Pretending to be Normal

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Pretending to Be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome is a book written by Liane Holliday Willey, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, that offers insight into the experience of living with Asperger's syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive behaviors and interests. [1] [2] The book was first published in 1999 and has since been updated, in 2014, with an additional 15 years of reflection by the author on living with Asperger's syndrome. [3]

Contents

Overview

Asperger's syndrome is a form of autism that is characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive behaviors and interests. It is often referred to as "high-functioning autism," as many people with Asperger's syndrome have average or above-average intelligence. However, they may have challenges with physical coordination, behavioral eccentricities, and language peculiarities. [2]

Willey was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome as an adult, after experiencing difficulties with social interactions and understanding the "normal" world throughout her life. In her book, she shares her personal story and offers advice and resources for others living with Asperger's syndrome. [4]

Pretending to Be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome is an autobiographical account of the author's experience growing up with undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome. The book offers descriptions of the challenges and difficulties that Willey faced and the strategies she used to survive and eventually thrive. The book also includes a series of appendices with advice and resources for people with Asperger's syndrome and their families, including information on explaining the condition to others, adapting to various situations, and coping strategies. [3] [5]

Reception

Pretending to Be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome has received generally positive reviews for its informative content. [5] [6] The book has also been used as a reference for several studies and papers on Asperger's syndrome. [2] [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asperger syndrome</span> Neurodevelopmental diagnosis now categorized under Autism Spectrum Disorder

Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome, formerly described a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. The syndrome has been merged with other disorders into autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is no longer considered a stand-alone diagnosis. It was considered milder than other diagnoses that were merged into ASD due to relatively unimpaired spoken language and intelligence.

The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), as opposed to specific developmental disorders (SDD), was a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. It was defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) is a historic psychiatric diagnosis first defined in 1980 that has since been incorporated into autism spectrum disorder in the DSM-5 (2013).

Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), also known as Heller's syndrome and disintegrative psychosis, is a rare condition characterized by late onset of developmental delays—or severe and sudden reversals—in language, social engagement, bowel and bladder, play and motor skills. Researchers have not been successful in finding a cause for the disorder. CDD has some similarities to autism and is sometimes considered a low-functioning form of it. In May 2013, CDD, along with other sub-types of PDD, was fused into a single diagnostic term called "autism spectrum disorder" under the new DSM-5 manual.

Anthony John Attwood is a British psychologist notable for his work on Asperger syndrome. He resides in Queensland, Australia, where he is an Associate Professor at Griffith University.

Nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) is a proposed category of neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core deficits in visual-spatial processing and a significant discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal intelligence. A review of papers found that proposed diagnostic criteria were inconsistent. Proposed additional diagnostic criteria include intact verbal intelligence, and deficits in the following: visuoconstruction abilities, speech prosody, fine-motor coordination, mathematical reasoning, visuospatial memory and social skills. NVLD is not recognised by the DSM-5 and is not clinically distinct from learning disorder.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to autism:

Dr Jacqueline Carol Jackson is a British writer who consults, counsels, speaks and writes on most autism issues. Her doctoral thesis, entitled 'Nurturing the Engagement of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder through Digital Polysensory Experiences', awarded from Coventry University, analysed the sensory differences of children with an ASD and the impact of the digital and built environment. Jackson consultants on the design of built environments and the impact of lighting and design on individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodiversities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stimming</span> Repetitive self-stimulatory behaviour common in neurodevelopmental disorders

Self-stimulatory behavior, also known as "stimming" and self-stimulation, is the repetition of physical movements, sounds, words, moving objects, or other repetitive behaviors. Such behaviors are found to some degree in all people, especially those with developmental disabilities such as ADHD, as well as autistic people. People diagnosed with sensory processing disorder are also known to potentially exhibit stimming behaviors.

<i>Like Colour to the Blind</i> Book by Donna Williams

Like Colour To The Blind (1996) is the third in a series of four autobiographical works by internationally bestselling autistic author Donna Williams. Once published in the US using the American spelling 'color', it is now published worldwide by Jessica Kingsley Publishers using the UK spelling 'colour'. It has been published in several languages worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Societal and cultural aspects of autism</span>

Societal and cultural aspects of autism or sociology of autism come into play with recognition of autism, approaches to its support services and therapies, and how autism affects the definition of personhood. The autistic community is divided primarily into two camps; the autism rights movement and the Pathology paradigm. The pathology paradigm advocates for supporting research into therapies, treatments, and/or a cure to help minimize or remove autistic traits, seeing treatment as vital to help individuals with autism, while the neurodiversity movement believes autism should be seen as a different way of being and advocates against a cure and interventions that focus on normalization, seeing it as trying to exterminate autistic people and their individuality. Both are controversial in autism communities and advocacy which has led to significant infighting between these two camps. While the dominant paradigm is the pathology paradigm and is followed largely by autism research and scientific communities, the neurodiversity movement is highly popular among most autistic people, within autism advocacy, autism rights organizations, and related neurodiversity approaches have been rapidly growing and applied in the autism research field in the last few years.

Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) or extreme demand avoidance (EDA) is a proposed disorder and sub-type of autism spectrum disorder, defined by characteristics such as a greater-than-typical refusal to comply with requests or expectations and extreme efforts to avoid the social demand. Any expectation, even routine activities or highly desired activities, such as getting ready to leave home to visit a playground, can trigger avoidant behavior. If the demand cannot be avoided, a panic attack or a meltdown may ensue. Depending on an individual's trigger, the intensity of their reactions may differ. Looking at a PDA profile can help determine explanations for the demand avoidance, whether it is internalized or externalized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classic autism</span> Neurodevelopmental condition

Classic autism, also known as childhood autism, autistic disorder, (early) infantile autism, infantile psychosis, Kanner's autism,Kanner's syndrome, or (formerly) just autism, is a neurodevelopmental condition first described by Leo Kanner in 1943. It is characterized by atypical and impaired development in social interaction and communication as well as restricted, repetitive behaviors, activities, and interests. These symptoms first appear in early childhood and persist throughout life.

Several factors complicate the diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (AS), an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Like other ASD forms, Asperger syndrome is characterized by impairment in social interaction accompanied by restricted and repetitive interests and behavior; it differs from the other ASDs by having no general delay in language or cognitive development. Problems in diagnosis include disagreement among diagnostic criteria, the controversy over the distinction between AS and other ASD forms or even whether AS exists as a separate syndrome, and over- and under-diagnosis for non-technical reasons. As with other ASD forms, early diagnosis is important, and differential diagnosis must consider several other conditions.

<i>Aspergirls</i> 2010 non-fiction book by Rudy Simone

Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome is a non-fiction book written by American author Rudy Simone. It was published in 2010 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. The book is about women and girls who have Asperger syndrome and their experiences. It was written to help girls and women who have been diagnosed with Asperger's.

Autism-friendly means being aware of social engagement and environmental factors affecting people on the autism spectrum, with modifications to communication methods and physical space to better suit individual's unique and special needs.

Gunilla Gerland is a Swedish author and lecturer on the topic of autism. Her written works include Secrets to Success for Professionals in the Autism Field: An Insider's Guide to Understanding the Autism Spectrum, the Environment and Your Role and her autobiography A Real Person: Life on the Outside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Cook O'Toole</span> American writer

Jennifer Cook (formerly O'Toole) (born October 24, 1975) is an American author and speaker. She is known for her six Asperkids books, which have been translated into six languages and include the winner of the Autism Society of America's Book of the Year Award. Her memoir Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum is a Wall Street Journal Bestseller, a "Best Book" title winner by Publishers Weekly, and named a "Best Memoir" and one of both the "Best Autism Books of All Time" and "Best-Selling Autism Books of All Time" by BookAuthority. She is the on-camera autism expert in Netflix's series "Love on the Spectrum US."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Miedzianik</span> British writer

David Christopher Miedzianik is an English autistic poet and writer. His writings portray the more difficult aspects of autism. Additionally, most of his poems focus on social difficulties that he experiences. He is unemployed, but writes about how he wants to work and find love. Miedzianik writes about specific examples pertaining to those desires. Miedzianik's works have been extensively analyzed by noted autism researchers, who describe his writing as thoughtful, sophisticated, and displaying an unusually strong awareness of his social difficulties.

Liane Holliday Willey is an American writer, researcher and advocate for people with Asperger's Syndrome. She has written several books on Asperger's Syndrome, including "Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome" and "Asperger Syndrome in the Family: Redefining Normal."

References

  1. "Pretending to Be Normal by Liane Holliday Willey - Book Review". Divergents Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  2. 1 2 3 Marie Campkin, Pretending to be normal: living with Asperger's syndrome., Family Practice, Volume 17, Issue 4, August 2000, Page 355, https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/17.4.355
  3. 1 2 "Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome – expanded edition". liveotherwise.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  4. Pretending to Be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome Summary & Study Guide . Retrieved 2022-12-28.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  5. 1 2 Shakoor, Sameena (October 2000). "Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome. By Liane Holliday Willey, Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 1999, pp176, £12.95, US$17.95, ISBN 1 85302 749 9". Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 42 (10): 716–717. doi:10.1017/S0012162200231320. ISSN   1469-8749.
  6. "Books of Special Interest to Women on the Autism Spectrum" . Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  7. Lalljee, Jon (2022-10-19). "Mythbuster: 'Autism rarely affects girls – she's probably just anxious'". Nursing in Practice. Retrieved 2022-12-27.