Lipstick and Autism

Imagine how hard it is to be diagnosed with an incurable and lifelong developmental disorder in a time where it was not well known. Lauren Ratcliff was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) in 1987 by a team of pediatric specialists and later diagnosed with asperger syndrome when it was introduced into diagnostic criteria. Lauren has experienced significant struggles with her symptoms all of her life and in this memoir she shares her experiences with being diagnosed with autism and what it feels like to experience autism symptoms. Like many other families with an autistic loved one Lauren’s parents faced trial and error with getting appropriate services for Lauren and out of pocket medical and psychological services. Laurens goal of this book is to educate others on what it feels like to experience autism symptoms and hopefully eliminate stigma of the disorder by sharing her personal experiences.