Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
My name is John Gaffen, I don't have Autism, but I very strongly suspect that someone I know very well, has undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome. This person was married to my sister, who sadly passed away back in April of this year. He has all the classic characteristics of this syndrome and has even mentioned to me directly that he has no real friends. I have known this person for many years and it has been extremely difficult sometimes to get along with my brother-in-law. This person is now in his 70's, he has a very high IQ, but his social interactions can be very awkward and one sided. He gets very focused on very narrow areas of interest and or conversations and finds it difficult to empathize with other people at times. He uses his considerable intelligence to try and navigate around some of these issues, but not always successfully.
My question is 1). Should I tell him what I think, that he probably has Aspergers, 2). If so, how should I approach or I go about doing this 3). What other advice should I offer to him if I go ahead and tell him?
This is a difficult one, as I am worried about doing more harm than good.
I had no clue until a teacher friend said my behaviours fitted the pattern of Asperger's - so yes, I needed it suggesting to me.
I was totally ok with it - I saw it as just a piece of data - and as I don't really process emotions, there was nothing good or bad to feel about it.
It was useful to know as I'm now aware of my 'traits' so I can try to adjust my mask so they don't show too much.
I've had no support whatsoever from any NHS systems - they appear to not care.
Can't speak about anyone else's experience though.