This book combines my own personal experiences of communication and socialising, with those of other autistic adults (including non-speaking autistic adults and AAC* Users), as well as up-to-date research.

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Date of Publication: August 2025

*AAC is Augmentative and Alternative Communication to speech e.g. using technology to communicate.

Topics in the book

• Autistic communication differences.
• AAC – what it is, and what to consider when choosing which AAC to use.
• Meeting in the middle when communicating with non-autistic people.
• The Helps or Hinders Habit to improve your own autistic communication experience.
• Masking and unmasking.
• Socialising and connecting.
• The six step social plan to improving your experience of socialising.

Press Reviews

• Sarah Hendrickx, author of Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum. Another great book from Niamh, packed full of insights and strategies on communication and socialising for autistic people and those who support them. The Six Step Social Plan is a piece of genius for every autistic venturing forth on a night out!
• Katy Elphinstone, author of How to Raise Happy Neurofabulous Children A must-read for autistics and non-autistics alike, Niamh’s book represents a strong, welcoming, and carefully-constructed bridge – spanning the communication gap that can too easily divide us. While based on a mountain of research, there are wonderful anecdotes in there too.
• Tony Attwood All forms of communication and connection are explored, and all expressions of autism are included in this remarkable new resource. The descriptions, especially the ‘reasonable adaptations’, are based on an extensive review of the research literature and the experiences of the author and autistic individuals.