Book Review: Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome

Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome:

A User Guide to Adolescence

Luke Jackson

2002, Jessica Kingsley

ISBN-13: 978 1 84310 098 0

Link to publisher's page for book

Luke Jackson’s account of adolescence with Asperger Syndrome, which he wrote at the age of thirteen, is lively and informal in style.  He is self-aware and writes with a considerable amount of humour about his own condition and the associated conditions which affect various members of his family.  He presents a positive but realistic picture of Asperger Syndrome: having said that he views it as a gift rather than a disability; he also acknowledges some of the more challenging aspects which can be experienced by those with Asperger Syndrome. However, I feel that the book often concentrates on earlier childhood rather than adolescence, so the sub-title ‘A User Guide to Adolescence’ might seem a bit misleading in certain chapters.  Many of the issues discussed, however, are important in both childhood and adolescence.

Luke starts off by talking about Asperger Syndrome, where it fits within the Autism Spectrum and about diagnosis as a label versus a signpost. I think, in many ways these first few chapters are the most significant in the book as far as awareness is concerned. He makes the important point that many young people (or even older people) with Asperger Syndrome would rather know why they are different to others as this helps them to develop strategies for addressing the challenges of life and to understand themselves better.  He also has an excellent discussion about whether young people are likely to exaggerate their symptoms to fit their diagnosis, which he felt was often a fallacious argument; something with which I would agree from my own experience.

In the fourth and fifth chapter, Luke provides excellent discussions of fixations and sensory sensitivity, both of which seem to me to be balanced and well researched.  He generally tries to take into account that others may have different experiences to him within Asperger Syndrome, but sometimes the tendency to think that everyone is like him or can be helped by the same strategies which have helped him comes out (he is not unique in this – many books written by authors who are not on the Autism Spectrum have a similar tendency).  Chapter six, where he discusses physiological differences, is a case in point: he majors on allergy induced autism and the gluten-free and casein-free diet which has helped his family so much, but it is unclear how common this form of Autistic Spectrum condition is in reality. (I suspect that if it was very common, the gluten-free, casein-free diet would now be much more widespread among people with Asperger Syndrome than it appears to be, but I don’t have good scientific evidence for or against this so would need to do more research.)

The latter part of the book tends to focus on topics which are more closely associated with school, and provides some interesting suggestions for insights and strategies to assist Asperger students to get the best out of their school life. Many of these can also be extended into other areas of life with a bit of thought or adaptation although this is not explicitly addressed in the book.  Some of the suggestions may seem a bit extreme to teachers and other adults who are trying to assist but in general the solutions suggested are interesting and reasonable, and those which seem more extreme give an insight into the way that the brain of (this particular) person with Asperger Syndrome works.  For example, Luke is very strongly against homework and cannot see the point in it as he has a very black and white divide between school and home.  He extends this strong dislike to all students with Asperger Syndrome, which in my experience is not the case. Also he does not fully engage with arguments for homework such as developing independent working.

The book closes with a glossary of idioms, which Luke uses consciously throughout the book, partly to help his Asperger readers to appreciate idiom more easily, and a useful appendix of resources.

The book as a whole is an easy, fluid read and would be suitable for both young people and adults; it should do much to raise awareness of the gifts and challenges of Asperger Syndrome.  It is enhanced by pertinent drawings contributed by Luke’s siblings.  Although Luke tries to take into account others’ differing experiences, and to a large extent succeeds in this, the book is very much a personal account so it is worthwhile reading other accounts of Asperger Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Conditions to gain a fuller picture. Several suitable books are listed in the resources section at the back of the book.