Best book on Asperger's?

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It's because once an aspie becomes an adult, there's usually no one around to b***h and complain that he/she isn't acting right. The books that are around now are designed to help the parent of the aspie smooth out all of the tension that their child adds to their life, by telling them that they don't have to look at potential problems with their parenting, or personality flaws that they themselves have, because their kid is just screwed up. Then they can buy the "my kid has AS" bumper sticker and muse about how all along they had actually been a model parent and wonder how they managed to stick it out for so long. [/misanthrope mode]

You know, I'm just tired of feeling like I've been tossed in the trash just because I'm an adult.

If I had been diagnosed with AS as a kid, I would have had a legion of agencies fawning over me. But now that I'm an adult, these same agencies just consider me invisible. The world - they want to save the children, where all the glory and all-Holy cause is.

I agree with those who said that most AS books seem to be geared for children or their parents or siblings. It seems as though most books on Asperger's tell us a good life isn't possible in adulthood. I prefer to hang on to the example of someone like Roger Bannister, who was different, but still managed to have an accomplished life.

Come on, once your an adult with AS noone gives a s**t what happens to you, and you're left to sink or swim! That part of the fun of AS! It's also better if you don't get diagnosed until after you're legally an adult, so basically the only people who might care would be your parents! Of course I am being sarcastic, but this is part of the challenge of AS. Anyways, once you're an adult the best advice is probably do what works for you, and stick to what you have had some success with. Sticking to your strengths and interests is probably the only way to survive as an adult with AS.

Love that sarcasm, my parents sure don't care. As a matter of fact, they are in total denial. If they would have paid a little more attention when I was growing up maybe, maybe they'd realize it but what's done is done. Now I'm left holding the ball and dealing with all the sh*t that came with it. It pisses me off. I think it is my strengths and interests that probably get me by the most but I also have a willingness and desire to make it in this stupid NT world.

just a suggestion (i haven't tried it, myself) but have you tried going a little broader and looking up Autism instead?

Ok, so I did read a book about it for adults, but I don't remember the exact name or author right now (If I find it I'll let you know). But it was extremely condescending. At first I wasn't sure what exactly I didn't like about it, but then I realized what it was. Ironically, the book, while talking all about how people must be understanding of Aspies inability of understanding others, showed that the author was unable to do the same.

Because rather than explaining to people with AS about how to better cope in the world, it focused on how we inconvenience NTs. Not about how to better ourselves, but how big of problems we create for NTs and how we need to stope inconvenienceing them. It talked all about how rigid we are and how we emotionally abuse people with silent treatment, and while none of what it said was untrue, it only talked about the problems. It was obviously written by an NT who has NO IDEA what she is dealing with. She just sees everything from her outside point of view, while ironically being critical of our inability to relate or empathize.

So one focus is on how we are all rigid and because we refuse to inconvenience ourselves for others, we are self centered (not said, but it seemed to be the message, though condescendingly put in a manner that sounded like it was trying to help us understand our problems.) Anyway, with its huge generalizations based on certain individuals who do this, it didn't talk about how NTs inconvenience ME, a person who is EXTREMELY accomodating, because being more passive myself, I hate inconveniencing people. Quite the OPPOSITE of the problem stated in the book, yet it acted like because I have AS it means my own rituals keep hurting others and I have to stop.

The book really aggravated me. Of course my NT brother who read part of it thought it was extremly insightful as he learned alot about the problem, and though I can understand how an NT would think it good because they don't understand the issue, its still a load of horse manure.