal?
• What did you learn from this book and what are your takeaways and personal reflections on moving forward?