How To Find a Four-Leaf Clover: What Autism Can Teach Us About Difference, Connection, and Belonging

With more than two percent of the U.S. population diagnosed with autism, it behooves neurotypical people to have a better understanding of their neighbors, coworkers, and friends on the autism spectrum. Rodgers, drawing on over three decades of experience as a therapist and educator (and as a participant on the TV series Love on the Spectrum) suggests that readers develop new ways of perceiving individuals and forming deeper connections. Vignettes of her experiences with autistic clients and friends demonstrate the similarities and differences between neurotypical and autistic individuals. Astute readers will be able to extend the ideas to improve other relationships. Rodgers discusses various ways of sensing, thinking, feeling, and communicating, the role that personal connections play in individual mental health, and the ways many autistic people mask their condition and adopt various personae to fit in with mainstream society. She says that exhibiting patience and leaving space for autistic individuals to become their authentic selves can lead to fuller relationships.