Abstract

A fascinating collection of real-life personal profiles, The Myriad Gifts of Asperger's Syndrome focuses on the talents, abilities, and achievements of individuals with Asperger's Syndrome (AS).

Vaschel has a remarkable connection with animals; Richard can tell the weight of any item he lifts to the nearest tenth of a pound; two-year-old Hannah detected a dangerously faulty electrical circuit in her family home; and eight-year-old Clark became conversant in French after only an evening's study. What connects these individuals? They all have AS. John M. Ortiz celebrates the qualities of individuals with AS he has met through his clinical experience, including their characteristic tenacity, honesty, and attention to detail, and looks also at the wide range of careers they have chosen and in which they flourish.

This uplifting book should be read and enjoyed by anyone who knows or works professionally with individuals with AS, and anyone with an interest in the subject.

The Myriad Gifts of Asperger's Syndrome is a fabulous read. John Ortiz is a wonderful storyteller and this reads like a series of captivating and unique short stories of remarkable everyday individuals with the most unusual of gifts. Read it and be intrigued, inspired, uplifted and awestruck. This book is to Asperger's what Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is to neurology. Its relevance extends well beyond the ASD world as it addresses 'outside the box' individuals everywhere and those who wish they were.
Donna Williams, Dip Ed BA Hons. author of 9 books, including the international bestsellers Nobody Nowhere and Somebody Somewhere.
John Ortiz has compiled a book that celebrates Asperger Syndrome. It highlights the fact that this medical condition entails not just deficits in socializing but also areas of strength, especially in attention to detail, in the detection of patterns, and in the pursuit of logic and truth, so essential to certain crafts and intellectual pursuits. This book reminds us that while people with Asperger Syndrome may need support in some areas, in other ways they make a special contribution to humanity.
Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, Director, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University, UK
John M. Ortiz, Ph.D., was a licensed psychologist, psychoeducational consultant, and speaker, and Founding Director of the Asperger's Syndrome Institute in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, US. Dr. Ortiz had 30 years of clinical experience in various educational and mental health settings.
A collection of real-life personal profiles which focus on the talents, abilities and achievements of individuals with AS.
BILD Information Service
This book makes a wonderfully, uplifting read, not only for psychologists, but for anyone interested in this area. I would recommend it to parents, as it allows new positive perception of children and adults with these traits, a creative perspective, rather than a view of Asperger's Syndrome behaviour as an obstacle or limitation.
Debate
John Ortiz has captured real-life stories illustrating the remarkable and inspiring abilities found in people with Asperger's Syndrome. The book is filled with short, poignant stories that convey hope, demonstrate strengths and are punctuated with encouraging lessons.
Autism Asperger's Digest
This book is refreshingly positive in a world of negative stereotypes. Through short, real-life stories, Dr. Ortiz shows people with the neurodiversity of AS making important contributions to their communities. He does a great job of focusing on the positive aspects of what can be a very debilitating condition.
Yvona Fast, author of Employment for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome or Non-Verbal Learning Disability: Stories and Strategies