Transcript Asperger Syndrome, the Universe and Everything By: Kenneth

Asperger Syndrome, the
Universe and Everything
By: Kenneth Hall
Amanda Hewett
November 9, 2006
Summary
Kenneth Hall is a ten year old boy who was diagnose
with Asperger Syndrome at the age of eight. This
book is the story of his everyday life and what it is
like to have AS. He explains his thoughts on the
world, God, love, and many other issues. His goal
in writing this book was to help other kids with AS
and to help others who don’t have AS to understand
it better. Reading this first hand account of
someone with AS has helped my much more than
reading any text book could have.
Asperger Syndrome
Asperger Syndrome is recognized as a mild
type of Autism.
Asperger Syndrome is defined as a
developmental disorder that is characterized
by difficulty with social interactions and
difficult in dealing with other people.
Children with AS lack and understanding of the
rules of social behavior. i.e.- eye contact,
proximity to others, gestures, and posture.
Kenneth’s Acceptance
One thing I discovered from reading this book
is Kenneth’s amazing acceptance of his
diagnosis of AS. He is extremely comfortable
with this and refuses to look at it as a
disability. He even refers to it as a gift in
several parts of his book. After reading this
book I find myself in awe of this little boy and
his wisdom.
Kenneth says,
“One thing I hate is when people
use the word ‘suffer’, and say I
‘suffer’ from autism. It is not
something I suffer from, it’s just the
way I am. I don’t tell people they
suffer from being normal, do I?”
AS and Eating
One of the most interesting things I learned
from reading Kenneth’s book is his difficulty
with eating. He has a hard time eating
certain foods that have a texture he doesn’t
like, or have several things mixed togetherlike sandwiches. His favorite thing to eat is
Pringles.
Kenneth’s Eating Habits
Because Kenneth has so much trouble eating
other foods, he eats a lot of Pringles. He
says in one part of the book, “I am a
vegetarian which means I don’t eat meat.
But then I don’t eat any vegetables or fruits
either. So I suppose I am more of a Pringlearian.”
Connection to Education
I think the most important connection to
education I could make from reading this
book is the success that Kenneth has had
with ABA- Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA
can help teachers and parents to develop
dynamic educational programs for all sorts of
children, not just those with autism or AS.
References
Hall, Kenneth. Asperger Syndrome, The
Universe and Everything. London and
Philadelphia. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
2001.
Lerner, Janet. Learning Disabilities and Related
Disorders. Boston and New York. Houghton
Mifflin Company. 2006.