22 Things a Woman Must Know If She Loves a Man with Asperger's Syndrome

Rudy Simone is a writer and Asperger's Syndrome educator who lives in Western New York.

Introduction. 1. There will be loneliness. 2. There will probably be no public displays of affection. 3. Labels and romantic expectations make him feel nervous. 4. He will take you and the relationship for granted. 5. He may have a more patient approach to sex than you do. 6. Communication will always be a challenge. 7. There will be shock. 8. Your man may not be there for you in a crisis. 9. Many AS males can be cranky, have bad tempers and can explode at the slightest of things. 10. Your man may have a hard time completing a college degree, holding on to a job or seeing things through. 11. He may get depressed and/or completely inert for long periods of time. 12. There will be times he embarrasses you. 13. Your family and friends may think you're being a doormat and a fool. 14. People will tell you he's just being a man. 15. You must have a good social support network, so you can go out and have fun once in a while. 16. Your AS male will not care about the things you do without him and there will be things he does not share with you. 17. Time holds a different meaning for him than it does for you. 18. He will probably want to sleep on the couch starting very early in the relationship and continuing throughout. 19. You will never change him, even if you can succeed in getting him to change his behaviour. 20. Even if he loves you and values your relationship, it is possible you may never get a commitment. 21. Many AS/NT relationships go through various metamorphoses. 22. Your relationship will stand a much better chance if your man will REACH. Questions to ask yourself. Glossary of Terms. Recommended reading and resources. References.