Getting to Grips With Asperger Syndrome: Understanding Adults on the Autism Spectrum

224 Pages·2009·0.84 MB·English

by  Carol Hagland

Getting to
Grips with
Asperger
Syndrome
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Getting to
Grips with
Asperger
Syndrome
Understanding Adults
on the Autism Spectrum
C a r o l H a g l a n d
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
First published in 2010
by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.jkp.com
Copyright © Carol Hagland 2010
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (includ-
ing photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently
or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the
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Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Hagland, Carol.
Getting to grips with Asperger syndrome : understanding adults on the autism spectrum
/ Carol Hagland.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-84310-977-8 (pb : alk. paper) 1. Asperger’s syndrome. 2. Autism spectrum
disorders. I. Title.
RC553.A88H34 2009
616.85’8832--dc22
2009010544
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 84310 977 8
ISBN pdf eBook 978 0 85700 197 9
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Athenaeum Press, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
Contents
Introduction .................................................. 7
1 What is Asperger Syndrome? ......................... 9
2 Differential Diagnosis .................................... 31
3 Memory, Attention and Understanding .......... 49
4 Practical Difficulties and Everyday Tasks ........ 71
5 Language and Conversation ........................... 93
6 Social Rules and Relationships ..................... 115
7 Problem-solving and Coping with Change ...... 139
8 Coping with Anxiety and Other Emotions ...... 157
9 Obsessional Interests and Other Common
Characteristics ............................................... 179
10 Needs and Service Development .................... 201
FURTHER READING ............................... 217
INDEx .......................................... 219

Introduction
This book has been written as a result of approximately fif-
teen years’ experience of working with adults with Asperger
syndrome in different settings. One of the overriding impres-
sions from all this work has been how little the condition is
understood. Although it has been a recognized condition for
over sixty years, and many people know the name, few really
understand what it means for those who have the condition
and for those who help to care for them. In residential and
supported living settings, most of the people who are caring
for those with Asperger syndrome have little understanding
of what the diagnosis really means, and this makes it very
difficult for them to offer useful support.
Many of the people that I have worked with have not
been diagnosed until relatively late in life, some even into
their fifties and sixties. These people have often lived with
bullying, teasing, ridicule, suspicion and downright hostility
from those around them for many years, and as a result find
it difficult to trust anyone new. They often worry that they
are going mad, or are monsters, because they are made aware
every day of how different they are from most people. For
many, especially those with little family support, every day
can be a battle.
The aim of this book is to describe Asperger syndrome
in a straightforward way that can be understood by anyone.
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Getting to Grips with Asperger Syndrome
Each of the areas of difference that can cause problems is ex-
amined, and suggestions are made as to how problems might
be tackled if they arise. Many people with Asperger syndrome
become known to social and health services only when they
are in crisis: relationships have broken down, or the person
has lost a job, or been evicted from their home. Sometimes
this crisis will have triggered a mental health problem, typi-
cally depression. Often it seems that if only the person could
have received more help and understanding earlier in the
sequence of events, the crisis might have been avoided. It is
my aim in writing this book to aid that understanding, and
perhaps even prevent a few of these crises.
The brief case illustrations do not reflect known individu-
als, but are compiled from a range of observations by myself
and my former colleagues. They have been chosen to repre-
sent the kinds of experiences and problems that people with
Asperger syndrome may have.
There are no academic references included in the text, but
a list of useful further reading is given at the end. Whether
you are the person with Asperger syndrome, a parent, a rela-
tive or a professional person involved in the care of someone
with Asperger syndrome, I hope that you will find something
of interest and help in these pages.
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