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We talk with John Elder Robison about his memoir, [amazon-product text=”Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Aspergers” type=”text”]0307396185[/amazon-product]. Brother to best-selling author Augusten Burroughs (RUNNING WITH SCISSORS), Robison has written a sweet, compelling tale about growing up with Asperger’s Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. From the inside, he reveals what it’s like to be a misfit, the savant-like talents he feels Asperger’s gave him, and how he overcame the condition’s deficits and celebrated its gifts.
Click here for a Web-only interview extra..
We also talk with Free Press director Josh Silver about new developments in the fight to preserve net neutrality.
OMG, I sound like that (except for being a woman) and so do some other people I know–I wonder if we all have AS??
By the way, did you notice your RSS Feed button on your website links to nothing in particular?
http://feeds.feedburner.com, but no indication of which feed — for example, mine is http://feeds.feedburner.com/grizzlysgrowls. Tried guessing, didn’t find anything. Any help here?
Hello there John! :) How are you? I just listened to the radio interview and I will say that I’m very happy with the kind of progress you’ve made over the years.
I’m 38 years old from Brampton, Ontario Canada with not only Asperger’s but also with NLD (Non-Verbal Learning Disability). Both go hand in hand since they have many similar characteristics with each other.
But… ANYWAY… so… ummmm… I didn’t know that I had these disorders until I was 30. I way I found out I had these things was through a psychologist at the local hospital. I needed to go see him because I could never figure out why I kept on losing job after job after job. For all the years from after I graduated from high school at 19 to the age of 30, I could never keep a job. It got so bad that I had to go get help. I got it thanks to a really nice doctor who first opened my eyes to what was really going on with me.
After telling him everything about my past and life story, he finally diagnosed me with having NLD along with Asperger’s. He also suggested that I take the outpatient Day Treatment Program at the hospital which I did for the following 2 years. That program and everyone there who helped me saved my life! I thank them every day for helping me the way they did.
After sorting my life out after all the tests, assessments with my psychologist and the 2 years I spent at Adult Day Treatment, I decided to become more active by playing lacrosse to keep in physical shape. I’ve always loved playing golf and ball hockey as well but I also wanted to get into lacrosse.
I’ve also wanted to devote my life to writing. For almost 2 years now I’ve researched everything there is to know about the world of writing and how to get published. So all I do every day is write, all day every day. My goal is to finally get published.
But.. ANYWAYS… that’s my life in a nutshell on how I found out I had Asperger’s/NLD. Again, I really enjoyed the radio webcast. You’ve proven to others with Asperger’s out there that one CAN STILL lead a normal life in spite of it.
Take care and have a good one John. If you wish to get back to me, simply email me and drop me a line. I would love to acquire your comments as well.
Sincerely,
Frank B.
hi john, thx for ur wonderful work… i m a writer myself, and also a musician and artist… and i write abt my own journey in ASD and autoimmunity in my blogs…
it is so good to hear from / abt other adult aspies who r recognising their differences and making inroads into helping others in the spectrum by sharing their own experiences… no we do not hv a disorder / abnormality – we r just different… thx again john!
I’m Jacob Green and I have autism. I have a much higher amount of intelligence than any average citizen in the United States. Yet I’m prone to effects of unlawful discrimination against people like me. Here’s why I lay out this point of view since I’m declared to be special.
Here’s a quote from Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor of developmental psychology at Trinity College, Cambridge and an autism researcher, that expressed the latter view of autism.
“I do think there is a benefit in trying to help people with autism-spectrum conditions with areas of difficulty such as emotion recognition. Nobody would dispute the place for interventions that alleviate areas of difficulty, while leaving the areas of strength untouched. But to talk about a ‘cure for autism’ is a sledge-hammer approach and the fear would be that in the process of alleviating the areas of difficulty, the qualities that are special – such as the remarkable attention to detail, and the ability to concentrate for long periods on a small topic in depth – would be lost. Autism is both a disability and a difference. We need to find ways of alleviating the disability while respecting and valuing the difference.”
LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_rights_movement
I couldn’t agree more with the last comment. As someone who has ADD and who knows wonderful people with autism spectrum disorders, I feel the upsides of these brain differences need to be honored along with help in managing the downsides.
Those who wish to comment directly to John Elder Robison can visit his web page: http://www.johnrobison.com/