Product Description

THIS is the first book to be written by autistic college students about the challenges they face. Aquamarine Blue 5 details the struggles of these highly sensitive students and shows that there are gifts specific to autistic students that enrich the university system, scholarship, and the world as a whole. Dawn Prince-Hughes presents an array of writings by students who have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome or with High-Functioning Autism, showing their unique ways of looking at and solving problems. In their own words, they portray how their divergent thinking skills could be put to great use if they were given an opportunity. Many such students who could approach some of our society's most complex problems in new and exciting ways never get the chance because the same sensitivity that gives them these insights makes the flicker of fluorescent lights and the sound of chalk on the board unbearable. For simple - and easily remedied - reasons, we lose these students, who are as gifted as they are challenged. Aquamarine Blue 5 is a showcase of the strength and resilient character of individuals with Asperger's Syndrome. It will be an invaluable resource for those touched by this syndrome, their friends and families, and school and university administrators everywhere.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #722044 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 152 pages

Review
"These essays... exhibit a level of awareness, effective writing, and sophisticated understanding of the world they must cope with that are usually thought beyond the capabilities of even the highest functioning people with autism." - Clara Claiborne Park, author of Exiting Nirvana: A Daughter's Life with Autism

About the Author
Dawn Prince-Hughes, who has Asperger's Syndrome, is an adjunct professor of anthropology at Western Washington University. Known best for her work with apes, she has received critical acclaim for her book, Gorillas among Us: A Primate Ethnographer's Book of Days.

Customer Reviews

I wish I could have read a book like this ten years ago...
This is a collection of writings by college / university students on the autistic spectrum, talking about both their challenges and their gifts, as well providing an insight into their lives. This will probably be of most use to those planning to go into higher education who might want to get a better idea of what it will be like and what situations they may face, but will be of interest to anyone who enjoys reading about the experiences of others. The only thing that disappointed me a little was that many of the contributors were studying similar courses and had similar experiences, so it didn't cover the wide range of experiences I hoped it would, but it was a good read all the same.

Making Sense Out of the Senses
This is an excellent book that explains what adults with autism/Asperger's contend with. This book is composed of essays by university students who provide personal accounts of what living with autism/Asperger's means and how they have coped and made giant steps forward.

I like the passage about synesthesia, that is linked sensory modes. One contributor explains how numbers and letters have colors; henceforth the title "Aquamarine Blue 5." She explains how certain sounds can have colors; this sensory condition has until very recently received little press.

Synesthesia can take on many forms. For certain people on the a/A spectrum, synesthesia is part of the sensory package. Some people can taste and smell certain words; colors can have an auditory component and in some cases, people have reported being able to see music.

How I wish I had this book when I was a university student! This sterling gem of a book helps clarify so much of what the Autism/Asperger's experience is all about for so many people.