My sole purpose with this book is to raise awareness for those who have asperger's syndrome aka autism spectrum disorder aka ASD aka AD. In an article by Harvard Health Publishing, a medical school, they state, "Asperger's is believed to affect one in 300 children (and adults) nearly 90% of them male."
One in 300 people are found to have Asperger's. That is so many people, and the sad part is that many of them go undetected and live their lives without ever knowing that they have it. They live life feeling abnormal when they truly aren't.
Not to mention, most (as in, eighty-percent) asperger's marriages end in divorice. Think about that-80%! That is a lot of people who end up with no one because not enough people understand asperger's for what it truly is.
I created this book, Care, to shed some light on this disorder. I have a small platform that may not be much, but I want to use it to do good. What I mean by that is by writing a book that people love such as Mafia, but also adding in features that a lot of people don't know about so they can become informed and aware. I have so many readers who had no clue what Asperger's was and have never even heard the term.
Yes, Asperger's is autism. They are capable of doing everything just like anyone else. I know it's kind of weird to raise awareness with a mafia story, but I know that most of my popular works are all mafia-related. So, I got the brilliant idea to create a mafia story with a mafia leader who has autism. It's different, informative, and hopefully it changes your perspective if needed.
The main male character is a mafia leader with autism, but he doesn't symbolize what every person with asperger's is like. Just like every disorder, one persons symptoms may be different from the next.
I hope this story helps break the stereotype of autism. It's sad that people believe you have to look a certain way, act a certain way, and function a certain way in order to be considered autistic. It is completely false.
One last point I want to make, Caregivers are not a necessity for people diagnoised with asperger's. Most don't need help with anything. They're perfectly capable of living life on their own. Why does the main male character have a caregiver in my story? Read the book to find out. *wink*
How to know if someone has Asperger's?
Based on the article by Harvard Health Publishing, it states, "Despite normal and sometimes superior intelligence, people with Asperger's have difficulty understanding social conventions and reading social cues. As a result, they often seem tactless or rude, and making friends can be hard for them.
Complicated feelings tend to confuse them. They may be unable to take hints, keep secrets, or under--stand metaphor, irony, and humor. The meaning of gestures, tone of voice, and facial expressions are a mystery to them, and their own body language and expressions may be inappropriate or hard to interpret.
They stand too close, talk too loudly, and don't make eye contact. They have one-track minds that focus narrowly but intensely, sometimes producing long-winded lecturing on subjects of interest only to themselves.
They are often clumsy, with poor handwriting and sometimes repetitive movements like rocking, or routines that resemble obsessive-compulsive behavior. They are easily upset when their expectations are not met or their routines disturbed; for example, they may want to wear the same clothes and follow the same rigid schedule every day. Sometimes they are unusually sensitive to sounds, smells, and touch."
Does my main character do all of these things? No, he doesn't. The same goes for all of the women and men diagnosed with Asperger's. Not everyone does the same thing, but if they are doing many of the things listed above-help them seek help. Maybe you even get married to a person that does these things, help them and stick with them.
The article also goes on to say, "One popular theory is that people with Asperger's syndrome and other autistic disorders lack a "theory of mind" - the intuitive understanding that others have their own thoughts and feelings. As a result, they cannot imagine their way into the minds of others to anticipate their responses. Instead, they have to infer other people's feelings, intentions, and interests laboriously, using explicit rules. That is supposed to explain why a person who can master complex technical operations does not know how to conduct an ordinary conversation.
Brain scans show that in most of us the amygdala, a center of emotion, is activated when we judge facial expressions. In people with Asperger's syndrome, the area that lights up is the prefrontal cortex, a seat of judgment and planning. They are thinking out the meaning of the expression instead of responding to it immediately."
If you or someone you know has two of the things listed below there's a chance you/they have Asperger's/Autism Spectrum Disorder:
-trouble using facial expressions, gestures, body posture, maintaining eye contact while socializing.
-trouble developing and maintaining relationships with people
-failure to match energy; socially, emotionally
-trouble sharing the same interests, achievements, or pleasures with others
Also if you have one of the following:
-repetitive actions
-preoccupation with objects or parts of objects
-insists on what seems like pointless rituals or routines
-intense preoccupation with one topic, or preoccupation with an abnormally narrow interests.
People with Asperger's/Autism Spectrum Disorder:
Albert Einstein
Bill Gates
Steve Jobs
Lewis Carroll
Courtney Love
Dan Harmon
Daryl Hannah
Sir Anthony Hopkins
William Butler Yeats
Movies/shows with people that have Asperger's/Autism Spectrum disorder:
The Accountant
The Night Clerk (just watched it on netflix)
Big Bang Theory
Life, Animated
Ben X
Atypical
Asperger's Are Us
White Frog
Please Stand By
My Name is Khan
Extremely loud & Incredibly Close
Criminal Minds
The Sense of Wonder
Adam
Help me raise awareness for all of the people out there. This book isn't just for those who aren't aware that they have Asperger's, it's also for people like you and me to talk about it. Let's spread the word about Asperger's/Autism Spectrum Disorder!
"Care"-CARE FOR AUTISM!
It's okay to be different.
article used in the making of this:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/aspergers-syndrome
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Care | ✔︎
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