Niamh Garvey

is an Irish author, anthology editor, and researcher. Garvey, who is autistic, edited the first anthology of Irish autistic voices in 2024, Wired Our Own Way and wrote the acclaimed children's book Being Autistic (and what that actually means).

Biography Garvey was born in Cork in 1986. She later moved to Blarney, but was based in Cork as of 2024.

Garvey graduated with a Certificate in Autism Studies from University College Cork (UCC). She is also a registered nurse.

Garvey married at age 23. In 2025, she acknowledged that she was very young and she was "just ticking boxes of what I thought a social expectation was. Looking back now I think it was very funny that I did that, but thankfully it worked out very well for me.”

Garvey was diagnosed with autoimmune arthritis in her early 30s. Her three children are all neurodivergent. According to Garvey, "when we got told [her daughter was] autistic it was kind of like they were breaking bad news to me ... Whereas when I got diagnosed, it was completely the opposite... The report I got was more like, ‘Congratulations, you’re autistic.’ It was like a celebration of a neurotype.”

Career Garvey published her first book, Looking After Your Autistic Self: A Personalised Self-Care Approach to Managing Your Sensory and Emotional Well-Being, in 2023.

It received praise upon release, with autistic author Sarah Hendrickx writing that "This is a truly fantastic book full of ideas and strategies delivered in an entirely autistic way. It's so logical, you will wonder why you didn't think of it before,". and the NeuroAffirm Institute includes the book on their list of recommended workbooks. In 2025–2026, the book was included in the autism studies curriculum (Postgrad Certificate, MA) of Mary Immaculate College. The e-book is read by Lara Hutchinson and published by John Murray Press.

Autistic illustrator Rebecca Burgess provided art for both of Garvey's children's books: Being Autistic (and what that actually means) (2024) Being Autistic was shortlisted for the Irish Great Reads Award in 2025. Dr. Luke Beardon, a lecturer in autism studies at Sheffield Hallam University, described the book as "wonderful, realistic, optimistic, artistic" and "a resource that could aid you towards that glorious understanding of self that all autistic people deserve." Burgess described Being Autistic as "a perfect way to help autistic kids understand themselves better, without going through a process that might make autism feel daunting or medicalized."

Garvey compiled and edited the best-selling Wired Our Own Way: An Anthology of Irish Autistic Voices, the first anthology of Irish autistic adult voices. The anthology included essays from 24 autistic authors of varying ages, genders, abilities, jobs, and more – and multiple first time authors. Essay authors included writer Jen Wallace, Liam Coulson, AsIAm founder Adam Harris, journalist Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, non-speaking poet Fiacre Ryan, and actress Stefanie Preissner.

Garvey wrote her second "supporting, affirming" guide in 2025, The Autistic Guide to Communicating and Connecting: Understanding our communication differences and social needs. The book is split into sections on communication, socialization, and social strategies. She decided to research and write the book after learning about Gestalt Language Processors, or the way in which many autistic people learn language in units or phrases rather than individual words. The e-book is read by Lara Hutchinson and published by John Murray Press.

According to Tony Attwood, "all forms of communication and connection are explored, and all expressions of autism are included in this remarkable new resource. The descriptions, especially the 'reasonable adaptations', are based on an extensive review of the research literature and the experiences of the author and autistic individuals."