Abstract

Life with Asperger's Syndrome can be a challenge at the best of times, and trials and tribulations that neurotypicals take in their stride can leave Aspies perplexed and unsure of how best to solve problems and keep themselves safe, both physically and emotionally. This book explores difficulties that those with AS may face, and suggests practical and helpful ways of overcoming them.

Liane Holliday Willey's positive and encouraging advice teaches people with Asperger Syndrome how to appreciate their differences and work from their strengths, by being honest about and coping with challenges. By setting realistic expectations, she shows how it can be possible to live on your own and take care of yourself, touching upon everything from banking and housing to roommates, friendships, and relationships. Jobs and the workplace are explored as advice is given on interviewing, performance, and getting along with colleagues, and the importance of setting boundaries is explained. The focus throughout is on keeping yourself safe, and this extends to travel, cultural awareness, and generally organising yourself. Personal hygiene and the body are also covered, along with nutrition and illness. The advice all adds up to show that people with AS can safeguard themselves from emotional and physical harm and live happy and independent lives, as long as the right guidance is available.

This book will be of interest to people with Asperger Syndrome, their friends and families, and professionals working alongside ASDs.

I found this book informative, insightful and well written. Lianne covers a range of circumstances which may regularly leave the female with Asperger vulnerable to societal and individual demands and inconsistencies and provides straight talking methods, suggestions and personal anecdotes to guide the reader through such situations. There are a number of helpful lists to make life for the person with Asperger a little safer, more logical and hopefully less stressful... the main feeling throughout this book is that of optimism, the positivity that situations can be faced and tackled with improved know-how and confidence.
ESPA
[Liane's] personal explanations and advice will resonate with the reader and transform and even save lives. Why is this book so needed and so valuable? Primarily, because our understanding of Asperger's syndrome is based on the profile of abilities and developmental history of boys and men… Liane's new book enables greater recognition of the adversity experienced by girls and women who have Asperger's syndrome, and provides strategies to overcome or avoid "scary" moments.
From the Foreword by Tony Attwood, Clinical Psychologist and author of The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome
Liane Holliday Willey's book will help many women on the Autism Spectrum have a more fulfilling life.
Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Way I See It

I read this attractively-covered book in one sitting. It is quick, touching, witty and enormously helpful... Holliday Willey has made a great contribution to the growing literature in this area, especially for girls and women with Asperger's syndrome.

An excellent read.

