Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome

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 Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

The author is an adolescent with Asperger's, which gives him the special insight about the subject, but he adds to this a sense of humor and a lilting writing style which makes the book compelling and particularly relevant for AS teens. He examines topics such as fixations and fascinations, diets, sleep, problems with socializing at school, dating, homework, dealing with bullies, moral dilemmas, and, even, an explanation of idioms that are particularly perplexing for those with Asperger's syndrome (e.g. "feeling under the weather?"; "bark is worse than his bite").

1. An introduction - me and my family. 2. Asperger Syndrome and the Autistic Spectrum. A label or a signpost? 3. To tell or not to tell? Giving the news. How and when to tell other people. 4. Fascinations and fixations. Specialist subjects. Collections. Compulsions. Controlling a compulsion. 5. Sense and sense abilities. About all of the senses - our different sensory perceptions. All in a muddle. 6. A different physiology. Dietary Differences. 7. A word about sleep. Medication. Sleeping solutions for people with AS. Sleeping solutions - tips for parents.8. Language and learning. Teenage talk. Literalism and logic. Precise parents make cheerful children. 9. The problem with school... Reading, Writing and `Rithmatic. Not to mention homework! Not much fun and games. School or otherwise - if it still goes wrong. 10. Bullying. My experiences. What is bullying? Why me? When is a bully not a bully? Dealing with bullies.11. Taekwondo. My Taekwondo class. The History of Taekwondo. The benefits of Taekwondo.12. Friendships and socialising. How to win friends and influence people. A word of warning for pushy parent. 13. The dating game. Fathom out those feelings. Top tips to enhance your chance. The rules of the game - do's and don't of dating. 14. Morals and principles - representation and reality. Negative publicity. Rules are not made to be broken. Moral musings for adolescent Aspergers. 15. One final note. Idioms - an explanation. Further reading. Websites and links. Index.