Asperger's Bestseller Earns £1.2m Advance for Debut Novelist

Asperger's bestseller earn

£1.2m advance for debut novelist

International publishers and movie producers rush to sign up Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project

A first novel about a man with undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome has become a publishing phenomenon, snapped up by publishers in more than 34 countries, from China to Portugal.

As a comic story of disability, it is an unlikely hit. But publishers believe that with its strong main character, the book will challenge perceptions of people with the disorder.

The Rosie Project tells the story of a socially challenged genetics professor, Don Tillman, who decides to look for a wife, drawing up a "scientifically valid" questionnaire to assist his quest for the perfect woman. Tillman lectures on Asperger's without realising that he displays its symptoms himself – in his use of language, difficulty in reading social signals and obsession with detail.

The novel is being described as a cross between Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, about a teenager with Asperger's, and David Nicholls's One Day, a bittersweet love story – both huge bestsellers.                                                            

Its author is Graeme Simsion, 56, an Australian IT consultant with a British father. He told the Observer that he was "flabbergasted" to learn of frenzied bidding by publishers worldwide. Until recently, he had never even dared to imagine that he had the ability to write a novel. Advances of more than £1.2m so far have already allowed him to become a full-time writer.

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Author Kathy Lette Reveals What it’s Like to Raise an Autistic Child.

Kathy Lette: Raising a child with Asperger’s is like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle

Author Kathy Lette reveals what it’s like to raise an autistic child.

My son Julius was diagnosed with autism aged three. The word ‘autism’ slid into me like the sharp cold edge of a knife. This is a diagnosis that drags you down into the dark. The doctor had reduced my cherished child to a black-and-white term. But to me, my little boy was full of the most vibrant colours. I felt disbelief, followed by dismay and then by a fiercely protective, lioness-type love. Finally, many, many experts, tests and schools later, my son was rediagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum.

Jules was my first born, so it took me a while to realise something was different. Before Jules was born, all I knew about autism is that it’s a lifelong disability chiefly characterised by an inability to communicate effectively. I now know that it means not getting a joke, not knowing what to say then saying the wrong things, being told off but not understanding why, doing your best but still getting it wrong, feeling confused, frightened, out of sync all day, every day. As a mum, well, sometimes I feel I didn’t give birth to Jules but found him under a spaceship and am raising him as my own. It’s like trying to put together a giant jigsaw puzzle, without the benefit of the coloured photo on the box. There is no owner’s manual.

My new book is a work of fiction but inspired and informed by my own experiences. I only write because it’s cheaper than therapy, so it has been a relief to finally talk about the heartbreak and hilarity of raising a child on the spectrum. As the mother of a child, your guilt gland throbs. Was it something I ate while pregnant? Soft cheese? Sushi? Was it the glass of wine I shouldn’t have drunk in the final trimester? If only I’d feng shui-ed my aura in yogalates classes chanting to whale music like Gwyneth Paltrow and Organic Co. But then you come to accept your child for the exceptional little person he is. I no longer think people are normal or abnormal. I think they’re ordinary and extraordinary. And people with Asperger’s are quite remarkable. My own son is Wikipedia with a pulse.

The increased awareness around Asperger’s is helpful. And I hope my own novel helps de-stigmatise the condition while also promoting tolerance and understanding. And that it gives some comic comfort and much-needed camaraderie to the thousands of parents struggling to raise special children. Because trying to cope on your own is as effective as standing up to Voldemort with a butter knife.

People with Asperger’s may not contribute to society in conventional terms but that doesn’t make them less valuable and it’s up to us to help them flourish, starting with stamping out the bigotry that excludes people with disabilities from mainstream life. It’s criminal to squander their considerable talents. People with Asperger’s often feel they’re drowning in their own brain waves. I hope this novel, in its own small way, acts as a small literary life raft.

