John Elder Robison

After reading about John on his website and reading through his blog I feel like it would be a great idea to also read his book. He seems like he is a very smart individual and his writing is very well thought out. When looking at his accomplishments it is obvious that he has been gifted in the way of understanding mechanics and electronics. But on top of that he has a great understanding of himself.

How many people go throughout there lives without really understanding themselves nor understanding why they do what they do. In my opinion I feel that that is a detriment to oneself. As John mention in his January 28 blog, utilizing an age old adage, "knowledge is power". And I agree with him in his stating the importance of understanding oneself. If you have some sort of exceptionality and it requires you to get tested to find out what it is so that you can understand it better, then get tested. But by understanding oneself provides you with the power to affect the way you act and respond to certain situations. John Robison has come to this type of understanding of himself and has, as a result, been able to grow and overcome some of his challenges. Plus he now knows that he is not a freak but he has Aspergers and he is not letting it hold him back.

John still has challenges before him though, like the difficulties with social situations. This being of more importance to him now that is becoming very well known and having numerous requests to publicly speak. Not to mention his dealings with individuals through his business. But he appears to be doing very well considering this difficulty. For instance if you read his blog from January 2 and here about his encounter with the elderly lady who owns the collection of Indian Motorcycles, he seemed to be able to have a great discussion with her, find out some very valuable information and not seem to be hinder by Aspergers. I am sure that there were challenges for him in the conversation but he seems like he is a great listener even if he is not able to look you in the eye.

In regards to the last note, it was quite frustrating and saddening to hear how he was treated when he was in grade school. Sure Aspergers was not really known, but it didn't appear that the teacher made any real attempt to see if there was any underlying issue to his apparent "lack of focus". I would hope that when I get into a classroom teaching and I notice I child who is not "looking me in the eye" that before I jump to any conclusion that I try to understand why. Assess to see if that student is hearing and understanding what I am saying, asking to find out if they seem to be having difficulty with anything. I would hope that I would just be sensitive to the possibility of that student having Aspergers or any other exceptionality and treat them not as a diagnosis but a student for myself to help succeed.