Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence [Paperback]

Luke Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Have you ever been called a freak or a geek? Have you ever felt like one? Luke Jackson is 13 years old and has Asperger Syndrome. Over the years Luke has learned to laugh at such names but there are other aspects of life which are more difficult. Adolescence and the teenage years are a minefield of emotions, transitions and decisions and when a child has Asperger Syndrome, the result is often explosive.
Luke has three sisters and one brother in various stages of their adolescent and teenage years but he is acutely aware of just how different he is and how little information is available for adolescents like himself.
Drawing from his own experiences and gaining information from his teenage brother and sisters, he wrote this enlightening, honest and witty book in an attempt to address difficult topics such as bullying, friendships, when and how to tell others about AS, school problems, dating, relationships and morality.
Luke writes briefly about his younger autistic and AD/HD brothers, providing amusing insights into the antics of his younger years and advice for parents, carers and teachers of younger AS children. However, his main reason for writing was because "so many books are written about us, but none are written directly to adolescents with Asperger Syndrome. I thought I would write one in the hope that we could all learn together."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Luke Jackson is 13 years old and has three sisters and three brothers. One of his brothers has AD/HD, one is autistic and Luke has Asperger Syndrome. He is the author of A User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HD, also published by JKP.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (August 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843100983
• ISBN-13: 978-1843100980
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Special Needs
  • #52 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Special Needs

More About the Author

Luke Jackson is author of the award-winning Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome, and A User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HD, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. He is 16 years old and has three sisters and three brothers. One of his brothers has AD/HD, one is autistic and Luke has Asperger Syndrome. The Jackson family are the inspiration for the forthcoming BBC2 drama Magnificent 7, starring Helena Bonham-Carter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

129 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for aspies, parents, and teachers, August 29, 2002

By 

Lars E. Perner (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence (Paperback)

Luke Jackson draws on his experience as a teenager with Asperger's Syndrome to present a perspective on AS. The book provides a great deal of practical advice for teenagers on the spectrum and those who interact with them. In addition--and perhaps most importantly--the book provides a very well organized and comprehensive view of the condition from the "inside," taking a great step to making what perplexes those on the "outside" understandable. One very nice feature of the book is that the writer recognizes the significance of individual differences in the way AS is manifested in different people. As a special bonus, the book is sprinkled with a delightful sense of humor of a quality with which few people outside the spectrum are endowed.

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are looking for a great book -- this is it!, August 22, 2003

By 

Patricia Luker (Royal Oak, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence (Paperback)

Until now, there has never been a book about Asperger's Syndrome by a teenage with AS specifically FOR teens with AS. But Luke Jackson, a thirteen-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome from England, comes to the rescue with his cool new book, Freaks, Geeks and Asperger's Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence. Like a breath of fresh air, he writes in a breezy, witty, easy-to-understand style, to reassure teenagers that having AS (or High-Functioning autism).

First, he introduces the reader to his family, then goes on to introduce himself, including his obsessions (the big one being computers, of course!), the things that he has collected, such as pencils and then he talks about the ways he accommodates his sensory problems. One of the most ingenious is to use a balaclava, to provide the deep pressure that he needs to shut out extraneous noise and other stimuli. He goes into the minutest detail about the difficulties he experiences in school, including the literal interpretation of what he hears from the teacher, bullying, the problems involved with homework.

One of the minefields that is socializing and figuring out the subtle nuances in Freaks, Geeks and Asperger's Syndrome is the one on dating. In this chapter, Luke gives important tips on attracting kids of the opposite sex and on dating itself, including looking as clean ad attractive as possible, being tactful, and giving that person a compliment, such as, "I like your tie!" The overall theme of this little gem is that having AS and High-Functioning autism is a POSITIVE thing. "Different is cool!" To Luker Jackson, AS has more good than bed-creative, original thinking, a tendency to follow the law to the letter, and a real desire to learn and discover things about a specific interest-the makings of a future Einstein or Picasso.

When I read this book, I got the wonderful feeling that we are more "normal" than not, and that "normal" is really an arbitrary standard, set by each society and not a hard and fast rule. Three cheer to Luke Jackson and his nifty book for teens with AS!! This should be in every school library and in every home of a teen with AS. Need I say more? Oh, and one more thing . . . this book has a glossary of idioms, to help teens with Asperger's Syndrome understand the English language a little better.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a refreshing book!, June 14, 2003

By 

K. Gill "jamesmum" (Milpitas, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence (Paperback)

As the mother of an AS son, I've read plenty of books about Asperger Syndrome, and am quickly becoming an expert on all the buzzwords and checklists associated with AS. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to read an upbeat, practical book about the challenges and rewards (yes, rewards!) of Asperger's, written by a cheerful teenager who lives in the AS world. Luke's lighthearted first-hand approach to a wide range of topics was a breath of fresh air after reading several helpful but rather scholarly books, all written from an 'outsider's' point of view. Thise guide is a must in any AS collection.