I’m studying the impact of Aspergers Syndrome on personality styles and interpersonal communication skills at work, at home and in school.
Perhaps these resources may come in handy as you strive to understand interpersonal communication differences in co-workers, managers, students, friends or family members – it may help you help others!
What is Aspergers Syndrome? According to Tony Attwood, Author of the Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome, traits include:
- those who value being creative vs cooperative
- a different, not defective, way of thinking
- a desire to solve a problem vs satisfy social/emotional needs of others
- those who struggle with the management/expression of emotions
- direct, determined and speak their mind
- perceive errors not apparent to others
- and others, which you can read more about here
More experiences* of Asperger’s symptoms include:
Very bright, very sweet, vulnerable, often misunderstood and may easily be taken advantage of. They may come across like a little professor and talk in a way which leads you to believe they are years older, intellectually. They may end up being loners, struggle with relationships, work hard to impress others with their knowledge and could come across as arrogant. They may have a flat “affect” or expressionless face. Reading social cues is difficult, so they may ask more questions than what’s typical. They may also interpret you literally and say, “…but, that isn’t what I expected…”. It’s possible they’ve shown symptoms of ADD, ADHD, learning disabilities, anger management challenges, auditory processing problems, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, oppositional defiance, control issues, etc.
(* Disclaimer: the lawyers tell me to let you know right about here that I am NOT a psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed social worker, therapist or doctor! Always consult a professional.)
Megan Pratinfield has written articles about her experiences with Asperger’s symptoms. Here’s another good resource on Asperger’s with a page about famous people with “Aspy” traits.
And here’s the help4aspergers.com site, featuring information on Asperger’s at work, female traits and the book, 22 Things a Woman Must Know if She Loves a Man with Asperger’s.
Then, from the words of a young man with Asperger’s, here’s what he says it’s like:
And a final word…
If you know someone who is struggling, whether they are a child or a full-grown adult, it’s possible there may be more going on than just a difficult personality style. I’ve had people tell me their behavioral challenges stemmed from their environment, their boss, spouse, parents, the food they ate, the drugs they took and the people they hung out with.
And that may all be true.
But please do not let another day go by without learning more about Asperger’s. It could change your life or the life of a loved one!
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