Book review of ‘Asperger Syndrome and anxiety’ by Nick Dubin
Written on 29th Jan 2014 by Sylvia Lowery
A guide to successful stress management.
By Nick Dubin
Publisher JKP
This book is full of useful advice on the how to cope with anxiety. The author has AS which gives the book a personal perspective of his own experience of anxiety. One gets the impression that the author has delved deeply into psychological theory to find the best approach to help with his personal anxiety battles.
Nick Dubin has a specialist degree in Psychology; he seeks to give the reader some of the science behind the anxiety with tips on how to control it. Chapter two is a favourite chapter of mine because Nick shares how since childhood he has felt like a square peg in a round hole where he was told his eccentricities were bad and if he only tried harder he could do better. Nick gives voice to something experienced by many who have AS. He openly acknowledges that those with AS will have to work harder than most Neurotypicals. For an explanation of this word click here.
This honest open approach to the difficulties is refreshing and there is a lot of good advice in this book that covers topics such as anxiety and relationships, employment, shame. Therapies that are available are covered in detail such as CBT and psychotherapy.
This book is written in an academic style and would be too difficult for some individual with ASD to follow. Alex would find it hard to follow this book unless someone took the concepts and explained them to him. I would recommend this book for those who have AS who are very articulate and can follow academic books. It would also be good for parents and professionals who want advice on how to help an individual with ASD.
The final chapter in this book is about anxiety and spirituality. The author grew up in an agnostic home but has come to the conclusion that all religions have something to offer, on reading this chapter it seems that the author has developed a pantheistic view where everything is seen as interconnected. The author makes it clear that this chapter is his personal opinion. This chapter becomes very philosophical and I found some of the arguments hard to follow.
Alex has done some blog posts on the way anxiety affects him.
What does a panic attack feel like.
6 things to help with a panic attack and anxiety
Autism and anxious thoughts- being part of the ‘worried well’.
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