Asperger's on the Inside
590924
Interesting book.  I first bought the Kindle edition, then decided I wanted a print copy.  I like to learn how people view themselves. I gave the book 4 stars only because I haven't finished reading it.
121967
I finally finished _Asperger's on the Inside_ by Michelle Vines, and as an autistic individual only diagnosed myself at age 39, I could really identify with the life narratives that Michelle lays out in her engaging book.  They ring so true to me and reflect my own experience growing up with autism (Aspergers) but lacking a formal diagnosis.  My go-to pre-DX label was that of "introvert", but while this is not wrong, it's woefully inadequate, and Michelle's very visceral life experiences make this patently clear.  I can very much relate to having friends yet managing to alienate them without ever knowing truly why.  I can relate to being in workplace environments, and following the letter-of-the-law written expectations verbatim yet ultimately still failing because I didn't "get" the "unwritten" social rules of the same workplace.  I've suffered the same kinds of workplace discrimination the Michelle has; nothing I could ever prove in court, but still real all the same.  There is so much of Michelle's experience that deeply resonates for me, right down to the preferring subdued lighting when coming to work in the morning.  I thought that was a purely personal quirk of my own so it was a bit of a shock to find out it's a fairly common thing among my fellow Aspies.  The book's conclusion is Michelle finally meeting and learning to relate with fellow High Functioning Adult-Diagnosed fellow Aspies, myself among them.  I am quoted in the book in a few places and I can also attest that meeting fellow adult Aspies was quite the watershed moment in my own life as well.  I'm glad Michelle wrote this book and hope it will provide inspiration and solace to other adult Aspies out there who may feel as if they're isolated and alone in their struggles and that nobody understands them.  We do understand you, our ASD brothers and sisters, and urge you to reach out and find your neurodivergent kin in cyberspace and in the physical world around you.  We're here, we've always been here, and we're not going away.  We need to be there for each other in a hostile and indifferent world that wasn't designed for us.
4130961
I bought&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Look-Me-in-the-Eye-My-Life-with-Asperger-s/dp/0307395987/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's</a>&nbsp;by John Elder Robison mainly because I was enticed by reviews and interviews to explore the mind of someone who (because of Asperger's Syndrome) thinks a bit differently from us so-called "regular" folks. The book centers on John's struggle to become socially and economically successful as a person with Asperger's Syndrome. His condition wasn't diagnosed until he turned 40.

The two main things about this book that stood out for me (from beginning to end) were: (1) Mr. Robison doesn't give many clues about how he expects the reader to react to his stories. In other words, you get to make your own judgments - whether about his legal and illegal pranks or about his decision to not get involved with groupies (for two examples). He doesn't spend much time defending his behavior and he isn't dogmatic about what's right and what's wrong. (2) He thinks a lot and in unusual ways. As I read about his sometimes-elaborate thought processes, I remembered what a friend told me long ago: "If you're confused, good! It means you're thinking!" And I pondered some of the social conflicts in my own life caused by what others have characterized as "thinking too much."

In chapter 26 "Units One Through Three," Mr. Robison hilariously describes in frank terms the thought processes he went through when choosing his wife. ("Choosing" isn't the right word, but I promised myself I wouldn't write any spoilers into my review.) Here's a short sample from the book, from chapter 26, about his logic concerning choosing a wife: "Unfortunately, when picking a mate from a set of three sisters, it is usually necessary to establish a relationship with one in order to meet the other two. That usually precludes a person from selecting a different sister once an initial choice has been made."

Though I ultimately found "Look Me in the Eye" to be a satisfying and often funny book, it didn't fully capture my interest until the author began vividly describing a major prank (performed during his teenage years) related to fire. From there on (through many chapters) until he finishes talking about his work with rock and roll bands (which included creating pyrotechnically flamboyant guitars for KISS), I was utterly captivated by Mr. Robison's exciting stories. The chapters after that point aren't bad either.

Yes, Mr. Robison does think somewhat differently. He demonstrates an inspiring, practical approach to dealing with some of life's challenges. With his book, he managed to place those challenges under a microscope for all to see. I recommend that you take a look.
2085405
It's a very interesting book about Asperger's syndrome and its relation to anxiety. Shows why and how anxiety strikes a person with Asperger's and provides some ways to deal with it. I am a parent of a teenage boy with Aspergers, and the book did provide some insight in his world. I am planning on giving him this book, too, I really think it will help him.
3214392
This book helps children with Asperger's realize that they are not alone in their feelings.  It also gives their parents much-needed information in a direct and comforting way.  The illustrations are accurate and yet simple enough to be understood by even young children.  This is a book that can be read over and over again by kids who are struggling with Asperger's and need to feel accepted.
1867881
Ms. Davide-Riveras experience with autism gave me an in-depth look into the life of someone with Autism.  She was able to really put me into her shoes allowing me to have a more educated perception as to what life is like for a person with autism.  Even the way in which the book was written sort of followed the guidelines of what it is like to be autistic.  There were a lot of ideas and examples given in very short quick bursts and were explained very matter-of-factly.

