What kind of information have you found most useful?
Probably books. It is amazing actually how many books on Asperger's there are out there. The Jessica Kingsley publications, I mean there is just I would say hundreds of books on Asperger's and I love reading and I have got this thirst for knowledge and I have the internet and I have read books on people’s experiences, going to listen to speakers, adults with Asperger's, there is so much information out there when you can sort of uncover it and once you get your name on a few mailing lists and that then you tend to get to hear about what is happening and what is going on. Yes, just going to conferences and that sort of thing really, getting as much information as you can all the time. I mean even now I feel in quite a nice place but I still read everything and look into everything.
And is there anything in particular you would recommend someone else to read?
I think usually anything by Tony Attwood is good. It is difficult to think of one, just one thing really. There are so many good things. I have just read one very good book. It is about home educating children with Asperger's which is good, well autistic children I think it is called. Sorry yes, really difficult to think of one good thing. I have just read so many over the years and I loved the fiction book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. I have read it about three times and just don’t get bored with it ever. I think everybody should read that [laughs]. I have got a few copies and I just hand them out to my friends all the time, and say “oh you haven’t read it, oh you must read it, it is brilliant.” So yes, I love that book.
What did you like about it?
I could relate to it and there was one bit, it was one of the first times it really brought it home to me, perhaps how Callum sees things because he had given a description and he couldn’t remember anything that this woman said, but he remembered like a brooch she was wearing in really good detail or the jacket or something. I just thought ‘oh that is so Callum’, you know, they don’t take any notice of what we are yabbering on about it, it is all about attention to detail, maybe if you had one jewel missing out of your earring or something. How they have just got a totally different way of seeing things. Yes. But I loved it. I just loved his perspective and you know his perception of everything.
