Jackson - Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome

Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome

also by Luke Jackson

A User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HD

Luke Jackson

Foreword by Marilyn Le Breton

ISBN 1 84310 055 X

of related interest

Aspergers Syndrome

A Guide for Parents and Professionals

Tony Attwood

Foreword by Lorna Wing

ISBN 1 85302 577 1

Pretending to be Normal

Living with Aspergers Syndrome

Liane Holliday Willey

Foreword by Tony Attwood

ISBN 1 85302 749 9

Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome

A User Guide to Adolescence

Luke Jackson

Foreword by Tony Attwood

Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owners written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.

Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.

The right of Luke Jackson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

First published in the United Kingdom in 2002

by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

73 Collier Street

London N1 9BE, UK

and

400 Market Street, Suite 400

Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

www.jkp.com

Copyright Luke Jackson 2002

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84310 098 3

ISBN 978 1 84642 356 7

Contents

In memory of Emma-Jane.
So little, so beautiful,
so loved and so missed.

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.

(Henry David Thoreau, 1854)

To those of you who feel
that you dont belong.
Always remember that different is cool!

Foreword

At last we have a book for adolescents with Asperger Syndrome, written by a thirteen-year-old who has a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. Luke Jackson is an expert on the challenges encountered by his peers. He examines topics that range from the value of a personal explanation of the diagnosis through to experiencing bullying and the dating game. The author has become a mentor to fellow adolescents and writes as though he is having a conversation with the reader. The research evidence on Asperger Syndrome suggests that such individuals have difficulty conceptualizing the thoughts and feelings of other people, yet Luke has a clear insight into the thoughts of fellow adolescents and the concerns of parents and teachers. He also has a distinct sense of humour that will appeal to fellow adolescents.

The chapters include explanations and strategies that are not available in other texts. Luke explains the importance of having a diagnosis and adopts a very positive attitude; he writes I have what some people would call a disability but I call a gift. His analogies and descriptions are unique. He covers topics such as fascinations and fixations, sensory perception, diet, sleep, teenage language, problems with socializing at school, homework, dealing with bullies, the dos and donts of dating, moral dilemmas and an explanation of idioms that are particularly confusing for those with Asperger Syndrome. My reactions on reading the manuscript ranged from admiration of his ability to describe the typical life experiences with an eloquence that is quite remarkable, to recognizing the value of his recommendations that will be of considerable benefit to parents, teachers and professionals. I will now benefit by incorporating Lukes wisdom into my clinical work.

The book is dedicated to those of you who feel that you dont belong. Always remember that different is cool. Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome who have low self-esteem, sometimes feel anxious, depressed and annoyed will find that Lukes book becomes an emotional restorative. His style is entertaining and educational but I would add that it is also therapeutic. This book will enhance our understanding of Asperger Syndrome, change attitudes and replace bleak despair with insight and laughter.

Tony Attwood
May 2002

Acknowledgements

Although people with Asperger Syndrome like routines and familiarity, and I am no different, I am aware that to be predictable in the way I write and what I say would be boring to those of you that are reading this book, especially those of you who have already read my other book.

Even so I still have to thank a few people and this seems as good a place to say them as any. So any of you who have heard it all before, please bear with me.

First, Id like to give a big thank you and a round of applause to my Mum (AKA Superwoman) for helping me so much with this book and life in general.

To Jessica, my publisher, for not only helping me with my book but also for being a good friend.

To Sarah, Anna and Rachel for giving me a hand with the...ahem...dating chapter of the book.

To Matthew, Joseph and Ben for merely being such good brothers. Thanks for all the fun we have together.

To Marilyn le Breton for inspiring me and encouraging me to do the gluten-free/casein-free (GF/CF) diet. Without it I wouldnt be where I am today.

To Paul Shattock whose unfailing research enabled me to feel so much better. (Sorry, Paul. I missed you out of my last book!)

To Julia Leach for making me realize that I am not a freak.

To Master Waddington, my Taekwondo instructor. Thank you for my new-found confidence and co-ordination.

An Introduction Me and My Family

My name is Luke Christopher Jackson. I have brown though a lot of the time greasy short hair. I have it spiked with gel at the moment. You can see a picture of it on the back of the book. I have greenish blue eyes, which look like the sea. Mum says they are deep though I know this does sound rather ridiculous the eye is only as deep as from the cornea to the eye socket. I am often told that I am deep too. This means that I think a lot. I am quite small for my age, but so are all the rest of my family too. I think it must be in our genes.

I would like to think that I am helpful and quite kind. I am very polite; I think that is very important.

I have written this book for many reasons. As I have got older and become a teenager I have been asking all sorts of questions and encountering a whole new set of difficulties. I searched and searched the internet for books to answer my questions and there were none none that were specifically for adolescents. There were plenty of books about adolescence, but not for people like me (I will explain why I am different in a moment). I like writing and I like to be helpful, so I hope that in writing a book myself I will have answered some questions that other adolescents are asking and at the same time helped parents and carers to understand their child more. Another big reason for writing this was the hope that professionals of any sort may read it and begin to understand the many, many people who are similar to me.