Welcome to Gaia! ::

Let me start this off by saying that I'm neurotypical. I've never formally studied Asperger's. I am not an expert in any way on this subject. That said, I do know a thing or two, but my information is no substitution for a psychologist or an Aspergic person.

If you are a psychologist or someone with Asperger's, feel free to correct me if I say something incorrect or if you feel there could be a better way to say it.

Contents
Definitions
What is Asperger's Syndrome?
What are the symptoms?
What should I do if I meet someone with Asperger's?
Resources

What is Asperger's Syndrome?

Asperger's Syndrome is a type of high-functioning autism, falling under the "autism spectrum" umbrella in the DSM-V, which was released in May of 2013.

Asperger's Syndrome (and autism in general) is often portrayed in the media as a person who is socially awkward (possibly not talking at all, bad at eye contact, and generally a loner) and incredibly intelligent. While there are plenty of cases where this is the case, it's far from the whole story.

Asperger's was named for Hans Asperger, an Austrian scientist who worked with children who exhibited signs that they were different from their peers.

Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry on Asperger's if you'd like to know more.

What should I do if I meet someone with Asperger's?

Say hello. razz

Conversation between an Aspergic person and a neurotypical person can be difficult at first, especially if you've never met an autistic person before. Even if you have met an Aspie or two, keep in mind that each one is a little different from the last. There's a saying: "If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism."

The best rules I can give you would be:

1. Be polite: don't point out anything the Aspergic person does that seems odd to you. Aspies often have a hard time in social situations, and it can be very stressful to talk to a new person at all. Pointing out something that makes him or her different could just add to that stress, because many Aspergic people want to be socially accepted, just like many neurotypical people do.

2. Be patient: don't feel insulted if he or she looks elsewhere or walks away from you in the middle of the conversation. If he or she wants to talk about something that bores you, wait until an acceptable moment to suggest that you talk about something else. On that note...

3. Be blunt (but still polite!): Since Aspies often have a hard time reading facial expression and understanding tone of voice, they might not know if your mood has changed or if you are ready to leave the conversation. If he or she says something that upsets you, plainly state, "It makes me a little upset that you said that. Could you please not say it to me anymore?" If you need to leave the conversation or simply want to leave the conversation, say so. "It's been nice talking to you, but I have to go now," or "It's been nice talking to you, but I'm going to go do something else now." The response will change from person to person, but many of them will understand you best this way.

4. ABOVE ALL, keep in mind that this person is the only person who is exactly like this. While the above tips can help in a lot of situations with a lot of autistic people, they are not foolproof.