The motive behind writing this book was primarily two-fold – to increase my personal understanding of how my brain is wired and thinks differently, and to hopefully help others with AS understand themselves. Googling High-functioning Asperger’s Syndrome only found autistic behaviour – something I could barely relate to. My issues are being too high-functioning while also being a social misfit. How can someone so smart keep shooting himself in the foot? I am estranged from a remarkable number of close family members. I always wondered why few people liked me. It was not until I was 65 that I knew I was an Aspie.
My story is mine and will probably be different from yours. I hope though that you may see some of your social behaviour in me and then travel on the thrilling road of “discovering your brain”. It will be one of the most exciting and rewarding times of your life.
As per Aspie thinking, I have tried to write the most comprehensive treatise on Asperger’s syndrome possible. As a voyage of discovery, my personal experience added little to this e-book. I purchased several books about autism and AS, but two were the most informative. Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman and The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome by Tony Attwood.
I then adapted a book on neurodiversity to give a well-rounded view: The Power of Neurodiversity by Thomas Armstrong Ph.D.
I have added two chapters that I have not seen elsewhere – The Neurobiological Basis of AS and Asperger Intelligence. I compiled an extensive list of Famous People with Asperger’s syndrome and wrote brief biographies on several of them. The About Me section details how Asperger’s has affected my thinking, behaviours, and passions (my special interests) and is all original writing.
I have one aspect of Asperger thinking that I don’t excel at – I am unable to have original thoughts and have difficulty expressing original ideas – a kind of verbal dyslexia. Theory of Mind and executive thinking impairments are a factor. Despite excelling at almost all aspects of school, I rarely obtained greater than a C in English. I pled with my first-year university English teacher to give me a conditional pass – a 4/9 on the old stanine system and still was accepted into the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta. As a result, I have used the material in the above two books extensively. Neurotribes form almost the entire chapter on The History of Asperger’s Syndrome. Dr. Attwood’s book follows and enlarges on aspects of the Clinical Signs and Symptoms section.
Because of my difficulty in expressing myself, I have plagiarized both books extensively. Much of those two sections is written word-for-word from them. It was a lot of typing as both books are replicated with no copying and pasting. I did edit them along the way to hopefully express the ideas in a “briefer way”. My website is completely non-monetized and I benefit only by the personal satisfaction of increasing understanding of this most misunderstood part at the far end of the Autistic and Asperger’s spectrum.
I am eternally grateful for what these two men have written. I would encourage you to purchase or read the original texts.
As I write this in January 2022, I have no plans to publish this book or profit from it in any way. The “book” is known to only a few of my friends. Thank you, Mr. Silberman and Dr. Attwood.
Ron Perrier
Updated in October 2024 from October 2022.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity – by Steve Silberman
Penguin Random House LLC
375 Hudson St
New York, New York 10014
Copyright © 2015 by Steve Silberman
2. The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome – by Tony Attwood
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
This revised edition published in 2015 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
73 Collier Street, London N1 9BE, UK
409 Market Street, Suite 400 Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
Copyright © Tony Attwood 2007, 2015
3. The Power of Neurodiversity – Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain – by Thomas Armstrong PhD
De Capo Press
11 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
Copyright © 2010 by Thomas Armstrong PhD
