All Cats Have Asperger's Syndrome by Kathy Hoopmann

[Stephen]

I have Asperger's Syndrome and can not recommend this book.

This book has very little to do with what it is like to have Asperger's Syndrome and what it is like to live in a world of Neuro Typicals. Kathy Hoopmann is clueless about what is like being an Asperger and shows us Asperger's no respect or understanding with our Asperger characteristics being presented and explained in a negative light.

On the whole, Cats are nothing like a person with Asperger's. The only thing that cats and Asperger's may have in common is that we both like our privacy. My expereince with cats is that they like to be cuddled and are extremely good at picking-up social cues and are able to socially interact which is one of the biggest problems us Asperger's have living in a Neuro Typical world.

Many Asperger's feel lonely and isolated. We desperately want to socialise, but often feel disconnected as people reactions and intentions are not at all clear to us. I know our family cat - Jenny - never had this problem or felt isolated from the rest of her family.

It is just a book that simply describes the behaviours of people with Asperger Syndrome alongside pictures of cats vaguely performing similar behaviors.

The worse thing of all is the obvious altering of some pictures to prove some point. I thought that looked bizarre and cheap-looking.

As an Asperger, in my opinion this is one of the worst books on the subject of Asperger's Syndrome and is a complete waste of money.



Title: All Cats Have Asperger's Syndrome
Price: £9.99
Hardcover: 72 pages
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers (4 Oct 2006)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1843104814
ISBN-13: 978-1843104810

[Katie]

I haven't read the book but I think you have taken this too literally (which I know is an Aspie trait). Obviously cats aren't the same as people, it's meant to be a bit jokey. "Neurotypical" people would understand that, but may not understand Asperger's Syndrome. If they have no idea what the difficulties are, they need something to compare it with. I understand why this might be of no use to people with Asperger's Syndrome. Don't take it seriously. I take things too literally sometimes too.

[kittykat123123]

I've read the book, and so did my mother and sister (NeuroTypicals) They found the book very funny, and informing. I liked the pictures of the cats, and thought that it was a very simple way of explaining common traits/behaviours. It doesn't go on to explain in detail, but I think that this book would be best used as an introduction when telling people you have Aspergers, or when trying to see if a child has AS if they recognise some of the traits in themselves.