Asperger Syndrome And Social Relationships

This book is essential reading to understand the social abilities of adults with Asperger's syndrome. The contributors each have different personalities and experiences, but together they provide a range of strategies to encourage people with Asperger's syndrome to achieve the social relationships they desire.' - Professor Tony Attwood Social interaction among neurotypical people is complex and in many ways illogical. To the person with Asperger Syndrome (AS) it is also woefully unintuitive. In this book, adults with AS discuss social relationships, offer advice and support for others with AS and provide necessary insights into AS perspectives for those working and interacting with them. The contributors evaluate a range of social contexts and relationship aspects, including: * online relationships - a worldwide social network based on non-verbal communication, * the unwritten rules of neurotypical socialising, * the need for mutual understanding between those with AS and neurotypicals, * the effects of struggling socially on one's self-esteem and frame of mind, and * the opportunities provided by social skills workshops or interest groups. This is essential reading for adults with AS, their family and friends, as well as service providers and other professionals providing support for people with AS in adult life.

Employment is an important part of a healthy, balanced and fulfilling life but less than 20 per cent of people with Asperger Syndrome (AS) are in work at any one time. The adults with AS in this book explore the issues surrounding employment, providing advice and insights for others with AS, as well as their employers and colleagues.

Building Social Relationships addresses the need for social skills programming for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and other social difficulties by providing a comprehensive model that incorporates the following five steps: assess social functioning, distinguish between skill acquisition and performance deficits, select intervention strategies, implement intervention, and evaluate and monitor progress. The model describes how to organize and make sense of the myriad social skills strategies and resources available to parents and professionals. It is not meant to replace other resources or strategies, but to synthesize them into one comprehensive program.

This resource provides practical strategies for helping teenagers and adults with Asperger Syndrome to navigate social skills, friendships and relationships at home and in the community. The author offers advice and useful strategies for tackling day-to-day problems such as visits to the dentist or the doctor, searching for a job, sorting out personal finances, going on vacation, and dealing with public transport, as well as more intimate topics such as dating and acquiring and maintaining friendships. The chapters are structured around real-life scenarios and the challenges they present, followed by step-by-step solutions and suggestions. A final section provides a set of practical self-help tools, which encourage the reader to note down answers to the questions posed and record personal reflections. This accessible guide will be essential reading for teenagers and adults with Asperger Syndrome and their families, teachers, therapists, counsellors, carers, social and health work professionals.

The authors share what they have learned about social relationships over the course of years struggling with the effects of autism, identifying Ten Unwritten Rules as general guidelines for handling social situations.

Adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) often have difficulties acquiring relationship skills due to the defining characteristics of the syndrome, experiences with peers during childhood and adolescence, and the expectations of their partners. However, an increasing number do go on to achieve happy and successful long-term relationships with non-spectrum (NS) partners. This supportive book will give NS partners a better understanding of NS/AS relationships, and of what other NS partners have found to be helpful in terms of better understanding themselves and their partners, and enriching their relationships. Drawing on interviews with over 100 people in NS/AS relationships, as well as on their own experiences of having family members on the autism spectrum, the authors explore the key differences which may impact upon AS/NS relationships, such as communication, social skills, and sensory issues, and offer tried-and-tested advice on how to surmount difficulties and make things work. The book includes chapters on coping with stress and meltdowns, parenting, positive AS qualities and how to use them to their full advantage in a relationship, as well as advice on how the NS partner can ensure that their own needs are met. This book will provide support and encouragement to those in a relationship with someone who has been diagnosed with AS, or who is suspected of having AS, and will also be a useful resource for counsellors and other professionals who wish to deepen their understanding of AS/NS relationships.

"This accessible book is an invaluable source of information and support for couples in which one or both partners has Asperger Syndrome, as well as counsellors and health and social care professionals."--BOOK JACKET.

First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.