Customer Reviews

Autism and Asperger Syndrome

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a person with Asperger's syndrome myself, who only got properly diagnosed as a result of this thoughtful and erudite book, I have a life-long debt of gratitude to it. I've met several of the people who wrote it, and not only are they not bigots, as an earlier reviewer alleged, but they have a degree of respect for and appreciation of "abnormal" people (a term which simply means people who are different from the "norm") which I have rarely found elsewhere.

The book is essentially an academic text - if you are looking for a more accessible read, try Tony Attwood's excellent "Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals". However, no collection of books on AS would be complete without this as a work of reference. It's still the only place to find a translation of Hans Asperger's original paper, containing my all-time favourite quote:

"Able autistic individuals can rise to eminent positions and perform with such outstanding success that one may even conclude that only such people are capable of certain achievements ... Their unswerving determination and penetrating intellectual powers, part of their spontaneous and original mental activity, their narrowness and single-mindedness, as manifested in their special interests, can be immensely valuable and can lead to outstanding achievements in their chosen areas."

This book is written not for the general reader, but for those already familiar with the relevant disciplines. As a result, while parts are enlightening (particularly the case studies and the translation of Asperger's original article), the book overall can be a slow and difficult read.

Offers an excellent overview of Asperger's Syndrome, including a translation of Hans Asperger's original dissertation. The book is quite readable even for those who do not have a technical background in the field, but such a background will be very helpful in certain chapters. While Asperger's syndrome is compared with classic autism, there is little other material on classic autism itself, so the title is a bit misleading. However, this is a must have book for professionals working with people who have Asperger's syndrome. Parents and educators may also want this book, although they probably would not be satisfied with it as their only reference.

This is a reference book explaining just what the title says: Asperger's Syndrome, autism proper, and how the two are related. The book also offers a sample of various alternative medical theories and, in one chapter, details six case samples from real life. If you or someone you know has AS, this is a good book to read.

Really fascinating patchwork of papers -- should inspire you to read the equally thought-provoking autism narratives of Temple Grandin and Donna Williams -- not to mention Uta's own AUTISM: EXPLAINING THE ENIGMA and possibly AN ANTHROPOLOGIST ON MARS, by Oliver Sacks. This book opens up some interesting questions about the nature of genius (to explore at your own risk) and on the level of pure entertainment, offers some very funny anecdotes. My only qualm: Asperger syndrome, like ADD, has an insanely high potential for misdiagnosis. What is the difference between someone with a genuine Social Disability and someone who perhaps has simply read too much Ayn Rand at an impressionable age?

The book which helped start the recent surge of research into high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome. Includes the first ever English translation of Dr. Asperger's original paper. A genuine classic.

+AH4-In writing a paper, I had a HARD time finding research delineating the differences between Asperger's and Autism--this book helped SO much. It is well written and thought provoking.Also interesting to finally be able to read Asperger's own paper! An important book, I hope more like it are released!+AH4-

This book is great for people who are already familiar with this syndrome and are seeking advanced knowledge. For this group the orginal article by Asperger himself should be enlightening. However, this is not a good book for teachers and parents who are just learning about Asperger's syndrome. For them I would recommend Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood.

I don't know what they were thinking about with those cover colors, but this is an excellent book with lots of INFO. Lots of information is always a good thing, Uta Frith's other book, Autism Explaining The Enigma, is also information - rich. If you're one of those people who like to study things to death, this one's a good start I think.

A series of essays by distinguished psychologists and psychiatrists in this field is as good a way as any to introduce Autism and Aspergers syndrome to the enquiring reader.

Perhaps because it is a compilation, my feeling is that this book doesn't quite 'hang together' as a total work. Many of the case study observations, while interesting and accurate, may yet turn out to be irrelevent! That's because some of the conclusions reached, presented in a very authoritative way, are informed theory - rather than research based results. Because this whole field is a relatively new area of research, perhaps it cannot be any other way?

My one pervading view of this book is that it is an 'essential springboard for future research', rather than a book with 'the answers'. If you are looking for a whole lot of practical advice on how to best deal with Aspergers people, you won't find it here. The updated 2005 version of this book, fully revised by all the contributing authors, might be a cracker. But unfortunately such an update doesn't exist.

As a snapshot of the state of play in bringing together different author's papers on Aspergers with knowledge accumulated 1991, Uta does a commendable job. But in the cold light of 2005, being the best you can be in 1991 doesn't quite hit the mark. This is a good book, a worthwhile read, but not good enough to provide that 'Ahah' insight that distinguishes a good book from a truly excellent one.