Sam: A lot of our readership is late-age diagnosed adults. I think if I was a fraud, he’d have sniffed me out. He and I have met a few times, I’ve given workshops for his clinic staff. I have no need to be assessed by anyone, but of course I’d want Tony Attwood to do it. That is why I distanced myself for a time. I lost my trust in people in the autism world after that. It was cheap to be diagnosed via Skype, but it cost me hundreds in legal fees, as I had to trademark the term and concept of Aspergirls to protect it from her. What she doesn’t tell them is that she’s mad because I wouldn’t let her use the word “Aspergirl” in her book title. (This happens when you get a little bit famous.) She interviewed me on Skype, emailed me a little sheet of paper that said “you’ve got Aspergers,” and then ran around telling everyone that I’m not an aspie. I was “diagnosed” by one of those internet bandits that used to stalk me. Rudy: I guess I’m still not officially diagnosed. Sam: How long after you suspected were you diagnosed? Of course there were major signs throughout my life. I experienced the same tidal wave of memories, emotions and realizations that we all have in this situation. Most of the ridiculed the idea at first, but I knew what I knew. I think the first person I told was my boyfriend, then family members one by one. Finally, it could no longer be denied, and I had to proclaim it out loud. Little by little, as I was interviewing people for my 2 nd book, I become more and more aware, but just under the surface, a truth I didn’t want to utter for fear of sounding ridiculous, or making something real that wasn’t. Then I saw “Mozart and the Whale” and related to the female character. I was reading my first AS book by Maxine Aston and her paragraphs on women were hitting a nerve. Rudy: It was one of those backwards unravelings. When did you first suspect you were on the autism spectrum? Were there any major signs?

Sam: Rudy, I understand you were also diagnosed later on in life, like myself.

What is your personal preference, if you don’t mind me asking. Before we begin, can you please tell me how you refer to yourself as an individual on the autism spectrum? For myself, I am comfortable with many terms, autistic.,Aspergerian, Aspie, and neurodivergent. Your well-received Aspergirls was one of the first books I picked up, years ago, before I came to terms with the fact that I am on the autism spectrum. It is a pleasure to have this opportunity to get to know you and to learn more about your recent works and projects. Meet Rudy Simone: Autistic Bestselling Author, Advocate & President and Founder of the International Aspergirl® Society

Aspergirls book