The most eye-opening experiences that helped me into truly understanding an Aspies world is all the times she ran late or got lost or forgot things or got hurt.  When she talked about making her class run late because she just couldn't pack her bag correctly made me realize just how daily life can be so stressful for Aspies.
661439
My son who has Asperger's has found this to be very relatable. I have found many things in it helpful also.
130610
Temple's second book, Thinking In Pictures encorporates a lot of her first book Emergence but goes into the workings of an Engineers mind which is clearly incredibly able to 'think in pictures'. I'm certain fellow engineers, many architechts and designers will be able to relate to this process, not just people who, like Temple, are diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

In educational literature different processing styles are discussed; the visual learner who thinks in pictures and learns from visuals, the auditory learner who thinks in words and learns from hearing, the kinaesthetic learner who is neither visual nor auditory and learns through physically doing, touching and handling form. Most people have all of these forms of learning whilst others, even in the non-autistic population, are far more proficient or deficient in one than the other.

Whilst many other authors with autism spectrum conditions have written about difficulty processing auditory information, and whilst many verify that, like Temple, they are visual thinkers, this is not unique to those on the autistic spectrum and there will be many non-autistic people in fields such as design, science, IT and mathematics where strong visualisation skills make them so good at their jobs, who will be able to relate to her thought processes.

Similarly, whilst there is certainly an abundance of people with Asperger's Syndrome in these job areas (Temple herself is an engineer) and many people at the Autistic end who do well in computer and maths skills and cope well with visual prompts and techniques like the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)it is also true that many others struggle to use PECS at all and lack demonstrated interest or skills in the same areas. Yet it would do these same people a diservice merely to see them as lower functioning but still visual thinkers like Temple.

Visual thinking is not the only non-verbal form of thought. Those whose dominent learning system is that of a kinaethetic style may actually be so good at learning through hands on activities or physical patterning precisely because they are otherwise so impaired and poor at visual learning.

A considerable percentage of people at the autistic end of the spectrum are far more physical and kinaesthetic than intellectual, as is the privilege of visual thinkers. Many at the more 'low functioning' end of the spectrum display such severe visual recognition and visual perceptual challenges it would be difficult to imagine how some of these people are able to build up the visual thinking skills Temple describes. Yet if we assume, as Temple invites us to, that all autistics think as she does, then we might rely on techniques designed for visual learners and let our kinaesthetic learners down, mistakenly assuming them to intellectually disabled when in fact they may be no more so than any deaf-blind child. Many kinaethetic learners have untapped talent in areas involving movement; climbing, trampolining, skating, balancing, gymnastics, stacking, building, moulding. Yet in a world where the auditory is the norm and the visual is championed, their skills are undervalued and underextended.

Temple's book is a wonderful outline of visual thinking and will certainly benefit understanding of those who rely on this processing style rather than auditory learning. But its important not to over-extend the usefulness of this book to a group who may benefit from something quite different and who may be the least likely on the autistic spectrum to ever learn language because language is learned not just auditorily but in the links between the auditory and the visual.
1803800
This is a great insider's view of the mind of an autistic boy.  The way he thinks and observes things in his life is amazing.  While it seems like a mystery story it is much more!  Great read!
613167
This book is great.  My child has asperger's and this book answers a lot of questions for her that she won't ask me.
3090043
This was a great read for my son who has Asperger's. He was able to identify with young Einstein and it made him feel better to know that another "odd boy out" grew up to be such an influential person.
414404
I met Van when a mutual friend introduced us so I could edit his book.  This book is a fascinating and compelling read -- an "inside look" at what goes on in an asperger patient's head.  Van's story is one of courage and triumph.  It's a must for anyone who knows someone with aspergers.
2620847
it seems as though t's teaching the same lesson over and over again.; how to deal when things change.  I was looking for a wider variety of activities.  Not all the kids in my group have asperger's and the lessons seemed specific to them.
1318254
As an adult with Asperger's I can say this book was an excellent depiction of someone such as myself.  Most importantly as Edward is telling the story he goes off on tangents as his mind connects dots in different ways much as mine does. An excellent book!
2171435
This is an interesting story.  I think it would be very beneficial for any parent of an autistic child to read.  There are some real challenges put out to provide discipline to these kiddo's who desperately need structure and boundaries.  Read with an open mind!
1211828
Excellent book for anyone who wants to gain an understanding of Asperger's. As a retired special educator, I wish I'd had this book as a resource when I was teaching. Great for regular and special educators. Plus I think it would be a good book to share with families and friends of those who have Asperger's.  Could possibly help identity and encourage people to get diagnosis.
641372
The title of this review says it all. The anecdotes illustrate clearly the perspective and problems associated with X chromosome Aspergers. For an older child or her parents, this book will help understand the realities of life as an Aspergirl. Everyone is different, but the basic awareness and understanding is necessary for all of us who live with or love an Aspergirl.