LOS ANGELES -- Barbara LaSalle knows Asperger's Syndrome inside and out. Her son's peculiar behaviors perplexed both his mother and his doctors for twenty-three years. All the while, Ben suffered in his own little world, undiagnosed. FINDING BEN: A Mother's Journey Through the Maze of Asperger's (Contemporary Books/McGraw-Hill; April 15, 2003; $19.95), by Barbara LaSalle, tells this disturbing, but ultimately uplifting story. Though viewed from a mother's perspective - it is brought to life by a son's adult reflections as it recounts the odyssey of Ben's late diagnosis, the difficult incidents of their past, and ultimately Barbara's transformation from shame to acceptance.

With the help of her son's photographic memory, LaSalle tells two stories: a mother's fight to overcome guilt and self-loathing for having an imperfect son, and a son's experience in a world no one could reach or understand. In writing their story, LaSalle tells her truth to Ben: that he was different from the boy she had imagined; and Ben tells his truth to her: that despite how hard he tried, or lied, or pretended, he could not be that boy.

FINDING BEN follows the chronological path of a promising young boy on a downward spiral from innocence, to confusion, through loneliness, alienation and despair. In the process it takes the reader through the unfolding mystery of their turbulent journey as it depicts the possible implications of an undetected disorder: Ben's lack of friends, his elaborate lies to cover up failures, a series of failed school and institutional living care facilities, and four harrowing days in jail.

LaSalle's retelling is a touching and inspiring story with journalistic and literary credential, for all parents. It tells the story of how mother and son come to accept a reality that neither of them wanted or could define. Throughout his childhood, Barbara recalls how instead of delighting in her son, she tried to change him. But Ben could not change, he could only be himself.

"Helping my mom write this book has forced me to confront aspects of myself I may never otherwise have faced. It has forced me to remember experiences in my life I tried so hard to forget. But somewhere in the process of answering my mother's questions, I realized that talking about these experiences was making me feel better, not worse." - Ben Levinson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Barbara LaSalle, M.A., M.F.C.C., (Los Angeles) began her career as a specialist in early childhood development for the New York City public school system, where she was appointed a special consultant to the Head Start program. Upon moving to Los Angeles, she earned a degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling and established a therapy practice there in 1978, which she continues today. Her interest in neurobiological disorders was initially fueled by her decades-long odyssey to find the proper diagnosis and treatment for her son, Ben. Along the way, she came to recognize a genuine lack of information available to people in her circumstances. Her relentless pursuit for answers led her to UCLA's Behavioral Media Lab, where she co-produced the documentaries, "It's Not All in Their Minds," "Living with A.D.D.," and "What Happens When My Child Grows Up?" A frequent lecturer, workshop leader, and featured guest on radio programs, LaSalle has also trained non-medical therapists to recognize and treat patients with neurobiological disorders.

Ben Levinson (Los Angeles) is currently pursuing a degree in American Studies. He continues to write about his experiences growing up with Asperger's Syndrome at www.aspergerjourney.com.

 

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