Learning Disability Today
In the chapter titled Out and About or Traveling To and Fro, Liane Holliday Willey describes several challenging travel adventures - across the continent and around the block - in vivid Aspie detail. The wording of an informational sign at an airport, confusing pronunciations of her name over an airport loudspeaker, the resultant stressful interaction with an airlines representative, rearranged shelves in grocery stores that set off in a bad way the routine-bound author, all illustrate sensory and social situations that could make travel daunting, difficult and something to avoid for many living in the spectrum. Yet, Liane understands that the basic human desire to explore the world and the benefits of doing so, however difficult it may be, outweighs the dilemmas. This chapter alone makes Safety Skills for Asperger Women a must-read!
Dennis Debbaudt, founder of Autism Risk & Safety Management and author of Autism, Advocates and Law Enforcement Professionals
The literary equivalent of a map, a first aid kit, a bullet proof vest and a nice cup of tea. Liane's strength is not the stoic sort, but shows itself through vulnerability, honesty and generosity. This is on the top shelf of 'must reads' in the category of female Asperger Syndrome and it shall remain there to arm, console, and inform readers for many years to come!
Rudy Simone, author of Aspergirls and 22 Things a Woman Must Know: If She Loves a Man with Asperger's Syndrome
Liane Holliday Willey is a doctor of education, a writer and a researcher who specializes in the fields of psycholinguistics and learning style differences. Dr Willey has a wonderful husband, three happy children, dedicated parents and an active social life. She also has Asperger Syndrome. A frequent guest lecturer on 'aspie' topics, Dr Willey is an energetic educator and advocate of Asperger issues.
Liane has written another brave and informative book about her experiences as an adult Aspie....She gives all of us a piece of herself so that we can add to our own roadmap. It makes us better moms, therapists, friends, and people. Liane's new book is on my short list along with her first, Pretending to be Normal.
Pat Schissel, On the Spectrum
The book is clear, personal and easy to identify with... This is a book with plenty of common sense tips, covering keeping safe and emotionally whole is a comfort and a reminder that we are not alone. This is well worth getting for a teenage daughter or for newly diagnosed women because many of Willey's experiences will be mirrored in their own lives and some of her tips may be new and worth a try.
ASTeens
Willey (Senior editor, Autism Spectrum Quarterly) uses research and personal experiences as a sufferer of Asperger's syndrome to help "Aspie" woman meet the challenges of travel, social awareness, and life management. She talks about how Aspie woman are wired, how they can be manipulated, and how they often feel disconnected. Willey shares the challenges of taking on life and resisting the urge to run away. She offers practical suggestions on picking friends wisely, staying safely in hotels, expanding diets, and more. This is essential reading for woman with Asperger's syndrome, their families, and the professionals who work with them.
Library Journal
Liane writes of the agonies she has faced as she travelled the social world full of hazards. Some of the accounts are almost too scary to contemplate, yet her constant optimism has brought her through. Her deep introspection brings us all closer to understanding how an autistic mind experiences the world. She provides end of chapter support sections giving her ideas of things that she feels would be helpful to know. It is clear she hopes others may not have to face similar situations or ordeals unprepared. Liane longs for a world where AS is totally accepted, it is writ large on every page, it would address the extreme stresses many have to live with on a daily basis. Liane's book could help vulnerable women with AS live a safer, happier life.
Rosalyn Lord, parent, advocate and trainer, UK
"'Who am I and what will I do to be who I want to be?" Safety Skills for Asperger Women is a powerful invitation to take a chance on life and on healing. At times gentle in its encouragement, at others, urging in its counsel, Holliday Willey's words are a beacon, a light in the dark for all women with AS who want to live life more fully but sometimes find themselves off the path. Her work is remarkable, courageous, and welcoming for a group of women who too often live lives misunderstood and mistreated. Safety Skills is an eye-opening account of the perils and also the victories of the female life on the spectrum. Beautifully written and powerful in its message of wellness, this book helps you to dance with your spirit when life feels too overwhelming.'
Shana Nichols, Owner and Director of the ASPIRE Centre for Learning and Development and author of Girls Growing Up on the Autism Spectrum
Willey's newest book is a handbook of downright necessary information for women with Asperger's Syndrome. Titled Saftey Skills for Asperger Women: How to Save a Perfectly Good Female Life, it offers help overcoming problems that may not seem complicated for Neurotypicals but are common pitfalls for Aspies. These include being safe and aware in a variety of situations at work and while traveling. It also provides exacting advice for coping with depression, bullying, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and much more. The author's approach is accepting and inspirational.
GeekMom.com
Safety Skills for Asperger Women: How to Save a Perfectly Good Female Life discusses the underlying problems and daily challenges women with AS may face, using extensive accounts from the author's own experiences to highlight issues of safety under various situations. From travel to social situations or managing daily life, this offers everything from exercises for mood enhancing change to the special needs of an AS body.
The Midwest Book Review
Liane's wise and intimate account of how to recognise, disarm and distance oneself from those who might intend or not, emotional or social harm, connected me in ways I couldn't have otherwise imagined. Liane takes AS women into the heart of our issues with obsession, over attachment, broken bonds, mood issues, fashion, self-care, dreams and so much more. In this book I found myself identifying past wounds and experiences that I could finally put a label on, bury and move beyond. Thank you!
Wendy Lawson, psychologist, qualified counselor, social worker and autism advocate, author of many books on topics relating to Autism Spectrum Disorders