Year of birth: 1963About the Aspie Mentors
Lisa Morgan
Year of birth: 1963
Country where I am currently living: USA
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: I think differently than others and I like the way I see the world.
Least favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Being misunderstood.
Last completed level of education: Master’s degree in the art of teaching in special education.
Current job: I am a teacher of children with special needs.
One line of advice I would give to someone with Asperger’s/HFA: Be your own wonderful self, have confidence in your abilities, take good care of yourself, and stay positive!
One line of advice I would like the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: People with AS are a very creative, blatantly honest, extremely loyal, fair to a fault, intelligent group of people who can add many innovative insights to the world.
James Buzon
Year of birth: 1984
Country where I am currently living: USA
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: My imagination.
Least favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Sensory issues.
Last completed level of education: BA English.
Current job: Currently pursuing a BS in Graphic Design.
One line of advice I would give to someone with Asperger’s/HFA: Individuality is a very precious commodity. Love your individuality, and things will begin to fall into place.
One line of advice I would like the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: I would tell everyone that we can change the world dramatically (and for the good, might I add), if we are given the chance.
Richard Maguire
Year of birth: 1966
Country where I am currently living: United Kingdom
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: It’s an adventure, fun being different and being an original thinker.
Least favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Anxiety, tiredness and socializing.
Last completed level of education: BA in theology and religion from Oxford Brookes University, January 2010.
Current job: Self-employed, running my own business, Autism Live Training, providing training and mentoring, speaking and autism advice from the point of view of an autistic person.
One line of advice I would give to someone with Asperger’s/HFA: Learn to enjoy being Asperger’s, take control of your life and make your own luck.
One line of advice I would like the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: We are lively, emotional, feeling people; please become still enough to hear us. We are good to have around and have much to share.
Anita Lesko
Year of birth: 1959
Country where I am currently living: USA
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Diversity and my “laser focus.” Thanks to my Aspergian gifts, my life has included: administering anesthesia; jumping horses over six-foot-high fences in competition; ice dancing; becoming an internationally published military aviation photojournalist; learning to fly a helicopter; writing my autobiography—Asperger’s Syndrome: When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade—in two weeks by writing 16 hours each day; heading the development of a hippotherapy center at the world’s largest Snoezelen complex; and starting the Flying High with Autism Foundation.
Least favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Asperger’s is an invisible syndrome, yet how is it that neurotypicals “see” it immediately, even before you say one word?
Last completed level of education: Proudly graduated from Columbia University in New York City in 1988 with my Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia.
Current job: I have been working as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for the past 25 years, and have been at my current job for 15 years.
One line of advice I would give to someone with Asperger’s/HFA: Don’t focus on the fact that you have Asperger’s. Get out there and use your extraordinary gifts to make a difference in this world!
One line of advice I would like people of the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: Aspies feel like we’re from another planet because neurotypicals make us feel that way by their reactions and behaviors towards us. I’d like the world to know that we are real people too, and find it in their minds and hearts to allow us into their world, so we’re not always on the outside looking in. Two powerful words of advice: accept difference.
Paul Isaacs
Year of birth: 1986
Country where I am currently living: United Kingdom
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: I like that I can see the world from a different perspective.
Least favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Stress levels and anxiety.
Last completed level of education: General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) (NVQ Level 2); Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Intermediate Course.
Current job: Autistic speaker, trainer and consultant for Autism Oxford.
One line of advice I would like the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: Do not fear people with autism, embrace them. Do not spite people with autism, unite them. Do not deny people with autism, accept them for their abilities. And they will shine.
Dr. Know
Year of birth: Withheld
Country where I am currently living: Somewhere in Europe
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: I would rather think about the favorite part of being myself. I like being who I am. I guess I am particularly fond of my high intelligence.
Least favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: I would rather think about the least favorite part of being myself. Again, I like being who I am, but I can identify parts I want to work more on: not getting so angry sometimes (even if I am being provoked), and getting better at not hurting the feelings of people I like (it is not intentional, but it still happens).
Last completed level of education: Ph.D.
Current job: Postdoctoral researcher.
One line of advice I would give to someone with Asperger’s/HFA: Depends so much on the individual Aspie, but I think the above quote is something that a good chunk of Aspies should consider thinking about: “What do you care what other people think?” Arline Feynman reportedly asked this question often to her husband, the famous scientist Richard Feynman, when he was worried about what his colleagues thought about his work.
One line of advice I would like the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: There should be no doubt that Aspies have been contributing a lot to the world. Neurodiversity is strength in societies, analogous with biodiversity, which is known to be a significant strength in nature. The world benefits greatly from having so many different individuals in it—Aspies together with NTs.
Lars Perner
Year of birth: 1954
Country where I am currently living: USA
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Having a novel way of looking at the world.
Least favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Sensory vulnerabilities.
Last completed level of education: Ph.D., Marketing, University of Southern California, 1998.
Current job: Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California.
One line of advice I would give to someone with Asperger’s/HFA: Each individual on the spectrum is unique. You may differ significantly from most others on the spectrum on certain variables. Many of us, for example, are anything but visual thinkers!
One line of advice I would like the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: Many people with AS have rather unique skills to contribute to the world and may come up with new ways to look at things. The important thing is to identify the potential of the specific individual.
Mitch Christian
Year of birth: 1962
Country where I am currently living: USA
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Remaining reasonable when confronted with overreactions.
Least favorite part aboutz being Asperger’s/HFA: Hypersensitivity to sound.
Last completed level of education: Four-year college degree.
Current job: Computer programmer.
One line of advice I would give to someone with Asperger’s/HFA: It’s going to be okay.
One line of advice I would like the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: You need us.
Dr. Stephen M. Shore
Year of birth: 1961
Country where I am currently living: USA
Favorite part about being Asperger’s/HFA: Experiencing the world and our community.
Last completed level of education: Doctorate in Special Education.
Current job: Assistant Professor of Special Education.
One line of advice I would give to someone with Asperger’s/HFA: Find a way to use your often considerable strengths for success!
One line of advice I would like the world to know about Asperger’s/HFA: The potential of people with Asperger’s is unlimited – just like everyone else.
Contributing Artists
Michael Tolleson, USA (www.artofmichaeltolleson.com)
Jennifer Healy, USA (www.jennifer-healy.com)