Ich bin endlich fertig mit Tony Attwoods Fachbuch zum Thema Asperger-Syndrom. Um seine Erläuterungen abzurunden, hat er zu Beginn und Ende des Buches einen fiktiven Aspi vorgestellt - "Jack" - einmal im Schulalter und zum Schluss als Erwachsener. Ich habe lange darauf gewartet, diese Passagen mit Euch teilen zu können. Ich fand diese Beschreibungen wunderbar; auch wenn nicht jeder Aspi all' diese Merkmale aufweist, so ist es doch das beste "Aspi-Muster", das mir bisher untergekommen ist. Die folgenden Passagen stammen aus Attwoods The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome. Vielleicht finden meine Freunde mich darin wieder, vielleicht auch nicht, aber für mich waren das zwei der aufschlussreichsten Passagen aus dem gesamten Buch.
Not everything that steps out of line, and thus "abnormal", must necessarily be "inferior". - Hans Asperger (1938)
The door bell rang, heralding the arrival of another guest for Alicia's birthday party. Her mother opened the door and looked down to see Jack, the last guest to arrive. It was her daughter's ninth birthday and the invitation list had been for ten girls and one boy. Alicia's mother had been surprised at this inclusion, thinking that girls her daughter's age usually consider boys to be smelly and stupid, and not worthy of an invitation to a girl's birthday party. But Alicia had said that Jack was different. His family had recently moved to Birmingham and Jack had been in her class for only a few weeks. Although he tried to join in with the other children, he hadn't made any friends. The other boys teased him and wouldn't let him join in any of their games. Last week he had sat next to Alicia while she was eating her lunch, and as she listened to him, she thought he was a kind and lonely boy who seemed bewildered by the noise and hectic activity of the playground. He looked cute, a younger Harry Potter, and he knew so much about so many things. Her heart went out to him and, despite the perplexed looks of her friends when she said he was invited to her party, she was determined he should come.
And here he was, a solitary figure clutching a birthday card and present which he immediately gave to Alicia's mother. She noticed he had written Alicia's name on the envelope, but the writing was strangely illegible for an eight-year-old. "You must be Jack", she said and he simply replied with a blank face, "Yes". She smiled at him, and was about to suggest he went into the garden to join Alicia and her friends when he said, "Alicia's birthday present is one of those special dolls that my mum says every girl wants, and she chose it, but what I really wanted to get her was some batteries. Do you like batteries? I do, I have a hundred and ninety-seven batteries. Batteries are really useful. What batteries do you have in your remote controllers?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "I have a special battery from Russia. My dad's an engineer, and he was working on an oil pipeline in Russia and he came home with six triple-A batteries for me with Russian writing on them. They are my favourite. When I go to bed I like to look at my box of batteries and sort them in alphabetical order before I go to sleep. I always hold one of my Russian batteries as I fall asleep. My mum says I should hug my teddy bear but I prefer a battery. How many batteries do you have?"
She replied, "Well, I don't know, but we must have quite a few...", and felt unsure what to say next. Her daughter was a very gentle, caring and maternal girl and she could understand why she had "adopted" this strange little boy as one of her friends. Jack continued to provide a monologue on batteries, how they are made and what to do with them when the power is exhausted. Alicia's mother felt exhausted too, listening to a lecture that lasted about ten minutes. Despite her subtle signals of needing to be somewhere else, and eventually saying, "I must go and get the party food ready," he continued to talk, following her into the kitchen. She noticed that when he talked, he rarely looked at her and his vocabulary was very unusual for an eight-year-old boy. It was more like listening to an adult than a child, and he spoke very eloquently, although he didn't seem to want to listen.
Eventually she said, "Jack, you must go into the garden to say hi to Alicia and you must go now." Her facial expression clearly indicated there was no alternative. He gazed at her face for a few seconds, as if trying to read the expression, and then off he went. She looked out of the kitchen window and watched him run across the grass towards Alicia. As he ran through a group of four girls, she noticed one of them deliberately put out her foot to trip him up. As he fell awkwardly to the ground, the girls all laughed. But Alicia had seen what happened and went over to help him get to his feet.
