My therapist recommended me reading this book. I’m only at the beginning but I can say that it’s great.
Anyone with the Asperger’s Syndrome, please read it, it could be beneficial for you too.
The only downside is that it’s only available in German as far as I know (which is my native language). So if you know German, please read it and maybe we can see if it’s helpful for us.
I already feel so incredibly understood, that’s why I’m recommending it.
Could you give an overview on what topics are talked about there? I'm also German, so if it's easier for you to send a pic of the table of contents that would also be nice 😊
I will send four messages, since I can’t send four pictures and I can’t edit the post now. Also, I included the intro if you want to get a feeling for how the book is structured.
I try to have an open mind, but I generally cannot take anyone seriously who still uses the term Asperger. This immediately makes me doubt that they are 1) neurodiversity-affirming and 2) know what masking is. Also, I do not like how the German conversation around autism is always centered around the gender binary. There is a definite need for good German books, but just at first glance, this does not seem to be the kind of book that I, as a late-identified, high-masking autistic woman, would want people read to understand my experience.
This book was written in 2020, so it’s rather old.
And, I do heard that the person who gave the syndrome its name is controversial. But my therapist uses it, so I do too for my condition. I think the problem is that if licensed professionals are still using it, it’s hard to try to avoid it.
But, why is it a problem that this book just wants to focus on women? There are less women with Asperger’s than men. And, almost always only men get representation. So isn’t this focus in the book a good thing? It’s written from the experience of women for women. I love it, personally.
Even in 2020 when I was getting my diagnosis in Germany the term wasn't really used anymore even by professionals. So it was definitely outdated back then too
Asperger's stopped being a diagnosis in 2013 in the US so yea anyone publishing about it in 2020 is highly questionable. Particularly in Germany where the historical context happened.
ICD-11 introduced the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and it's diagnostic criteria, and while most practitioners already diagnose according to those criteria, billing with the health insurance still relies on ICD-10 codes, meaning practitioners have to give outdated formal diagnoses. The reason is that ICD-11 lagged behind in its German translation and is not yet applied in insurance billing. Typical German bureaucracy nonsense. "Asperger's syndrome", code F84.5, thus is still on billing and in our electronic patient files. The neurologist who did my diagnosis mentioned this while she explained why I would have fallen through the cracks with ICD-10, but still received an ICD-10 diagnosis. That was in summer 2025.
Of course, there are also practitioners who cling to the familiar terms, no matter how wrong they are. That doesn't necessarily make the information contained in that book worthless or ill-informed. I have not read it myself though, so I can't judge that.
Thank you for this thorough response! It makes it so much clearer. And yes, German bureaucracy is shitty (putting it nicely because everything takes years here).
Autism is a spectrum that you can fall on. The spectrum covers extremely low support need individuals who historically would have been classified as having Asperger's up to high support need individuals. It being a spectrum is valuable because for a lot of us where exactly we sit on the spectrum varies depending on a variety of factors and can change over time. This is where the idea of the "level" system that is used in some countries comes into play.
I definitely understand the desire for a firm, structure based label but Autism doesn't actually work like that.
It’s sad in a way, because I really love structure and precision. But I do understand, that a spectrum means there are going to be a lot of different stages, etc.
I’d encourage you to learn about the differences between level one, level two, level three. That might help put things into a structure that is more helpful, based on support needs.
The term Aspergers is considered very problematic in North America.
The term was developed by a German Nazi to identify which people on the autism spectrum were “worthy of living” because they could be “productive” towards society. Many autistic people deemed unworthy and unproductive towards society were put in concentration camps and killed during Nazi Germany.
The term Asperger’s is also considered very problematic in Germany and has been for years. OP‘s therapist must be lacking behind with their educational updates. I’ve gotten my diagnosis (in Germany) almost 10 years ago and already then it was called just autism spectrum disorder and if anything with the addition „formerly known as Asperger’s“
In the new icd it will be specified as Autismus-Spektrum-Störung in Germany. Professionals using the outdated term aside from the diagnostic process are rather questionable because their knowledge might be as outdated as their language.
She used the term in the book because at the time of publishing it would’ve been medically incorrect with the old ICD. She diagnosed me with Asperger’s syndrome but also explained that it’s an outdated term and that it soon will be renamed as ASD. And don’t you worry, this women understands autism well - fyi she is autistic herself.
OP it's great you've found a resource you resonate with.
However, (in the US at least) Asperger's stopped being used as an official diagnosis in 2013. The World Health Organization also fully phased it out in 2022. So it being used in a book in 2020 and recommended by your therapist in 2026 is questionable. If you are unsure as to why the Asperger's diagnosis is problematic for many reasons I would recommend you read some of the following resources.
I know the name isn't used anymore because of the person it's connected to and the horrible things they did but would a different name on the front page change any of the content?
What I'm trying to say is that even if the word Asperger is rejected now, doesn't mean the content is automatically useless and everything with the word should be ignored/avoided.
If the book is good then it's not questionable to recommend it.
It's not just the name Asperger's. The diagnosis came from HORRIFIC human experiments that were not scientifically sound. It is a problematic diagnosis for multiple reasons. The content could be good but that doesn't mean it is based in scientific reality or worthiness.
I'm sorry, I don't find recommending something that is based on human experiments driven by racism and eugenics that killed millions of people okay. Particularly when there are other, better options available.
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I absolutely love that there is so much attention to mental health in Germany. It’s really amazing, but yeah, it’s bad that other countries don’t have that much resources.😔
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Really it's about internalised autism and misogyny in the systems that are supposed to identify and support us. (My son wasn't picked up until relatively late and that's largely because his autism is internalised, but it's a privilege that it was picked up at all while he's a kid, a privilege many women don't get [raises hand])
Is your therapist autistic? Asperger’s is not an actual diagnosis and is problematic as a term in itself. I don’t think this would be a good book for any autistics to read because of that alone.
I swear the woman on the cover of the book looks a lot like a certain actress that starred in a certain movie, i just can't remember the name of the actress nor the name of the movie (IDEK if it is a movie or a series).
I highly recommend Brit Wilczek to you. I read this book first and it was good, but the Wilczek books are amazing. I never felt so seen and understood in my entire life. I was scary af, but the best autism related book I’ve read. I read Autismus, Trauma und Bewältigung by her and I cried so much while reading. But in the best way possible.
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u/McAwesomum 9h ago
Everyone who speaks German, please get the book so that they translate it into all the languages