Asperger Syndrome

* I write to correct one serious error in the article about my wife, Mary, and myself, “Against the Odds: a Love Story” (Oct. 23). I was described as having grown up as an “outcast.” That is simply not true. My parents provided for me the same societal and academic inclusion that my two older brothers enjoyed. In the opinion of most people, and even my own, I was eccentrically normal.

My parents are gone, but those who remember their dedication must be reassured that I appreciate their efforts to help me grow up with a unique combination of talents and social liabilities. The same applies to my two surviving brothers. As adults, their honest feedback and assistance, emotionally and financially, helped me survive while I desperately sought to understand my roller-coaster life. Beyond the now-corrected error, I sincerely thank you for sharing a hopeful story about Asperger syndrome.

JERRY NEWPORT

Los Angeles