Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships [Paperback]

Ashley Stanford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1843107341 | ISBN-13: 978-1843107347 | Publication Date: November 15, 2002 | Edition: 1

Ashley Stanford is married to a man with Asperger Syndrome, and her book provides the answers to many of the questions asked by the increasing number of people in that situation. She explains how behaviors that may have appeared odd - or even downright irritating - are the manifestation of AS, and shows how understanding can lead to greater tolerance or to change. Stanford provides a wealth of strategies for living successfully with the more uncompromising aspects of AS, pointing out that AS also brings enormous strengths to a relationship, and emphasizes the value of understanding. Including many quotes from people in long-term AS relationships, the book describes many positive solutions that have worked for other couples.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ashley Stanford has worked as a technical writer for 11 years and has published many technical guides, teacher guides, parent guides and children's activity books. Her husband and her two sons have Asperger Syndrome.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 1 edition (November 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843107341
• ISBN-13: 978-1843107347
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Compulsive Behavior
  • #67 in Books > Medical Books > Administration & Medicine Economics > Health Care Delivery

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best AS Relationship book I've read, January 2, 2007

By 

Rebecca A. Vanhout "Becca Anne" (Ashland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships (Paperback)

I read this book 4 years ago, when I was in a very desperate search for information to save my marriage. Ashley Sanford gave me a lot of hope, where other books on the subject offered little. This book made a big difference in my approach to issues in my relationship and I highly recommend it to anyone in a relationship with a partner on the spectrum.

58 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aspie (and all) marriages are works in progress, April 11, 2004

By 

Carol Watkins "Psychiatrist" (Parkton, Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships (Paperback)

In this book a woman tells of the joys and struggles of living with a husband and children who have Asperger Syndrome. She also draws on the experiences of others who have had lived with "Aspie" partners. She honestly describes her own difficulties understanding and translating her husband's reactions into her own more emotionally demonstrative frame of reference.

I got the impression that she would have liked her husband to write more about his perspective on their relationship. He does give some information but he is not an "express your emotions" type of guy.

I have refered several people to this book. It is good for individuals who are learning to appreciate and deal with a family member with Aspergers. At the same time this book has something to say for any couple who despite vast differences, strive to understand each other and make a long term relationship work.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Got the Goods, May 25, 2008

By 

Stuart R. Ward (Mt. Shasta, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships (Paperback)

Thinking I maybe had Asperger's (later found out I didn't), I sent away for a half-dozen books on Asperger's from Amazon. This book, written by a N/T with an Aspie marriage partner, resonated with me best. Each book I've gleaned or finished has its strengths. "Pretending to be Normal" offering a sometimes confusing and painful but vivid and earnest first-hand account; "Aspergers in Love" digesting sometimes revealing, sometimes sketchy results from interviewing 41 adults, mostly men, with AS; and "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" with its definitive, in-depth knowledge. Ashley Stanford's book, though, I felt, cut right to the chase. It's very straightforward, intelligent, illuminating and compassionate -- offering a bulleted list of traits in the first few pages, along with a summary and example of the various diagnostic criteria used around the world. While aimed at the N/T partner to better cope and appreciate an Aspy partner's often alternate-universe ways, it doubles as a heartfelt revelation and validation for anyone with Asperger's or possessing a few Aspie traits (I'm faceblind and ultrasensitive to sound, for instance). It offers compassionate understanding on making unlikely relationships work. For anyone who thinks they might be or know of an Aspie and wants to better appreciate and grok their rarefied realities, or better understand the mysteries of human behavior in general, this book's a gem.

From her introduction: "I believe that someday we will wake up as a civilization and realize that the Aspie traits that now confuse us are part of the core of human progress."