Product Description

This manual aims to enable people with Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism to deepen their self-understanding and appreciate their value as working individuals. Step-by-step self-assessment exercises should help them identify work best suited to them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #489861 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 319 pages

About the Author
Roger N Meyer is the executive director of the Portland Asperger Syndrome Research Project. He was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 1997. He worked for many years as a cabinet-maker, gaining direct experience as a trainer, writer and individual counsellor. He has recently worked as a parent/student special education advocate and a support group moderator.

Customer Reviews

Very much driven by personal anecdote
This book is divided between autobiography and guidelines for assessing your work prospects (as an Asperger person). The guidelines are questionnaire driven and th author provides copious examples.

The author claims to have been diagnosed with AS late in life, and the book is a distaillation of his own personal do's and don'ts. While the book is a laudable exercise as a tool for use with AS adults (young adults) it could be very limited. The fact that someone with AS (alledgedly) produces a guidebook for AS individuals does not in itself guarantee that the guidebook will be useful or contain interesting therapeutic insights. The latter does not follow inexorably from the former.

The book contains a great deal of personal advice, much of it derived from anecdotal recall by the author. The strength of this approach is that the author has direct experience of the events and outcomes. However, when these outcomes become elevated to general guidelines one is entitled to look for the experimental basis behind certain judgement calls. To be fair the author does provide a some literature references, but the overall tone of the book is largely autobiographical. Tony Attood gives the book a glowing preface which may influence your choice. It all depends on your needs.

A Good Idea
I was excited about the workbook concept, because I hoped it would be more helpful than just reading other peoples advice, but because I am the sort of person who thinks about things quite a lot anyway I found that completing the workbook didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. However, if you want to be provided with a structure for sitting down and seriously thinking about your past experiences of work, this book may help you to understand yourself and find the direction that best suits your needs and abilities... just don't expect it to tell you. If you have no work experience, such as a school leaver, you could still use this book, but I wouldn't recommend it. You could end up focusing too much on the only past experience you have i.e. the education system, and I think you might find that limiting. The book also includes a section covering the issues involved, and is written by a man with Asperger syndrome himself.