This fictitious scene is typical of an encounter with a child with Asperger's syndrome. A lack of social understanding, limited ability to have a reciprocal conversation and an intense interest in a particular subject are the core features of this syndrome. Perhaps the simplest way to understand Asperger's syndrome is to think of it as describing someone who perceives and thinks about the world differently to other people. (p.23/24)
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(...) I would like to end with a plausible description of Jack as an adult, based on my extensive experience of several thousand children and adults with Asperger's syndrome and my being able to observe the long-term development of children I originally saw decades ago.
There was a loud knock on the office door. The new Human Resources Manager knew this must be Dr Jack Johnstone announcing his arrival for his annual performance review. He had listened to his colleagues talk about Jack and was eager to finally meet him. The company manufactured energy storage systems and Jack was working on a new energy storage system for vehicles to replace petrol-based engines. The research and development section usually employed a team of scientists to design new products, but Jack worked on his own.
The security staff knew him well. He would often be working in the research department until long after midnight. Jack had explained to his line manager that he worked more efficiently when the building was quiet and there was no one around to interrupt him with superficial conversations about the local football team's home game or what he thought of the new secretary's legs.
The Human Resources Manager had Jack's file on his desk. It was by far the largest file he had seen on a member of staff. There was the basic information on his academic qualifications, reference to his Ph.D. in electrical engineering, and testimonials from previous employers referring to his honesty, integrity and determination. However, there were notes in his file made by the previous Human Resources Manager that were written to assist his line manager and the company. There was a brief explanation of a condition called Asperger's syndrome and how this explained Jack's abilities and personality. The original diagnosis had been made in 2005 when he was nine years old and he had benefited from support at school to develop interpersonal skills, and extension classes to develop his talent for engineering. It was now 2028 and he had moved from academia to industry only two years ago.
There was a detailed description of his qualities in terms of knowledge, alternative ways of thinking and problem solving, and his high standard of work, but there was also advice regarding his difficulties in working in a team, tendency to be very forthright and his inability to cope emotionally with sudden changes in job specifications. His ideas had contributed to the recent improvement in the company's profits as he had designed a new long-life battery for hand-held games concoles. He was considered to be eccentric, but a very valuable member of staff.
There was some office gossip about Jack. He was in his early thirties, lived at home with his parents, and had a close friend he sometimes talked about, Alicia, whom he had met when he was at primary school. He had a relatively small circle of friends at work but apparently had never had a long-term relationship. He had dedicated himself to his research and seemed uncomfortable at social occasions such as the Christman party, last year staying for only 20 minutes. He explained that he had to return home as he had a hobby breeding rare marsupials and needed to ensure his koalas had a fresh supply of eucalyptus leaves. But just over six months ago, a new personal assistant was appointed for the company accountant. She was a single mother with two children and was very popular for her ability to make people feel relaxed in her company, and amazed everyone with how efficiently she organized the accountant's diary. She met Jack when he handed her his monthly expenses sheet, and from that day both their lives were transformed. They were planning to get married next month.
The Huiman Resources Manager said, "Come in", and Jack entered the room. He was not sure what to expect but the person before him was certainly memorable. He had untidy hair, hadn't shaved for a few days and in his shirt pocked there were at least four pencils, two pens and an old-style calculator. One of the pencils had recently leaked black ink onto his shirt. There were no formal pleasantries as Jack sat down and proceeded to give a monologue on his work performance over the last year and his projects for the next year. He seemed to be relieved when he had given the required information.
It was now the turn of the Human Resources Manager to give feedback to Jack regarding his work over the last year. His ideas had been highly original, although sometimes difficult to understand when he verbally explained the principles, but his computer model using 3D graphics was very clear. He was liked by his colleagues, although he did tend to keep repeating the same jokes. Jack had been the winner of the inter-departmental Trivial Pursuit championship and he was perceived as a kind, shy and dedicated colleague.
Jack was thoughtful for a moment and he agreed with the appraisal. He politely asked how the Human Resources Manager was coping with his new position, whether he had found a school for his children and what he thought of the new CEO (chief executive officer). As Jack left the room, he remembered his early childhood: how when he was young he felt that he was not understood or appreciated by the other children at his school, and during his adolescence he had suffered from los self-esteem and longed to be popular. Other children in his class tormented him that he was a failure, but if only those children could see him now! He was not a failure, he was a success. This thought comforted him as he opened the door of his new 7 Series BMW, and he realized he was late for the meeting to go through the final preparations for his wedding. (p.357-359)
Das sind die beiden besten Aspi-Beschreibungen, einmal jung, einmal erwachsen, die ich bisher gefunden habe.
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