The Essentials: For educators
A field-ready text for the adult-autism conversation.
Written for use, not just to be cited. Adoptable in social work, psychology, OT, clinical training, and disability studies programs.
The Toolbox fills a clear gap in the existing literature: a practical, first-person reference for adult autism, written by an autistic adult, organized around reusable tools rather than diagnostic criteria. Each chapter ends with a worksheet that students can complete and discuss.
"We recently read Natalie Diggins' The Autistic Adult's Toolbox and highly recommend that you buy a carton of them and give a copy to all of your students as they move into adult life. It's also a great choice for a class you might offer to your ND students. It is workbook-y, with a lot of good exercises and discussion questions."
— College Autism Network, July 2026 newsletter
"One of the book's strengths is its breadth; the author addresses everything from romantic partnerships to family gatherings to work settings." — Kirkus Reviews
60-minute curriculum translation session
Natalie offers a guided session for course adopters: a structured walk-through of how to use the Toolbox in a course or program, with time for faculty Q&A.
Ordering for courses
- Institutional ordering through Ingram (ISBN 979-8-9985689-0-9).
- Individual student copies through Amazon.
Download
Academic Overview
A summary for evaluating the Toolbox for your course or program.
Download (PDF) →Download
Free Chapter: How to Build a Sensory Diet That Keeps You Balanced
The complete opening of the book — Welcome, Author's Note, and Chapter 1, including the Sensory Diet Planner tool.
Download (PDF) →Download
Free Book Club Discussion Guide
Built for the mixed audiences book clubs actually have: autistic readers, partners and families, professionals. The facilitator framing lets people engage at whatever depth feels right, no disclosure required. Five themed question sets follow the book, with optional deeper-reflection layers and accessibility considerations for autistic participants. Free to share for workplace, library, and educational use.
Download (PDF) →Course adoption
Review copies available for faculty considering the Toolbox for course adoption.
Request a review copy →