Leon John Crothers is 4779 days old (thirteen years and one month, if you’re mathematically challenged), he has been ‘moved on’ from six different schools and most people think he has an attitude problem.
Leon doesn’t care for the label, in the same way that he doesn’t care for Tim Burton, supermarket trolleys, train fanatics or Bounty bars. This time, however, things may turn out differently as help comes from where he least expects it - Dr Snot, a physician at pains to help Leon navigate 'normal' and classmates, Tanya and Lawrence who both face their own challenges.
When school bully Glen Jenkins humiliates Leon in the school canteen and almost destroys Lawrence, Leon very reluctantly agrees to the formation of a club, The Asparagus Bunch.
How Leon manages to navigate school woes and family drama – and astonishingly ends up with not one but two friends – is nothing short of a miracle, or maybe just simply down to being different.
A note from Jessica Scott-Whyte;
While this book is based on my own lived experiences with autism, I did draw on important support from the UK’s National Autistic Society when addressing autism in this story’ which I would suggest being amended to ‘While this book is based on my own lived experiences with autism, I did draw on important support from the UK’s National Autistic Society when addressing autism in this story.
Though there are common challenges that autistic people share, autism is a spectrum condition and affects people in different ways.
The advances that have been made these past decades in understanding autism have been substantial, during which time, different diagnostic labels have been used, such as: autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), classic autism, Kanner autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), high-functioning autism (HFA), Asperger syndrome and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). Based on recent changes however to the main diagnostic manuals, Autism Spectrum Disorder is likely to be the most commonly given diagnostic term, according to the UK’s National Autistic Society.
The problematic history surrounding Hans Asperger has provoked widespread debate within the autistic community. Indeed, today, many people whose profile fits that of Asperger syndrome are being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder instead. That being said, every person is different and should feel comfortable in choosing how they wish to identify themselves.
Those people who have an Asperger syndrome diagnosis may well choose to keep using the term, whereas others may prefer to refer to themselves as autistic or having an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dyslexia is a learning difference that also occurs on a spectrum; some people are mildly affected and others more severely. Everyone with dyslexia is different but there are commonly shared difficulties with reading, spelling and writing and related cognitive/processing difficulties.
The book has been set using a dyslexic-friendly font.
| ISBN: | 9781801300469 |
| Publication date: | 21st July 2022 |
| Author: | Jessica Scott-Whyte |
| Publisher: | Welbeck Flame an imprint of Welbeck Publishing Group |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 240 pages |
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
| Other Genres: |
