Finding a Different Kind of Normal

Jeanette Purkis spent their early life reacting violently against their feelings of embarrassment, anger and confusion about their ‘difference' from other people. Jeanette was unaware until well into adulthood that everything they found difficult, including their lack of success in forming relationships, could be a result of having Asperger Syndrome.  Used to being a misfit from a very young age, Jeanette found that being a member of a group in which they had a label – Jeanette the Communist; Jeanette, Enemy of the State; Jeanette the convict; Jeanette the drug addict – gave them a sense of order they could depend on, particularly in prison, where each day had a set routine and the inmates accepted them because of their rebel attitude. Finally diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at the age of 20, the author only began to accept their diagnosis some years later when they felt for the first time that they might learn to cope with being Jeanette.  Jeanette's remarkable life and their journey towards finding a different kind of normal is compelling and inspiring reading for people with autism spectrum disorders, and those living or working with them.