Autistic Me was written by 15 year old Amanda Hochfelder--Santi one year after becoming aware that she was autistic. It is an amazing view of the world as seen through the eyes of an autistic teenager. The book is geared toward other autistic individuals and their family members and educators who strive to help them fit in society and improve their quality of life and future outlook and success. Amanda writes about some of the difficulties that she has encountered as an autistic teenager and explains in detail some of the exercises that have helped her overcome difficulties that she once faced. These exercises were developed by Amanda and her mother, a Doctor of Psychology. She focuses on important key factors that represent impediments for most people diagnosed within the spectrum. Included are eye contact, touch, social cues and communication. She also writes about repetitive behaviors, sudden noises, self-esteem, anxiety, routines and personal grooming. Autistic Me contains valuable information which helps the reader understand the perspective, fear and difficulties faced by someone in the autism spectrum. Amanda provides suggestions and alternatives which have helped her better understand the world, social demands, rules and expectations. This is a valuable tool for autistic individuals and anyone that wants to help an autistic person live a better life.
About the Author: Amanda Hochfelder-Santi is a 15 year old a High School student diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. Although she always knew she was different than most kids her age, she never knew why. It was not until last year, at the age of fourteen, that she became aware of her diagnosis. Her sudden awareness of Autism sparked a constant curiosity regarding the spectrum and a continuous need for information, comprehension and implementation of different self-created autistic exercises. These were designed specifically for her in order to target problem areas needing attention. Understanding the significance of Autism was just the beginning of a new perspective for Amanda. Not only did she finally understand why she was different than most kids, but at the same time began to realize that if these differences were left alone, her future would not be as bright and exciting as she had hoped for. Amanda enrolled in Tae Kwon Do hoping that it would help her with discipline, courage, self-esteem, determination, honor and respect. She has spent about a year and a half working very hard in her Autistic Exercises and keeping up with all her school work. She just completed her school year with a 3.2 GPA, maintained perfect attendance for the second year in a row and has earned every Tae Kwon Do belt that she has tested for. She earned a medal for a National Tae Kwon Do tournament and is a few months away from her Black Belt Testing. Becoming aware and understanding Autism was very important for Amanda's improvement. Autistic Exercises would be much more difficult to develop and not as successful without her input. Her understanding of "what should be", "what it is" and "what we need to get there" has been crucial in the creation, implementation and success of her exercises. Amanda is an animal lover. She lives with her three dogs Peanut, Candy and Pipo. Past, and sometimes present, animal adoption include lizards, turtles, fish, spiders, worms and sometimes snakes. Her future plans include another successful high school year, developing more Autistic Exercises and a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do before the end of the year.