num_pages: 304
description: One mother's remarkable account of raising an Asperger's syndrome child.Ben seemed to be an extraordinary child.Born with a superanalytical mind he was able to store hordes of information like a minicomputer. Yet lurking beneath this boy genius's amazing albeit useless gifts for facts were an extraordinary fear of change and social aloofness. Unknown to his mother Barbara until much later Ben suffered from Asperger's syndrome--the little grown-up disorder--a neurobiological disease similar to autism. Frank honest and beautifully written Finding Ben is a remarkably moving account of Barbara LaSalle's struggles to understand--and overcome--the guilt she feels for not fully loving her son.Burdened with the belief that the world would look at her son and somehow see her own failure Finding Ben is a powerfully honest narrative account of how a mother's love can turn over time into resentment for having to raise a special-needs child.It is through LaSalle's special friendship with Jack a man full of wisdom despite his debilitating brain aneurysm that LaSalle is finally able to love her son--and herself--again. With two stories to tell Finding Ben is both a fascinating look at a mercurial disease and a powerful story of one mother's personal journey from frustration and resentment to love and acceptance.
language: English
title: Finding Ben : A Mother's Journey Through the Maze of Asperger's
publisher: McGraw Hill