Making Sense of the Unfeasible: My Life Journey With Asperger Syndrome [Paperback]

Marc Fleisher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2003

Before he received his diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome (AS) in the 1970s, Marc Fleisher was considered mentally retarded; yet he went on against the odds to gain two math degrees and to undertake post-graduate studies in math. In this engaging story Marc relates how, supported by his family and by services for people with autism, and despite family tragedy and personal difficulties, he learnt to get the most out of life. He shares, with humour and candour, a multitude of practical tips for people with AS, and those around them, rounding off his story with appendices on astronomy, parallel universes, and the mathematics of unfeasibly large numbers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marc Fleisher was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome aged 11. He has since written several articles and spoken publicly on AS and Autism. He has a love for mathematics, holding a masters degree in math, and is a keen sportsman, and tennis instructor for children with disabilities.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (June 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843101653
• ISBN-13: 978-1843101659
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,107,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Autistic Life, January 28, 2006

By 

Suz "treadingwater" (Freeland, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Sense of the Unfeasible: My Life Journey With Asperger Syndrome (Paperback)

While autobiographical, the aim of this book is not so much to tell a story as to raise awareness of autism and what autistic people can achieve in life. It's a bit overwhelming at first, bursting with ambition and enthusiasm, but it settles down very quickly into a highly compact description of the first 30 years of Marc's life. I think I enjoyed the appendices on large numbers, the universe, and the art of joke telling at the back most of all though... What did the sine say to the cosine that wasn't making sense? I think you're going off at a tangent... Oh dear, oh dear.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Godsend!, January 18, 2006

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Sense of the Unfeasible: My Life Journey With Asperger Syndrome (Paperback)

This book is an inspirational Godsend. Fleisher, like so many people on the autism/Asperger's (a/A) spectrum was misdiagnosed. Unlike many of his fellows who have been misdiagnosed with psychiatric labels, he was misdiagnosed with mental retardation. He was 11 years old before an astute professional realized that he had Asperger's Syndrome.

Asperger's Syndrome is the spectrum partner to autism. People on the spectrum will show an overlapping in behaviors, regardless of their place on the continuum. Asperger's, as with any form of autism is a sensori-neurobiological condition that affects responses to sensory input; sensory integration and communication. It is as varied as there are individuals who have it.

Fleisher, a truly gifted man with an extensive background in mathematics opens his world of special interests and talents to others in this outstanding book. I loved it when he blew the whistle on "holding therapy," a ghastly method which I truly abhor. Fleisher does an exemplary job of explaining why this method is undesirable for many people on the spectrum; he turns the tables by posing the question of how much a neurotypical (NT) person would hate it. Who would want to be forced to submit to something that brings an array of sensory input and can often be viewed as punitive, restrictive and in some cases painful? It is such a refresher to see another person call this quack nostrum for what it really is.

Donna Williams, another scholarly author with autism says that all this method accomplishes is to "teach the desired response" so as to be released. Her books together with this one and Edgar Schneider's works are ideal for intellectuals with autism. This is a book I heartily recommend.