The Boy Who Fell To Earth is published in paperback on April 11. Kathy is promoting Quick Reads, which produces bite-size books to encourage people to read. www.quickreads.org.uk

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Level and Nature of Autistic Intelligence: What About Asperger Syndrome?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2011) — "Autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger syndrome, have generally been associated with uneven intellectual profiles and impairment, but according to a new study of Asperger individuals published in the online journal PLoS ONE, this may not be the case -- as long as intelligence is evaluated by the right test.Both autistic and Asperger individuals display uneven profiles of performance in commonly used intelligence test batteries such as Wechsler scales, and their strongest performances are often considered evidence for deficits.
However, this study reports that Asperger individuals' scores are much higher when they are evaluated by a test called Raven's Progressive Matrices, which encompasses reasoning, novel problem-solving abilities, and high-level abstraction. By comparison, scores for non-Asperger individuals are much more consistent across different tests. Interestingly, Asperger participants' performance on Raven's Matrices was associated with their strongest peaks of performance on Wechsler.
A previous study by the same group found very similar results for autistic individuals as well, whose peaks of ability are perceptual, rather than verbal as in Asperger individuals. This suggests a common information processing mechanism applied to different aspects of information (verbal vs. perceptual).
According to co-author Michelle Dawson, "while we know autistics process information atypically, very little thought has gone into how to fairly assess their abilities. In fact there is so little understanding of what autistics do well that their strong abilities are often regarded as dysfunctional. Here we have again found that measurable strengths in autistic spectrum individuals are not "isolated islets of abilities" as previously thought, but are in fact representative of autistics' intellectual abilities. This in turn raises questions about how we can provide autistics with the kinds of information they can process well, as we do with non-autistic individuals. We consider the effort to understand and encourage autistic strengths to be of paramount importance. "
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AN INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE ON AUTISM AND ASPERGER'S SYNDROME TALK

Bridging the Gap Between Understanding & Intervention
Presented by: DEBORAH LIPSKY, M.Ed

September 20, 2011
RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
HILTON RALEIGH-DURHAM AIRPORT AT RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK
4810 Page Creek Lane
Durham NC, 27703
Phone: 919-941-6030

September 21, 2011
CHARLOTTE/PINEVILLE, NC
HILTON GARDEN INN CHARLOTTE PINEVILLE
425 Towne Centre Boulevard
Pineville NC, 28134
Phone: 704-889-3279

Presenter(s):
DEBORAH LIPSKY, M.Ed, is an accomplished presenter traveling the United States and Canada delivering seminars, presentations, and keynote addresses on understanding autism from an insider's viewpoint. Diagnosed in 2005 with high functioning autism, she is a former board member of the Autism Society of Maine, and currently writes a regular humorous column for their newsletter. In 2005, she was awarded the Autism Society of Maine's outstanding volunteer award, and in 2006, she became the recipient of a Temple Grandin award for "outstanding success in her life thereby being an inspiration to others". Her message of inspiration, delivered with a delightful sense of humor, makes her a highly sought after motivational and educational speaker. Before the day is out, Deborah will have you understanding what it is like to be autistic.
She is an international author, having co-authored a book with her colleague Dr. Will Richards, on managing meltdowns for autistic individuals using their revolutionary new training model called S.C.A.R.E.D. published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This is a must have for anyone working with individuals on the autism spectrum. In addition to being a consultant for various agencies, Ms. Lipsky is a captain with the USAF-AUX for search and rescue and homeland security, a registered Maine Guide, a civil war re-enactor, avid WW2 and Viet Nam military collector and historian, and former licensed wildlife rehabilitator specializing in raccoons. She is affectionately known as the "raccoon lady", having spent 24 years studying them in the wild learning social skills she then adapted to use around humans.

A Personal Message from Your Presenter Deborah Lipsky:
"My name is Deborah Lipsky and I have high functioning autism. My program offers you insight into the world of an individual with autism from someone who lives it on a daily basis. I have encountered many similar problems that children with autism face as they grow up and have a true understanding of their difficulties so I am able to offer ideas for effective strategies and interventions. My specialty is meltdowns and in this program we will understand and explore their causes, interventions, and the differences between a meltdown and a behavioral tantrum. With my Master's Degree in Counseling, I have worked with both verbal and non-verbal individuals with autism and have developed the unique ability to "read" their non-verbal communication and which enables me to identify problem areas more quickly.
I also offer the unique perspective of telling my audience what it is like and how it feels to be autistic-how, as an individual with autism, my world differs from a "non-autistic" view. I am able to combine personal experiences with professional knowledge to bring to you a seminar unlike any other you have attended. I celebrate the gifts of autism and try to encourage people not to look at autism as a "dysfunction" or "disease" but just a neurological difference in the perception of the world. With some of my interactive exercises where you are "autistic" for a moment you will gain a greater appreciation of the challenges we autistic individuals face. I look forward to sharing my world view with all of you."
Deb NOTE: For more information on the agenda, and to register online, click on the title above.

