John Elder Robison (born August 13, 1957) is the American author of the 2007 memoir Look Me in the Eye, detailing his life with undiagnosed Asperger syndrome and savant abilities, and of three other books. Robison wrote his first book at age 49. Early life Robison was born in Athens, Georgia, while his parents were attending the University of Georgia. He is the son of poet Margaret Robison (1935–2015) and John G. Robison (1935–2005), former head of the philosophy department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During his adolescence, Robison suffered abuse from his father and mother. Robison later dropped out of high school. Personal life He married three times and has one son. He is the elder brother of memoirist Augusten Burroughs, who also wrote about his childhood in the memoir Running with Scissors. He was diagnosed with Asperger's at 40. In 2011, Robison was featured on an episode of Ingenious Minds, which discussed some of the transcranial magnetic stimulation experiments he underwent to improve his social cognition. Career Robison has had several careers. In the 1970s, he worked as an engineer in the music business where he is best known for creating the signature special effects guitars played by the band KISS. In the 1980s, Robison worked for electronics manufacturers Milton Bradley Company (electronic games), Simplex (fire alarms and building control), and ISOREG (power conditioning systems). Robison wrote his first book at age 49. Books In Look Me in the Eye, Robison describes growing up with no diagnosis of his autism, but aware that he was different, and how he was first diagnosed by a therapist friend when he was 40 years old. After writing that book, Robison became active in the planning of autism research and in autism advocacy. Robison is also the author of Be Different (2011), a how-to guide for grown-ups with autism; Raising Cubby (2013), the story of raising his autistic son; and Switched On (2016), which tells the story of his participation as a research subject in brain studies using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. Automobiles Robison runs a successful car specialty shop. He is the founder of J.E. Robison Service Co., Inc. in Springfield, Mass. Robison Service is an authorized Bosch Car Service Center that specializes in high-end European automobile service and restoration. Robison Service is also part of