In My Mind: From His Life with Autism, Alex Answers All Your Questions

by Alex Olinkiewicz, Richard O'Connell

Overview

This unique book brings a depth of understanding of the analytical skills that 21-yr old Alex has brought to his own condition. As Alex says, "There are varying types of Asperger's and young people cannot all be squeezed into having the same diagnostic symptoms. But what they do have are some correlation to the symptoms laid out by Hans Asperger." ( Please note Asperger's may now be described as the lower end of the Autistic scale.) In his book, Alex takes each of eight symptoms and comments how these symptoms are pertinent in his life. In so doing, the reader will find similarities to those children with Asperger's that they know and will be able to reflect with new insights on what Alex is talking about. In addition to the above, Alex shares many experiences in his life that reflect his Asperger's condition from not being able to drive, social development, repetitions, panic situations, holidays, family, movies, relaxers, etc. Alex has augmented his insights with graphics that even more clearly clarify his Asperger's symptoms and sheds new ways of seeing the Asperger's condition. In reading this book, the, reader will clarify in his/her mind the characteristics common to the children that he/she knows. Along the way Alex is brought to tears in recounting the unpleasantness of his experiences. At the same time, there are moments of great hilarity in the retelling of episodes that have a sense of the comedic in them.

The second part of Alex's book is a re-counting of his life experiences, explaining why he can't drive, how he relates to his family, his school experiences, the things that relax him and those which may cause him near panic. From each experience the reader will assess the lessons learned and how it relates to the children he/she may know. In the addendum, significant family members and friends assess Alex's Asperger's diagnosis. This is extremely helpful in to the reader in that many of the problems in dealing with children with Asperger's/Autism are similar to Alex's. Every child with Asperger's has some gift. Alex's gift is his ability to penetrate to the core of his Asperger's Syndrome and then is able to articulate his response in such a way as to enlighten the reader. Added to this is a great sense of metaphor, which is highlighted by multiple graphics in the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780986067372
Publisher:	Future Horizons, Inc.
Publication date:	03/05/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	170
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Meet Alex Olinkiewicz. If you live on Shelter Island, you probably already know him, at least casually. But until you sit down and talk with him, you may know little of his warmth, charm, intelligence and his self-awareness about coping with Asperger’s syndrome and other peoples’ reactions to it. The 21-year-old 2009 Shelter Island High School graduate has a subtle shyness about him that he somewhat masks with a self-deprecating sense of humor. Many of his classmates may have left the Island for college or jobs but you’re likely to find Alex often alone at home, hunched over a computer dealing with graphics, one of the many talents this young author possesses. The book was written with the cooperation of Islander Dr. Richard O’Connell, a retired guidance counselor and author, who spent two years recording sessions with Alex, having them transcribed and then working with him to organize his thoughts into the book, for which Alex created the graphics. Unlike the scholarly tomes that have been written about autism and Asperger’s syndrome, Alex’s story is very personal and it paints a vivid picture of what it’s like to be someone or have a family member who has Asperger’s. The idea of a book started with a YouTube video Alex made when he was 16. The video got a few hundred hits and then, with promotion from YouTube, hundreds turned to thousands of views and finally more than a million views!

Table of Contents

A Tribute to Hans Asperger (1906-1980) 13

Foreword 17

Introduction 25

Part I My Symptoms 33

1 Anxiety & Panic 35

2 Repetition and Rituals 47

3 Inappropriate Behavior 53

4 Empathy toward Others 59

5 Interactions with Peers 63

6 Problems with Nonverbal Communication 71

7 Awkward And Uncoordinated Movements 79

8 Unresponsiveness 89

Part II My Experiences 93

9 My Asperger's 95

10 My Frustrations 111

11 What Relaxes Me 121

12 My Schooling 129

13 My Family 143

14 My Present Problems 165

15 My Computer 169

16 My Psychological Services 175

17 My Therapy 189

18 My Holidays 195

19 My Reaction to Three Movies 203

20 The Three Movies and Me 209

21 A Conversation with Liza 219

22 Driving 227

23 My Personal Improvement 233

24 My Hope for the Future 239

Part III Alex's Support System 245

25 My Father 247

26 My Mother 261

27 My Stepmother 271

28 My Stepfather 277

29 My Teacher 281

30 My Book's Collaborator 287

31 My Talk with a Parent Whose Son Has Asperger's Syndrome 293

Addendum: Reasons to Hope 317

About the Authors 329

Interviews

“Hi! My name is Alex Olinkiewicz. I was born, raised and went to the Shelter Island School, NY. I’m half Autistic, and half not. Some people have trouble understanding the mind of an Autistic person. But it’s equally hard to understand the mind of a person who has Asperger’s. Since we look or behave exactly like you, sometimes when we act in our Asperger’s way, you can’t really understand us. I do have to say, if there was an antidote to Asperger’s I would not take it. Because I would not get rid of what makes me who I am. But I just hope that because of my book, and my showing you the way I learn, and the way I express how I feel, that you guys can understand me much better. And treat people with Asperger’s as equals, and calmly give more respect to us, and treat us right, and not consider us as just plain odd people who want to get what they want. And if so, I’ll finally be understood, and have a break once in a while.