Advice for Adolescent Aspies (Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome - Luke Jackson)

Member Name: kerrypanda

Product:	Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome - Luke Jackson
Date:	21/05/09 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The perfect book for a newly diagnosed child

Disadvantages: The title could be off-putting

My son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 2005. Asperger's is an Autistic Spectrum Disorder which is characterised by the "triad of impairments"; impairments of imagination, communication and social interaction. Sensory problems, anxiety, depression, physical clumsiness, a lack of empathy, obsessions and repetitive behaviours are also common accompaniments.

Though I read several books that explained Asperger's to the parent (I would highly recommend "Asperger's Syndrome" by Tony Attwood as the best book to read first), I was thrilled to find this book "Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome, A User Guide to Adolescence" by Luke Jackson.

Luke has Asperger's himself, and wrote this book at the age of thirteen. His older brother Matthew has dyspraxia, Joseph has AD/HD and his youngest brother Ben has autism. He also discusses their issues, but not in depth.

In an interview to publicise the book Luke says there are "so many books that are written about us, but none are written directly to adolescents with Asperger Syndrome." He explains that he will try and offer tips and helpful advice to others with Asperger's, whether younger or older. As you read on it is obvious that he has a lot of knowledge about the disorder, as he is able to explain it in such simple terms that even I learnt new things, and I had read several weighty textbooks on the issue by the time I discovered this book. He uses an analogy about an equalizer, "all people on the autistic spectrum have different levels for each problem." I found that very clear to understand.

Luke has a distinctive, pleasant writing style. He is candid and articulate, but also comes across as a teenage boy with his sense of humour, and his squeamishness about certain issues such as the digestive problems that are common with Aspergers, and dating issues, though he soldiers on admirably and gets through the chapters!

He covers every relevant subject I can think of. There are chapters on obsessive and compulsive behaviour, sensory difficulties, dietary and sleep problems, how to communicate with an Aspie, all the relevant issues around school; homework, P.E., and especially bullying. There is also a section on considering homeschooling. There are chapters on socialising, making friends, leisure activities that could be beneficial (especially Taekwondo which gets its own chapter), and "The Dating Game; fathom those feelings, top tips to enhance your chance, and the rules of the game - do's and don'ts of dating."

The most relevant chapter for me initially was "To Tell or Not to Tell?" The professionals I had seen had no particular opinions on whether I should tell my son about his diagnosis, and family had recommended that I kept it from him in case he felt alienated and different from his friends. Luke explains that a child with a diagnosis of Aspergers is probably already feeling different from his peers, and telling him why this is can help him understand himself better and know that his differences are not his fault.

When I told my son he had Asperger's he was in denial about it at first. Eventually I decided to read him "Freaks, Geeks" instead of his usual Harry Potter story and after a while I could see his eyes widening with surprise. He felt that the book could have been written personally to him, as they had so much in common.

His only negative feelings were with the title of the book. "Freaks, Geeks" is meant to be humorous. Luke says he has learnt to laugh at those names as he has heard them so often, but a lot of Aspies don't understand humour very well so they wouldn't get that its a tongue-in-cheek title. As they do hear those names a lot it can't be pleasant to see them on the cover of a book about Asperger's.

I would highly recommend this book, not only to adolescent Aspies, but to anyone who wants to know what life is like when you have Asperger Syndrome, especially at school age which can be a challenging time for anyone.

Luke Jackson has also written other books, "A User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Aspergers and AD/HD" which is one of the best books availlable if you are considering removing gluten or casein(dairy) from your childs' diet,
"Crystalline Lifetime; Fragments of Asperger Syndrome", a poetry book, and "Asperger Syndrome in the Adolescent Years, Living with the Ups, the Downs, and the Things in Between" which is a follow on to "Freaks, Geeks".

I will end by quoting the dedication, a mantra which summarises the book perfectly, "To those of you who feel that you don't belong, Always remember being different is cool!"

Summary: An invaluable resource about living with Asperger's.