US Autism and Asperger Association 2011 World Conference

Autism Education and Treatment: A Road to Wellness
October 27-30, Seattle, Washington

On October 27-30, 2011, the US Autism & Asperger Association launches its sixth annual conference in Seattle, Washington. World leading autism experts will discuss new treatment regimes and effective therapies. After four days, you will leave the conference armed with tools of practical protocols, valuable hope, and new resources for support for your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, patient, friend, student, or yourself.

Keynote Speaker - Eustacia Purves Cutler
Eustacia Cutler is the mother of four children. Her oldest child is Dr. Temple Grandin, who is one of the most accomplished and well-known adults with autism in the world. Temple's fascinating life was brought to the screen in 2010 in the HBO production full-length film, "Temple Grandin", which claimed seven Emmy Awards, including outstanding made for TV movie. Last year, British actress Julia Ormond presented Eustacia Cutler the 2010 Emmy Award she received for portraying her in the movie "Temple Grandin." The award was presented to Mrs. Cutler at a conference hosted by Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Los Angeles.

Unprecedented conference format
US Autism & Asperger Association’s unprecedented conference format, introduced last year, will feature panel workshops in non-concurrent sessions in addition to the keynote addresses. Some of the world’s most renowned autism and Asperger experts will present new interventions and new research in both education and medicine.
“This 'conference of panels' features keynote presentations which segue into the themed panel workshops," said Lawrence P. Kaplan, PhD, CEO of USAAA. “This structure differs from the customary conference format of strictly individual presentations and concurrent sessions. As a result, attendees can focus on the area being presented rather than being overwhelmed by the choices of many simultaneous lectures."
Dr. Kaplan added, “The makeup of our panel workshops consists of four to five expert panelists that provide immediate answers to attendees questions. What makes this unique is that the immense amount of information is consolidated into workshop panels and individual presentations over the course of three and a half days." To view the conference schedule, click here.
NOTE: To learn more about the conference, look up the schedule, and register online, click on the title above.

"Mozart and the Whale" Screening in Columbia!

MOZART AND THE WHALE

OCTOBER 7, Thursday
One screening only at 6:00pm
Nickelodeon Theatre 937 Main Street Columbia, SC 29201
Jerry Newport - who inspired the character Donald - will be in attendance to answer questions following the film.
Presented in partnership with the South Carolina Autism Society

"The emotional dysfunctions of two people suffering from an autistic disorder known as Asperger's syndrome threaten to derail the pair's emerging romance in director Petter Næss' affectionate tale of love among the mentally afflicted. For friendly taxi-driver Donald (Josh Hartnett), patterns and routines are of the utmost importance. In addition to his love for birds and his uncanny ability to process numbers, Donald does his best to give back to fellow Asperger's sufferers by leading an autism support group. When the lovely but intensely complicated Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) shows up at one of Donald's meetings, the good-natured cabbie finds that love can be as painful as it is elating." 2005. 92 minutes. Rated PG-13.
NOTE: To watch the trailer and buy tickets online click on the title above.

The Autism-Asperger's Super Conference!

Charlotte, October 21st – 22nd 2010

World-Famous Keynote Speakers

Dr. Temple Grandin
Named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the World! The HBO movie on her life gained 15 Emmy Nominations.
The Way I See It – A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger’s

Dr. Tony Attwood
From Australia – World-Leading Authority on Asperger’s Syndrome
The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome – Making Friends and Managing Feelings

Dr. Jed Baker
On Social Skills – Recently featured on 20/20!
No More Meltdowns! – Handling Challenging Behavior & Teaching Social Skills

Carol Kranowitz, M.A.
Best-Selling Author of The Out-of-Sync Child
Helping Kids with Sensory Issues – Sensory Processing Disorders in Children

Meeting Site:
The Blake Hotel
555 South McDowell Street
Charlotte, NC 28204
(704) 372 4100

Great Conference for:
Family Members; Psychologists; Counselors; Teachers; Social Workers; Special Education Teachers; Speech Therapists; Occupational Therapists; Paraprofessionals

NOTE: For more information, and to register online, click on the title above.

