Freaks, Geeks and Aspergers Syndrome

Have you ever been called a freak or a geek? Have you ever felt like one? Luke Jackson is 13 years old and has Asperger Syndrome. Over the years Luke has learned to laugh at such names but there are other aspects of life which are more difficult. Adolescence and the teenage years are a minefield of emotions, transitions and decisions and when a child has Asperger Syndrome, the result is often explosive. Luke writes briefly about his younger autistic and AD/HD brothers, providing amusing insights into the antics of his younger years and advice for parents, carers and teachers of younger AS children. However, his main reason for writing was because “so many books are written about us, but none are written directly to adolescents with Asperger Syndrome. I thought I would write one in the hope that we could all learn together”.
Contents: An introduction – me and my family. Asperger Syndrome and the Autistic Spectrum, A label or a signpost? To tell or not to tell? Giving the news. How and when to tell other people. Fascinations and fixations. Specialist subjects. Collections. Compulsions. Controlling a compulsion. Sense and sense abilities. About all of the senses – our different sensory perceptions. All in a muddle. A different physiology, Dietary Differences. A word about sleep. Medication. Sleeping solutions for people with AS. Sleeping solutions – tips for parents. Language and learning. Teenage talk. Literalism and logic. Precise parents make cheerful children. The problem with school… Reading, Writing and ‘Rithmatic. Not to mention homework! Not much fun and games. School or otherwise – if it still goes wrong. Bullying. My experiences. What is bullying? Why me? When is a bully not a bully? Dealing with bullies. Taekwondo. My Taekwondo class. The History of Taekwondo. The benefits of Taekwondo. Friendships and socialising. How to win friends and influence people. A word of warning for pushy parent. The dating game. Fathom out those feelings. Top tips to enhance your chance. The rules of the game – do’s and don’t of dating. Morals and principles – representation and reality. Negative publicity. Rules are not made to be broken. Moral musings for adolescent Aspergers. One final note. Idioms – an explanation. Further reading. Websites and links. Index.