Making Sense of Asperger's

Receiving a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome can be a frightening, confusing and overwhelming experience for both parents and children. In fact, many people still believe it may be better not to name or ‘label’ the syndrome in the hope that their child will settle down and learn to adapt.

However, making sense and meaning of our experiences, similarities and differences is a core and universal human need. When, despite our best efforts, we still can’t understand why parts of our lives are not working, the resulting confusion, frustration and distress can be traumatic for any person.

Making Sense of Asperger’s grew out of just such an experience for one seven-year-old boy. This extremely bright child was frequently in trouble at school, but couldn’t understand why. His mother was struggling to explain that he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in a positive way so asked the author, her son’s psychologist, for guidance.

Elaborating on a previously developed analogy of Asperger’s Syndrome with a computer’s operating system, this workbook, with simple text and entertaining illustrations, sets out to offer an explanation of Asperger’s as one possibility within the range of differences between all people.

In a world where most people come equipped with a ‘Standard Operating System’, it seeks to explain in a validating and fun way exactly what an Asperger’s Operating System is, how it works, the compatibility issues which can arise, and how to live with one – crashes and all!