Simon Baron-Cohen on Autism and Asperger Syndrome

In this interview, Simon Baron-Cohen, the director of the Autism Research Centre, discusses autism and Asperger syndrome, his work at the Centre, and discusses several books which he recommends to anyone attempting to learn about the disorder. He explains his choices in some detail, offering useful insight into his work and autism; to read the interview, follow the link in this post's title.

Book Review: Parallel Play

In researching Asperger's syndrome, which is the central focus of Tim Page's new memoir of childhood, Parallel Play, I found a lot of conjectural lists of famous people who may have had this condition, along with evidence to support the conjecture: it took Leonardo 12 years to paint the Mona Lisa's lips; Louis IV, king of France, bathed once a year; Bill Gates's first invention, Traff-o-Data, was a device that counted the number of cars passing a point in a road; George Washington so feared being buried alive that he ordered that his body be laid out three days prior to burial, so as to make sure he was really dead. There are also apparently confirmed cases of Asperger's among notable living people, including Dan Aykroyd, Satoshi Tajiri (creator of Pokemon), and Steven Spielberg.

Early on, in one of the very best descriptions I've come across of the way the Aspie minds works, Page writes of himself as a child:

"Caring for inanimate objects came easily. Learning to make connections with people -- much as I desperately wanted to -- was a bewildering process, for they kept changing.... Not only did I not see the forest for the trees; I was so intensely distracted that I missed the trees for the species of lichen on their bark."

He proceeds to document this social impediment in hilarious, excruciating, and sometimes moving anecdotes. The book reproduces a stick drawing he did of himself when he was 11, and you would swear the artist couldn't have been more than 5, so primitive is the rendering. Not only that, but this scarecrow is under attack from a bomb, TNT, a knife, a bullet, a grenade, and a rattlesnake, even though his word balloon says, "Everyone loves me" and he is wearing a crown. At the age of 3, he found the death of his grandfather so profoundly upsetting that he became obsessed with the idea of mortality. His first autobiography, written at age 9, he calls "a decidedly curious few pages devoted almost exclusively to the losses I had sustained."

If you read Page's piece in The New Yorker a couple of years ago, that may be all you need. Like more and more books these days, this one is pretty short and feels truncated -- you may expect a fuller picture of the author's more recent life than the one sketched here. But if you didn't read the magazine piece and you are at all curious about this increasingly recognized condition, or why your neighbor won't meet your eyes, or some people enjoy routine so much, then...well, then, you might also like to know -- as Tim Page himself might tell you, with his admirable humor and self-awareness -- that the galleys of Parallel Play measure exactly 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches.

To read the full review, follow the link in this post's title.

Life Among the 'Yakkity Yaks'

The Wall Street Journal (Feb. 23) - ""Who do you think made the first stone spear?" asks Temple Grandin. "That wasn't the yakkity yaks sitting around the campfire. It was some Asperger sitting in the back of a cave figuring out how to chip rocks into spearheads. Without some autistic traits you wouldn't even have a recording device to record this conversation on."
As many as one in 110 American children are affected by autism spectrum disorders, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. But what causes this developmental disorder, characterized by severe social disconnection and communication impairment, remains a mystery.
Nevertheless, with aggressive early intervention and tremendous discipline many people with autism can lead productive, even remarkable, lives. And Ms. Grandin—doctor of animal science, ground-breaking cattle expert, easily the most famous autistic woman in the world—is one of them.
Earlier this month, HBO released a film about her to critical acclaim. Claire Danes captures her with such precision that Ms. Grandin tells me watching the movie feels like "a weird time machine" to the 1960s and '70s and that it shows "exactly how my mind works.""

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