Feel like friendships are often a problem? Are relationships frequently a challenge? When are social difficulties the result of Asperger’s Disorder or something else?
Relationships of all kinds are typically hard. Whether it’s making or keeping a friend, working in a group, or managing intimacy, social connections are complex.
Successful relationships require adequate confidence and satisfactorily managing worries and concerns. Sustaining attention is necessary to properly listen to others while emotional competence is needed to comprehend what others are feeling and how to respond with empathy or sensitivity. How well things have gone in the past influences our expectations. While success increases opportunities to meet and connect with others, social failure can leave people increasingly isolated, lonely or angry.
Asperger’s is a complex, genetically influenced disorder that is present in early childhood. It typically manifests in marked challenges with emotional insight, abstract communication, friendships, or maintaining a variety of interests. These issues readily influence the quality or number of friendships too. Factors like self-confidence, anxiety, attention, and family problems easily hurt friendships as well. These problems can develop at other ages and make secondarily relationships hard. Only an evaluation by professionals who specialize in Asperger’s can clarify whether Asperger’s is relevant for a given person or there are other reasons that someone struggles socially.
October 28, 2010 9:14pm
(c) Helena Huckabee