Library's review
Written by a parent with Asperger syndrome who has a child with the same disorder, the author reveals what it is like to live with Asperger syndrome and offers insights into living with the disorder. The book covers topics that include: navigating relationships; nurturing interests and talents;
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disclosing your diagnosis; dealing with family and friends; learning coping mechanisms; and finding work that suits your strengths and talents. Show Less
Publication
Perigee Trade (2008), Paperback, 272 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member YogiABB
"Asperger's from the Inside Out" is written by Michael John Carley, who is the Executive Director of GRASP, (The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership). The book is meant to be a guide to life for people with Asperger's Syndrome ("AS") with emphasis for those who were diagnosed with AS
Carley is well qualified to write the book. He was diagnosed with AS as an adult and part of the GRASP mission is to set up support groups all over the country for adults with AS.
I read the book not because I have AS but because I'm the father of a son with AS and I thought that it might help give me a heads up on what to expect with him as he continues on his journey.
Carley, I think, is realistic about these kids can expect. Life for them may be difficult but there is an excellent chance they can adapt and live product, even happy, lives. They may suffer lots of rejection and reversals on the way.
It is asking a lot of a book to be a guide for life for somebody with a disability and I'm not sure this book is it. I think the story of AS changes quickly and I'm not sure that books are the best way to learn. That said, I rate the this book as a 3 stars out of 4 for helping this Dad understand what my son may be in for as he continues to grow up.
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when as adults. Carley is well qualified to write the book. He was diagnosed with AS as an adult and part of the GRASP mission is to set up support groups all over the country for adults with AS.
I read the book not because I have AS but because I'm the father of a son with AS and I thought that it might help give me a heads up on what to expect with him as he continues on his journey.
Carley, I think, is realistic about these kids can expect. Life for them may be difficult but there is an excellent chance they can adapt and live product, even happy, lives. They may suffer lots of rejection and reversals on the way.
It is asking a lot of a book to be a guide for life for somebody with a disability and I'm not sure this book is it. I think the story of AS changes quickly and I'm not sure that books are the best way to learn. That said, I rate the this book as a 3 stars out of 4 for helping this Dad understand what my son may be in for as he continues to grow up.
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LibraryThing member ojodelince
This book describes Asperger's Syndrome by a person having that collection of characteristics, ie., from the inside out. Reading it was a great comfort for me since it gave a name to many of my problems and assures me that there are others with the same problems. (Misery loves company!) It will
Autism is generally a mental defect (presumably based on brain defects) in which the person is chacterized by self absorption. In extreme cases they are unable to talk or relate to the outside world sufficiently to care for themselves. Asperger's syndrome is a mild form of autism in which the defects are NOT intellectual (ie., presumably NOT in the prefontal cortex, the seat of intelligence). Some persons who probably had this condition have reached great heights of intellectual achievement such as Einstein, Newton, Tesla, Beethoven, Mozart, Jefferson, and Herman Melville. However some persons with this condition have given up trying to react to the external world and become alcoholics, drug addicts, etc. It is possible to understand this in terms of the facts presented by Dr. Amen in his book "The Magnificient Mind at Any Age". He says that those parts of the brain associated with mental defects have been observed on brain scans to be generally inactive. If this is true, the inactive parts will use less blood (and thus less energy) which will be available to the other parts of the brain including the prefrontal cortex. Thus whatever innate intellectual ability is possesed by the Aspie, may be amplified by this effect provided the right educational opportunites are available. This effect is similar to the high auditory acuity sometimes acquired by blind people.
Persons excelling in sports are often regarded as gifted even though they may have little other ability except in their field. Many Aspies feel that Asperger's Syndrome could be regarded as a gift and they could reach intellectual peaks if they received the right assistance and training. The famous Aspies listed above are examples of this. On the other side, with a low intelligence to start with that is unable to cope with the difficulties of their defects, or without proper educational environment to amplify this innate intelligence, they may fall all the way to the bottom, even to suicide. The proposed reclassification mentioned above would make it more difficult to achive this appropiate education and assistance since it would focus attention of the defects and problems; not on the opportunities offered by this condition.
