Life with Aspergers

Living with Autism Undiagnosed by Ruth Horowitz is quite an unusual book in that it's not exactly an "autism book".  By that, I mean that the vast majority of the events in the book occur well before Ruth received a diagnosis and that thus far, I don't get the impression that Ruth as done a complete review of her life in the frame of autism. This is something that many of us on the spectrum do but it also takes many years and a lot of insight. This is quite a good thing though because the book is very much a biographical retelling of the events of Ruth's life without a lot of explanations. We are left to interpret those events and actions and there are many clues to how these relate to autism spread throughout. This makes the reader think and pulls them into the story.  Ruth's story is a very interesting one for several reasons. It's rare to hear the voices and stories of older autistic women and usually these stories are either triumphs against adversity ...

Aspertools: The Practical Guide for Understanding and Embracing Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Ñeurodiversity by Harold Reitman M.D. with Pati Fizzano and Rebecca Reitman 2017 Souvenir Press Ltd  Aspertools is an unusual book, coming out, proudly displaying references to Asperger’s Syndrome in a post-DSM V world.  That's right; Asperger’s is no longer recognised in its own right but is folded into the general autism spectrum. Aspertools takes a very different approach.  It's not necessarily a book directed at people with Asperger’s or even those on the general autism spectrum. This is a book that aims at the neurodiverse; the people who different somehow.  Those whose differences have neurological reasons. It's a great premise and Harold makes it clear from the outset that not all chapters will apply to all people. Just read the book and use what you learn from the chapters that do while ignoring those that don't. As his daughter,  Rebecca...

My Wonderful Fran: The Biography of an Amazing Girl by Paul Spelzini My Wonderful Fran is a touching memoir of a very talented girl by her father. It covers her life in a very natural and straightforward way, covering her likes and dislikes, family relationships, holidays, school and sports. While the word Aspergers is used a lot in the book, it's really much more a study of how schizophrenia can quietly enter the lives of families and how powerless we can be without appropriate support networks. If you're the parent of a child with schizophrenia or chronic depression or if your child has been behaving suspiciously with possible intentions of suicide, then you need to read this book. Ultimately, My Wonderful Fran is about how even the brightest and most gifted of us, with the best of families, can stumble in difficult circumstances. My Wonderful Fran; The Biography of an Amazing Girl by Paul Spelzini is available in hardback, paperback and kindle form...

There are a lot of "Autism Biographies" around these days and they mostly follow the same patterns; Childhood difficulties, school bullying, addiction to "alone-time", workplace bullying and finally the discovery of autism and acceptance of one's place in the world. This story is quite different.  This is a story about someone who didn't struggle quite so hard  Autism plays a part in this story but it doesn't have the starring role. This time, the star is Rachael, not her diagnosis.  It's definitely about a life well-lived. Of course, there are plenty of moments throughout this book where it's clear that some of the qualities of Autism are affecting events for better or worse but for the most part, Rachael presents as a capable and occasionally "otherworldly" member of society. If you've ever read a book or seen a film with a lead character who is defined by their autism and thought; "that's a bit excessive. I...

We've Been Here All Along: Autistics over 35 Speak Out in Poetry and Prose Edited by Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg Last time on this blog I lamented the "epidemic of autism" and the fact that it promotes flawed concept that autism is only a relatively recent "difference" in our society. In fact Autism has been with us for a very, very long time, some say since the dawn of humanity. We've Been Here All Along is a collection of stories and poems from 22 people with autism who are over 35 years of age. People born before the late 1970s. Before the "epidemic of autism" and before Asperger's Syndrome was even recognised as a possible diagnosis. This is a collection unlike any other, full of amazing stories of men and women from all walks of life coping and not coping with the "curve-balls" that modern society throws them. It contains some amazing displays of empathy, so long considered impossible for those in the spectrum and the sto...

This post follows on from my earlier post " Young Teens and Eecutive Functioning Issues " If you haven't read that post, you might want to read it before continuing here as it provides a useful introduction to the topic. In my earlier post I defined lack of executive function and talked about the problems it can cause in day-to-day scenarios involving simple tasks, like getting dressed.  As children get older however, executive functioning difficulties become more pronounced because they're expected to be able to take responsibility for more far-reaching decisions. Decisions made by older teens can affect lives and can result in legal action, injury and even death. An Example; Take, as an example, the problem of driving home after a night out. The simplified executive functioning would probably flow as follows but each component would have a myriad of ordered sub-tasks as well; Decide - Am I ok to drive home?   This would require both a knowledge of the d...

This review is for "Aspergers in Pink: A Mother and Daughter Guidebook for Raising (or being) a Girl with Aspergers" by Julie Clar k First Impressions It's funny but although the phrase to "not judge a book by its cover" isn't meant to be taken literally, I do still find myself applying that kind of judgement - and most frequently to books. Whenever I pick up a book, particularly a non-fiction book, I tend to formulate some idea of what I expect to get out of it. In the case of "Aspergers in Pink" my expectations were significantly skewed by the long title. I guess that my original thought was that here was a chance to familiarise myself with the elusive "female aspie". In that sense, I think that the title is misleading because the book doesn't really bring a whole heap of "female-specific" information to the table. At the end of the book, I'm still no closer to finding out if my wife displays "female aspie...