The Truth About Asperger's Syndrome - 4 - Intimate Relationships

[JDER14]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeAN0QtHiZ4

This guy has a series going on about being on the AS spectrum. I find them very interesting and insightful especially as I was thought to be on the spectrum when younger and had several friends with AS. I've matured and grown a lot so my social anxiety and hiccups are mostly gone but when I hang out with my AS friends it helps me understand what goes on in their heads and how to deal with it.

[kloaz]

Just finished watching the all of those videos so far and it was weirdly comforting to watch because it made me feel like I'm alone and like I'm not some weird freak.

[Draza~]

Turns out I have aspergers syndrome.. No wonder i've never had a girlfriend. The very idea of me having a girlfriend sounds alien to me.

[C O Y O T E]

Does he at any point bring up during this series that Aspergers is largely ignored as a diagnosis because of it's removal from the DSM?

[CyclonatorZ]

I don't know why, but I've never had the serious issues with socialization that plague a lot of adults on the spectrum. All of my friends say I'm lovely to talk to - and I don't think they're buttering me up just to be nice either. My biggest problem right now is that I'm stuck in a transition phase between my old social circles and unknown new ones - entirely due to the fact I'm no longer religious, and a lot of my old activities revolved around church. And I live in a mid-size southern town, so church is what the large majority of people around here do.

As for dating, well, granted I've yet to enter the scene - but it's of my own choice, not because I can't introduce myself to girls and carry on a conversation. I'm simply not at the place financially where I can support that kind of relationship, being unemployed and all. Plus, again, there's the issue of it being hard to find social gatherings around here that don't involve Jesus in some manner. But I'm keeping my eyes open, and in the meantime I'm trying to get back up on my feet.
Which I'm not mad about. Aspergers actually being on the wider spectrum of Autism makes more sense than being a separate diagnosis. Also, I prefer to not associate myself with the name, ever since I found out Hans Asperger was a nazi whose used his research to identify candidates for euthanization.

[C O Y O T E]

I'm not mad either, I'd rather be able to say "I have a case of mild autism" which is something most people have a concept of than going "I have Aspergers" and then having to elaborate on what it is.

[Flicky]

These videos are incredibly liberating. It's nice knowing that we're not alone in struggling with Asperger's and socializing.

This video offers some further examples of the difficulties of socializing that really resonate with me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTIDQQbgK60