Customer Reviews

Asperger's From the Inside Out: A Supportive and Practical Guide for Anyone with Asperger'sSyndrome

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This book's primary audience is for adults living with Asperger's. In a field dominated by books on Asperger's and autism in children, it is often hard to find books that focus primarly on adult issues and concerns. If you buy only one book on the subject of diagnosis, coping and life with Asperger's, this is the book to get. Written by Carley, who was diagnosed with Asperger's as an adult, this book is like sitting down and chatting with a witty, intellegent friend who has experienced the ups and downs associated with knowing one is different, finally being diagnosed and living with the diagnosis. This well-written, readable book is filled with information, advice and most refreshing of all, an overall positive attitude about Asperger's. While the primary audience is adults with Asperger's this book is equally valuable for parents, family and friends of people with Asperger's. As someone living with Asperger's I can't recommend this book enough, it reflects my experience and is filled with practical insights and advice.

I bought this book because I suspected that much of the emotional turmoil in my family life as a child was the result of a father with undiagnosed Asperger's. I expected to discover that Dad was just an angry old man and that my suspicions were unfounded. Instead I discovered a new point of view that makes sense of my father's anguish, his anger, and his rude behavior. Before I read this book, Dad was someone that I mostly put up with and sometimes dreaded spending time with. Since reading the book I find I see him as a misunderstood hero who managed to get a PhD, hold down a good job, and raise a family in spite of the fact that the world was a very confusing and often cruel place for him. It's been a rough, bumpy ride, but this book made sense of everything. I actually enjoy spending time with my father now because I have a much better sense of why he does what he does and I am no longer hurt by his behavior.

A big part of why this book was so helpful to me was who wrote it and how he wrote it. Carley makes it clear that Asperger's means seeing and experiencing the world differently. It does not in any way meaning being substandard or stupid. Carley is not someone who has studied Asperger's through clinical observation and drawn his conclusions based on his experience as an NT individual. As someone who also sees the world through an Asperger's lens and works regularly with people all over the autism spectrum, he is able to teach about Aperger's through example and experience. His thoughts and advice are heartfelt, forgiving and mind opening. I want to emphasize that they are particularly forgiving. His emphasis on forgiveness was very freeing for me and I thank him for that.

After 43 years of trying to understand the man that I knew loved me in spite of his rude, angry behavior, his odd interests which often seemed way more important than anything or anyone else in his life, his weird, unspoken rules about how to get along with him, I finally understand. I am finally able to forgive. I feel like someone handed me an owner's manual and now I know why pushing this button got that reaction and that lever didn't seem to work, what those flashing lights were all about. Most of all I understand that there really is no one to blame.

This book is a definite must read if you suspect Asperger's in yourself or a relative. As the adult child of someone who was never diagnosed, but almost certainly has Asperger's, I found it to be life altering in a very good way.

If I were to recommend one book to adults who have just received their initial diagnosis of Asperger's, it would be this one. There are a myriad of books written by adult self-advocates for an Asperger-Autistic audience and many of them are excellent, but Michael's is in my opinion the most comprehensive, accessible and the best. He covers almost every issue imaginable that our population faces and does it with authority and empathy. If you've ever wanted to look back on your life and make sense of it within an Asperger framework, this book will help you accomplish that. While Michael is extremely empathetic to our (people with Asperger's) hardships in life, I believe the greatest gift this book has to offer is that he teaches us strategies for letting go of our pain. That, in and of itself, is worth the price of the book, a hundredfold. Highly recommended!

Let's begin with a previous reviewers words (Nicolas Dubin): "I believe the greatest gift this book has to offer is that he teaches us strategies for letting go of our pain. That, in and of itself, is worth the price of the book."
This is an absolutely perfect summarization that demonstrates one element of the exceptional character of the author. Early on Carley states that diagnosis "provides the first realistic chance at a change for the better." He consistently backs this statement up throughout his narrative. The reader will gain greater insight and better understanding of the pains an individual on the spectrum endures. You will also obtain a wealth of knowledge specific to the characteristics of Asperger's syndrome as Carley shares his personal experiences and references the works of several other very qualified authors.
As intended, this work is ideal for adults on the spectrum. However, it would be equally beneficial to any individual who is a family member, friend, or has some association with an autistic person. This world is already a better place because of Michael John Carley.
From a dad with two children on the spectrum.

This book is a rare gift for people with Asperger's Syndrome and for people who are NT.(Read the book to find out what that stands for.) It is a work devoted to tolerance and acceptance of self and others. While giving very helpful and concrete advice to people with AS, Carley's sense of humor, optimism, and honesty make the reader feel like celebrating our differences and ourselves. A must read for people with AS and everyone else. The book is educational and also a page turner; a rare combination! I loved it!

To "walk your own walk" is a theme in this book, and it's a concept I have found very helpful to me as I have struggled through the shift from self-diagnosis to professional diagnosis. Carley is a well-educated, well-written, thoughtful advocate and the leader of GRASP, a worldwide Asperger's support group on the internet, with many local chapters and meetings. He speaks primarily to an audience of adults on the spectrum, but also their loved ones and supports.

To walk your own walk means to find what is true for you, about you, in your past, present, and future, and learn how to live with these truths. Carley provides coping strategies that have worked for him and others in GRASP, with the caveats that no two people are alike--there are no hard and fast rules of autism that we can all assume will work (which goes against our very natures). He explains, in concrete examples most of the time, how Asperger's effects his life and allows the reader to extrapolate.

I would very strongly reccomend this book to any adult or young adult who is on the spectrum, suspects they might be, or their family or friends. It was the first book about Asperger's that made me feel empowered.

As the significant other, when I first realized my partner had Asperger Syndrome, I read all I could find on the subject. Sadly, not too much has been written on adults. At first I was happy to know that I wasn't going crazy. Then I was angry at feeling the loss of intimacy, the lack of communication, the stares of emptiness in a relationship we invested over 5 years in. And most books led me to believe that people with Asperger's had no emotion, therefore, how could I continue to stay in the relationship? Michael Carley's book, Asperger's from the Inside Out,
told a different story, one with hope. I finally understood my partner's strange behavior and what she was going through. I finally got out of myself long enough to see the other side of the coin, thanks to this book.

This is an excellent tool for adults who are on the spectrum. It can take its place of honor with the growing body of literature on adult asperger's. In fact, if you ARE an adult on the spectrum or know somebody who is, make this book your best friend. You will be glad you did and you will refer to it often.

This is a must read and a must have for anybody who thinks they might be on the spectrum or know somebody who might be as well. This author is an Ambassador of Goodwill to the Neurotypical (NT) world, introducing the rationale for spectrum behavior and responses.

Asperger's is the spectrum partner to autism and it is a sensory neurobiological condition that affects language and sensory input and processing to varying degrees based on the individual.

For people who are on the spectrum, the world IS very confusing and the Tacit Social Codes & Rules seem to change at a whim and ALWAYS at the behest of and to the advantage of the NT population.

Ambassador Carley explains Asperger's Syndrome to the NT population in a way that clarifies behavior and responses as well as paves the way to Tolerance & Understanding. A fellow "Aspie," Ambassador Carley uses his experience and his view of the social world to provide understanding for Aspies and NTs alike. In fact, this book is a bridge linking the AS and NT populations with knowledge and compassion.

This excellent book is an invaluable teaching tool that will empower people on and off the spectrum alike with tolerance, sensitivity and knowledge. Carley is an excellent expert to speak on the subject of Asperger's Syndrome (AS) as he is someone who contends with it daily.

I can never thank Carley, Dr. Tony Attwood, Dr. Travis Thompson and many others who have paved that Boulevard of Tolerance through their works and trenchant observations about AS. Carley's passages on forgiveness are vital and empowering and speak to compassion.

John Lennon's 1971 classic "Imagine" could easily be the soundtrack of this book. "I hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one."

I am a PhD in Clinical Psychology and was very impressed with Carley's book. It is very practical as well as extremely informative, comprehensive and easy to read. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the actual experience of Aspergers. I am impressed with Carley's writing skills.

Asperger's From the Inside Out: A Supportive and Practical Guide for Anyone with Asperger's Syndrome was valuable to me to learn not only the factual information for those, like my brother, on the asperger spectrum, but to "hear" it told by a successful adult. Easy to follow and promotes understanding of this neurological challenge.