This book needs to be supplemented by a 'from the outside in' viewpoint giving the scientific medical viewpoint of Asperger's as well the social aspects, ie., average IQ of Aspies (properly measured), average salary, marriage and divorce rate, etc., but any person with an Aspie in the family should read this book.
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also help to understand why many Aspies (persons with Asperger's) are currently disturbed about the proposal to modify the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" to reclassify this syndrome from an independent condition and describe it only as a subset of autism. However this book does not provide a specific logical explanation for this opposition, nor have I seen one elsewhere. I will try to give that explanation here, and in doing that, touch on many of the points made in this book.Autism is generally a mental defect (presumably based on brain defects) in which the person is chacterized by self absorption. In extreme cases they are unable to talk or relate to the outside world sufficiently to care for themselves. Asperger's syndrome is a mild form of autism in which the defects are NOT intellectual (ie., presumably NOT in the prefontal cortex, the seat of intelligence). Some persons who probably had this condition have reached great heights of intellectual achievement such as Einstein, Newton, Tesla, Beethoven, Mozart, Jefferson, and Herman Melville. However some persons with this condition have given up trying to react to the external world and become alcoholics, drug addicts, etc. It is possible to understand this in terms of the facts presented by Dr. Amen in his book "The Magnificient Mind at Any Age". He says that those parts of the brain associated with mental defects have been observed on brain scans to be generally inactive. If this is true, the inactive parts will use less blood (and thus less energy) which will be available to the other parts of the brain including the prefrontal cortex. Thus whatever innate intellectual ability is possesed by the Aspie, may be amplified by this effect provided the right educational opportunites are available. This effect is similar to the high auditory acuity sometimes acquired by blind people.
Persons excelling in sports are often regarded as gifted even though they may have little other ability except in their field. Many Aspies feel that Asperger's Syndrome could be regarded as a gift and they could reach intellectual peaks if they received the right assistance and training. The famous Aspies listed above are examples of this. On the other side, with a low intelligence to start with that is unable to cope with the difficulties of their defects, or without proper educational environment to amplify this innate intelligence, they may fall all the way to the bottom, even to suicide. The proposed reclassification mentioned above would make it more difficult to achive this appropiate education and assistance since it would focus attention of the defects and problems; not on the opportunities offered by this condition.
This book needs to be supplemented by a 'from the outside in' viewpoint giving the scientific medical viewpoint of Asperger's as well the social aspects, ie., average IQ of Aspies (properly measured), average salary, marriage and divorce rate, etc., but any person with an Aspie in the family should read this book.
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LibraryThing member weeta
I have a few "quirks" that persons with Asperger's also have, but I'm far too petrified to ever get evaluated for it...and I kind of like just being "quirky." This book helped me to feel better about my shortcomings - it's just the way I'm wired (or *not* wired) so I either have to deal with them,
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or try to think them through and improve on what I'm doing "wrong." Show Less
LibraryThing member Cataloger623
Aspergers syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation
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of linguistic and cognitive development. Much of the popular literature is on the childhood manifestations of the syndrome. This book concentrates on adults who have grown up knowing they have or for some reason were diagnosed later on in life The book is not for the parents of kids or adults that are severely disabled. The books focus is for those who are high functioning. Many of these people are under employed or unemployed because although they be academically bright ,they have social issues that keep them from being accepted in the workplace. Think the characters in the Big Bang Theory. This book has an in-depth concentration on workplace issues and social issues that adults encounter in social situations. It is written and voiced in the 1st person. You see this world through the eyes of the author. Author gives voice to what many who have the syndrome and have wondered, why life was just so damn hard. He proposes strategies and tactics to work around the difficulties that have the syndrome encounte Show Less