Adults on the spectrum often have difficulty getting and keeping a job that is unrelated to their job skills. This practical and easy-to-use book provides necessary yet often untaught information on a variety of topics related to getting a job, finding a mentor, networking, using agencies, interviewing, talking with supervisors, dealing with on-the-job-frustrations, understanding the social rules at work and many other topics. Authored by two individuals on the spectrum who have extensive experience in helping others become employed, Judy Endow and Malcolm Mayfield, as well as Brenda Smith Myles, an internationally known writer and speaker on autism spectrum disorders.

Drawing from her personal experiences, Judy Endow, author of the 2010 and 2011 Hidden Curriculum Calendars, provides lots of hidden curriculum items that pertain to most areas of adult life. In relating how she personally has learned to more successfully maneuver social interactions, she also presents a framework for developing the ability to more quickly assess a situation and take steps to avoid making social blunders BEFORE they have been committed. A sampling of strategies includes Pause and Match, Laugh Along, Recognize and Expand Black-and-White Thinking, and It Is Not Necessary to Report All My Truths. Judy's framework enables readers to learn to create their own social "rules" and, as a result, live freer, more successful lives. The fact that the book is written by an autistic person who has learned by trial and error makes it all the more valuable.

Catch a rare glimpse of life as seen and experienced by a person on the autism spectrum. In this intensely personal book, readers are swept up into a fast-paced journey of how Judy noticed her differences early on, how she eventually discovered her autism, and how she embraces life autistically. From her troubled teenage years in a state institution where her coping behaviors were interpreted as defiant and oppositional, to her years in a Christian community, where once again her behaviors were misunderstood, to a brief marriage and the birth of her three sons, Judy has emerged as a strong voice on the autism spectrum. Beyond presenting a fascinating journey of resilience, courage, hard work, and sheer will power, "Paper Words" shows visually on the printed page how Judy, a highly visual thinker, translates her thoughts into words.