A review by claudiaswisher
Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence by Luke Jackson
4.0
What an interesting look at Asperger Syndrome, or AS....The author, Luke Jackson, is 13, and has AS...he writes with humor, logic, and sensitivity about lots of issues that affect all teens and children, but have special challenges for AS youngsters.
He puts us in his shoes, explaining what the 'symptoms' feel like...he describes the sensory sensitivities and his strategies for living with these sensitivities.
I appreciated the way he would stop and give tips for other AS kids, as well as teachers and parents. He's a very wise young man, and is so open about his feelings, even tho he tells us he's more comfortable with the logical side of his brain.
While I sometimes tired of his breezy parenthetical asides, and while the side stories distracted me, I can see how a young person with AS, or a family member, will easily recognize and identify with the stories.
I'm intrigued by Luke's family...his Mum (did I say this is a British book?), three brothers and three sisters, all with various symptoms on the autism spectrum. Ben, the baby, seems to have the most symptoms. Luke often draws on stories from his siblings to make his points.
I love the discussion about similes and metaphors and idioms (there's even a list of idioms and their meanings in the book!). Luke advises adults to never use them unless they can explain their exact meaning.
Also loved the chapter on bullying. He gives down-to-earth advice to kids and teachers and parents...to the kids, he repeats, "Take no crap," and suggests AS kids take martial arts classes...more for the discipline than for self-defense.
Informative and accessible. I'm going to see if one of my AS students might be interested in reading and giving me an opinion.
Luke Jackson has written an important book.
He puts us in his shoes, explaining what the 'symptoms' feel like...he describes the sensory sensitivities and his strategies for living with these sensitivities.
I appreciated the way he would stop and give tips for other AS kids, as well as teachers and parents. He's a very wise young man, and is so open about his feelings, even tho he tells us he's more comfortable with the logical side of his brain.
While I sometimes tired of his breezy parenthetical asides, and while the side stories distracted me, I can see how a young person with AS, or a family member, will easily recognize and identify with the stories.
I'm intrigued by Luke's family...his Mum (did I say this is a British book?), three brothers and three sisters, all with various symptoms on the autism spectrum. Ben, the baby, seems to have the most symptoms. Luke often draws on stories from his siblings to make his points.
I love the discussion about similes and metaphors and idioms (there's even a list of idioms and their meanings in the book!). Luke advises adults to never use them unless they can explain their exact meaning.
Also loved the chapter on bullying. He gives down-to-earth advice to kids and teachers and parents...to the kids, he repeats, "Take no crap," and suggests AS kids take martial arts classes...more for the discipline than for self-defense.
Informative and accessible. I'm going to see if one of my AS students might be interested in reading and giving me an opinion.
Luke Jackson has written an important book.