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John Elder Robison
John Elder Robison grew up in the 1960s before the Asperger diagnosis came into common use. After dropping out of high school, John worked in the music business where he created sound effects and electronic devices, including the signature illuminated, smoking, and rocket firing guitars he built... show more



John Elder Robison grew up in the 1960s before the Asperger diagnosis came into common use. After dropping out of high school, John worked in the music business where he created sound effects and electronic devices, including the signature illuminated, smoking, and rocket firing guitars he built for KISS. Later John worked on some of the first video games and talking toys at Milton Bradley. After a ten year career in electronics John founded Robison Service, a specialty automobile company in Springfield, Massachusetts. Today, in addition to running the car company, John is the Neurodiversity Scholar in Residence at the College of William & Mary. He is a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee which makes the Strategic Plan for Autism for the US government. He has served as a panel member for the Institute for Autism Research, The Centers for Disease Control, The National Institutes of Mental Health. John is very active in his efforts to support and promote research leading to therapies or treatments that will improve the lives of people who live with autism in all its forms today. John is widely known as an advocate for people with autism and neurological differences. John is the author of Switched On; Look Me in the Eye; Be Different, Adventures of a free-range Aspergian; and Raising Cubby, a unique tale of parenting. John's writing has been translated into sixteen languages and his work is sold in over 60 countries. His writing also appears in a number of magazines and he's a regular blogger on Psychology Today.John's newest book - Switched On - tells the story of his participation in groundbreaking brain stimulation at Harvard's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.In addition to his autism advocacy work, John is a lifelong car enthusiast, an avid hiker, a photographer, a music lover, and a world-class champion eater. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.Find John on the web:www.robisonservice.com - the car companywww.johnrobison.com - John's personal sitejerobison.blogspot.com - John's blogJohnElderRobison - on Facebook@johnrobison - on Twitter

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Community Reviews
Mirkat Always Reading
Mirkat Always Reading rated it 9 years ago
Finished this one a couple of days ago and I keep forgetting to review it--probably because I transitioned right into listening to Running With Scissors. Augusten Burroughs is John Elder Robison's little brother. I had no idea! Anyway, Robison was not diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome until he ...
Tolle Lege!.
Tolle Lege!. rated it 9 years ago
The book is an anecdotal account of the author's experience of taking TMS (transcranal magnetic stimulation), as an experimental treatment for autism (he'll often use the word Asperger instead of 'autism'). The author is a good narrator, and tells his personnel experiences in a very likable manner....
EpicFehlReader
EpicFehlReader rated it 10 years ago
Ever since he was young, John Robison longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother, Augusten Burroughs, in them)—had earned...
Hipster Ariel's Literary Grotto
Hipster Ariel's Literary Grotto rated it 10 years ago
I read Robison's more famous work, Look Me in the Eye, before I was diagnosed and fell in love with his writing style. He is a highly engaging writer and clearly wants to give insights and advice to those on and off the spectrum. This is a bit different in that he shows how his strengths were used...
My Book Life
My Book Life rated it 12 years ago
I have not laughed so hard at a book in a long time. The author's unique perspective on social rules is priceless. He has no choice but to see the truth in all the obscure unwritten rules that society creates, and he writes about it so clearly.
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