Good books about Asperger's syndrome?

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Can anyone recommend a good, comprehensive book about Asperger's syndrome? I would like to buy a single, complete reference if possible, but more than one book if necessary.

I want coverage of diagnostic criteria, symptoms and behaviours, problems and solutions - e.g. anxiety, social cues, executive function, sensory integration, theory of mind, OCD and feelings of shame / otherness. I do not want the term NT (but I can live with it, if the book is good).

Tony Attwood's "Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" - just click on the linked title to read more about it. It is comprehensive, written for both lay persons and psychologists, and he is a world expert with a lot of experience interviewing, assisting, and researching people with Asperger's syndrome. The book tries to be just what you said - a complete reference, covering all those issues you mentioned.

You should be able to buy it online from any of the major websites - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or (my favourite) BetterWorld Books (they donate $millions to literacy campaigns).

Quick note - I forgot to say that I am 46 and looking for a book(s) that are not strongly oriented towards children or adolescents with Asperger's, and preferably intended for adults.

Attwood´s complete guide is considered the most comprehensive book about as on the market by many people.

If you look at the rating system at amazon there´s only 1 bad review because the book tries to cover every aspect of as and in my opinion it succeds.

Attwood's one is what you need. It's not a children's book, it reads more like a scientific report than anything else, with cited sources and all that as well.

I'm ten years older than you and I definitely wanted a book about me!

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There's a good book about the general topic of paying attention, concentration, focus, and memory by C. Thomas Wild which covers executive function, sensory integration, body balance, auditory processing, theory of mind (from the many subtle epilepsies to brain injuries/concussions to constructional apraxia to ADHD Inattentive). The book reports that the right medicine can surprisingly, for a few persons (not everyone), temporarily help a little (not a cure) some aspects of cognition. Medicines discussed include Ritalin, caffeine, Dilantin, etc. The book reports a very clear temporary improvement due to using the right medicine along the lines of the temporary improvements seen in the movie, Awakenings (with Robin Williams). It's a very unusual book in that the book also addresses the general topic of modern nutrition as it relates to a variety of neurological challenges (primarily the four ADHDs and the many epilepsies). The How To book can provide partial insights into small aspects of Asperger's - autism; the book cannot cure anything since most neurological challenges are lifelong. The book does give a number of insights into the large area of being asleep, being awake, and human consciousness but no cures at all.

Yes, thanks - it was an entirely self-interested question to find a book about me and my problems, although I hope the answers are useful to other adults, especially the recently diagnosed.

I did use "Solutions for adults with Aspergers" by Juanita Lovett (http://www.amazon.com/Solutions-Adults- ... 1592331645) with my psychologist, but dither about buying it - I see the top-rated reviews reflect my mixed opinions that it contains useful material, but does not reflect my world view. I especially loathe the continuous reference to AS versus NT throughout, because I am a human, not a sub-species. (NB: 16% of viewers decided to buy Attwood instead!)

A good paper (online or download PDF) that presents a full picture of adult Asperger's, including the downsides (OCD, offending, psychosis, alcoholism, relationships) is Tom Berney. Asperger syndrome from childhood into adulthood. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2004) 10: 341-351. http://apt.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/10/5/341

The one text that absolutely reflects my world view, especially the lifelong shame and differentness, is "The `not guilty verdict': Psychological reactions to a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome in adulthood" by C. Punshon, P. Skirrow and G. Murphy. From Sage Publications http://aut.sagepub.com/content/13/3/265.short full PDF file http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lihs/psychiatry/ ... erdict.pdf

The "full PDF" link at Leeds University does not work for me - I keep just getting an empty page instead of the text of the PDF. Same happens when I try to get other PDFs from that source (several look interesting).

great articles. thank you for posting.



when you click on a link to a PDF download, a blank web page will open as the download (hopefully) starts. if it's not downloading for you .. well, that's over my head. i'm really not much of a tech geek. did work for me though. if all else fails, PM me and i will send it to you.

an afterthought: I've gone the other route, seeking books on some very specific topics. I've got one written by adult women on the spectrum(Women From Another Planet?), one about employment (Rudy Simone's) as well as Attwood's book. Just started it, but getting a lot out of Nick Dubin's Asperger Syndrome and Anxiety. Still seeking a good (adult) book on love / sex / relationship issues, if anyone could recommend.

I read Carley's Asperger's From the Inside Out and appreciated his insights about coming to terms with the diagnosis, but found the coping skills section too sparse and unspecific to be very helpful, thus my decision to investigate resources that covered specific scenarios in greater depth.

Hi."Wait, What Do You Mean" Asperger's Tell and Show will be available in about a month. The book is about adult AS persons and features many quotes from WP and other adult AS blogs.

The "full PDF" link at Leeds University does not work for me - I keep just getting an empty page instead of the text of the PDF. Same happens when I try to get other PDFs from that source (several look interesting).[/quote]

I have checked by clearing my cache and then clicking on the link as you quoted it, and it definitely returns a PDF from that website. My browser (Firefox) automatically associates PDF files with a PDF viewer and opens the file in that application. Have you tried right-clicking, choosing "save link" and opening the saved file?

I have checked by clearing my cache and then clicking on the link as you quoted it, and it definitely returns a PDF from that website. My browser (Firefox) automatically associates PDF files with a PDF viewer and opens the file in that application. Have you tried right-clicking, choosing "save link" and opening the saved file?[/quote]

Tried a different browser on a different machine. Got it now. Thanks. Original browser/machine still cannot get the PDF. Oh well. Sorry for the false alarm.

I did have a flick through the Tony Attwood one The complete Guide to Asperger syndrome in Watersone's possible future reading material, Martian in the Playground, Freaks, Geeks and Asperger syndrome but a lot of Asperger syndrome related literature is mainly about and for young people though so it can be difficult but these are some others that I have bought from Waterstone's over the years.

Freaks, Geeks and AS is very much about young people.

There's a slightly lighter Attwood in the Oracle branch, and a Grandin. Might be worthwhile.