One of the increasing number of people diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in adulthood, New Zealand-born Jen Birch relates her story with humour and honesty, taking us through the years of frustration and confusion that led to her diagnosis in 1999. Now that she can put her life experiences into context, she candidly describes her continual search for 'normality', including her experiences at work, her difficulties with relationships, her time spent in a psychiatric hospital and her struggle for correct diagnosis in a country where the syndrome is relatively unknown. Talking positively about how her life has changed since the 'revelation', Jen aims to use this new-found knowledge to inform others about the syndrome and how, once its pros and cons are understood, life can be lived to the full.

Auteur

Jen Birch was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at the age of 43 and is now a regular speaker at conferences on autism and Asperger syndrome. After having been employed on a voluntary basis for Autism NZ for 18 months, she now works part-time as a note-taker for disabled students at the University of Auckland, but is still heavily involved in the Asperger and Autism community, running workshops for Autism NZ and contributing to their newsletter.

Contenu
Introduction. PART ONE: 1. Life at Park Fields. 2. The cognitive realm. 3. Feathers with everything! Part I. 4. Death comes to Park Fields. 5. Identity and boundary issues. 6. In the workforce: Part I. 7. Feathers with everything! Part II. 8. Some social situations. 9. Co-ordination issues. 10. Other special skills and interests. 11 Aunty Hazel: a story. 12. The Psychiatric Hospital. 13. Asking for help. 14. In the workforce: Part II. 15. Married to a mole. 16. The training course. 17. In the workforce: Part III. 18. Feathers with everything! Part III. 19. Going to university, and three important friends. PART TWO: 20. Revelations and coda. 21. How I chose a cat instead of a kookaburra! (Or: more cognitive issues.) 22. Feathers with everything! Part VI. 23. My life now. 24. Some implications of very late diagnosis. 25. The Stone Age connection. 26. Helpful hints for others with Asperger syndrome (and our helpers in the community in general). Bibliography and suggestions for further reading.