Arrogance, Ignorance or Asperger's?

What is your perception when you look at people or listen to them? Do you assume they are not very nice because they are not smiling or that maybe they are snobby? When they talk is their voice kind of flat and you think to yourself, "What a dummy that person is". How about when they say inappropriate things and you come to the conclusion that they are rude or ignorant? Could it be that you are not looking deep enough to find the treasures that seem to be hidden deep in the soul of a person with Asperger's Syndrome?

What if the person you are judging can't help themselves and you've been very critical and often condescending? How would that make you feel if you have worked with someone with these characteristics? People with Asperger syndrome have social challenges and unusual interests and behaviors but they do not a have intellectual disability or problems with language.

They do have trouble understanding other people's feelings or expressing their own feelings. Trying to negotiate the world can be exhausting since it seems everyone else 'gets it'. It takes a lot of energy to try to figure out people's motives because for the most part, a person with AS doesn't have a hidden agenda. What you see is what you get. WYSIWYG

Other symptoms:

• Have trouble with friendships
• Have delayed speech and language skills
• Repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia)
• Give unrelated answers to questions
• Get upset by minor changes
• Have obsessive interests
• Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel

A person that suffers from AS is often sensitive to criticism and feel oppressed from co-workers that may just be trying to help. The employer can be helpful if they understand that the person with AS can be highly intelligent but have a lack of social skills that assist them in coping within the workplace.

Next time you think about making a judgement about a person who is not exactly like you, step back and take the time to notice their achievements and their ability to think outside of the box. Take note of what they can accomplish even though the path they take goes down lanes less traveled. They do get to where they are going even if it is often the long way around.

Some famous people who are thought to have had Asperger's Syndrome

• Ben Franklin
• Isaac Newton
• George Washington
• Napoleon Bonaparte
• Robin Williams
• Tom Hanks
• Beethoven
• Elvis
• Socrates