Books
I’m autistic and I wrote a book about it, called But you don’t look autistic at all. It originally came out in Dutch in April of 2019. The English version was crowdfunded by me and came out in the summer of 2020. In the beginning of 2022, the German version was released, and the Italian version followed in 2024.
The book was also adapted to a kids version, this book only exists in Dutch (for now). It’s title translates to I’m autastic! I moved to Japan in 2022, and about that I wrote This autistic girl went to Japan, which was released in English in 2024.
I’m available for speaking events in English. You can contact me here.
But you don't look autistic at all
Autism – that’s being able to count matches really fast and knowing that 7 August 1984 was a Tuesday, right? Well, no. In this book, Bianca Toeps explains in great detail what life is like when you’re autistic.
Maar je ziet er helemaal niet autistisch uit, the original Dutch version of the book, came out on World Autism Day 2019. In 2020, the English version But you don’t look autistic at all was released. In 2022, the German translation Aber du siehst gar nicht autistisch aus was published and in 2024 the Italian version, Ma tu non sembri autistica, followed.
You can buy the books in my shop. I often have signed books available, but you can also buy them from most retailers.
I'm autastic!
Things can be quite tough when you’re autistic. But you probably knew that already. Did you know you could also be simply fantastic? Or even better, autastic!
This book is for autistic children from around 8 years old and the people in their lives. I’ve written it together with children’s author Esther Walraven. The beautiful illustrations are by Roozeboos. More info on the book can be found on this website (in Dutch).
This autistic girl went to Japan – and you won't believe what happened next
This Autistic Girl Went to Japan is the inspiring story of a young woman who moved halfway around the world in pursuit of happiness. With humor and remarkable candor, Bianca describes the challenges of applying for a visa during a time of terrifying uncertainty, slogging through endless red tape, and the loneliness that comes with being a stranger in a strange land. Oh, and how she wound up evicting a bat from her new apartment, attending a Pokémon GO event with a bunch of middle-aged women, and discovering the best thrift store in all of Tokyo. Along the way, she explains why she feels so at home in Japan, where things are often a bit easier for autistic folks. Well, except for revenue stamps. And opening a bank account. And faxes.
Deze autist ging naar Japan (Dutch version) was released on September 26, 2023 by Blossom Books. This Autistic Girl Went to Japan was released in English in February 2024.
You can buy the books in my shop. I often have signed books available, but you can also buy them from most retailers.
Featured blogs
Buongiorno and konnichiwa
It’s-a me, Toeps, business manager. This blog is a selection of the things I have done in recent months. Because a lot has happened, and a lot is still going to happen! What exactly, you ask? Well…
Soaring
Usually, when I write a blog, I know exactly what I want to say. The story has a beginning, a middle, an end, and ideally a twist, conclusion, or point I want to make. Not this time. I’m not entirely sure what I want with this piece, except to get the incident out of my head. It’s been circling around there for a day and a half now.
Nine struggles you’ll probably recognize when you’re autistic
This article was initially written for Flow Magazine. They asked me: What do you struggle with when you have autism?
Which jobs are suitable for autistic people?
In the silly piece in Trouw to which I responded with some other autistic writers, two critical “giftedness coaches” wrote that we couldn’t have autism at all, because, ‘Writers who say they have autism but write books and are in relationships are not examples of people with autism to us.’ Why their entire article made no sense we explained clearly enough in our reply, but the fact that they mentioned the very profession of being a writer made it extra funny to me. Did these two think that someone who sits like a hermit all day in their attic, in a cabin in the woods or, in my case, at the foot of Mt. Fuji, crafting sentences, cannot be autistic? How…?
Seven questions you can ask when an autistic person is stuck in their head
We autistic people are often good at stressing ourselves out. When we lose track, the same thoughts keep popping into our heads over and over again. Stress builds up and we can’t manage to calm ourselves down. When we ask for help, others say, “Don’t worry!”, or ” You’ll be fine!” Well intended, but perhaps the most unhelpful thing someone can say at times like that. “What do you mean, it will be fine?! How can you possibly know?!”, my head screams. Below are some questions that might actually help when an autistic person is stuck in their thoughts.