Love on the spectrum

It’s fun to read a newspaper story about people you have met — especially when it is a good article! I enjoyed this very experience when I read a article called Navigating Love and Autism about the blooming romance between 19-year-old Jack Robison and Kirsten Lindsmith, both students at the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst.

I had the good fortune of spending an evening with Jack Robison and Kirsten Lindsmith at last year’s Autism Society conference. They were delightful in person, and their personalities shine in this great article written by Amy Harmon.

Interpersonal relationships are a lifelong learning opportunity — for everybody. Even folks that have mastered most of life’s challenges (e.g. career, finances, and education) often struggle with how to successfully partner with another person. These two young people graciously provide a view into their world and are a great example of the unique challenges that individuals with autism experience in pursuing a partnership and the success they have had in overcoming some of those challenges. In her article, Ms. Harmon writes about a misunderstanding about individuals with autism:

Because they have a hard time grasping what another is feeling — a trait sometimes described as “mindblindness” — many assumed that those with such autism spectrum disorders were incapable of, or indifferent to, intimate relationships.

This is not true. Amy Hardon’s article tackles many topics important to relationship, communication, personal preference, and sex — all with an ASD spin. The article informs us neurotypicals about some of the unique aspects of relationships for individuals with autism — but also provides some insight that the challenges in these relationships aren’t that different than the ones the rest of us experience.


 

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