What Is Asperger Syndrome?
Asperger Syndrome (AS) is an Autism Spectrum Disorder thought to affect millions of people globally. It is characterized by repetitive behaviors, clumsiness, and difficulty communicating with others through words and body language. Those who have AS describes it as a “social disability” that makes it difficult to communicate. It is more of a different way of perceiving and communicating than a disease or a handicap.
The Challenges of Living with Asperger Syndrome
People with AS suffer from different sorts of symptoms. Many must learn to control how often they speak and what they speak about. People with AS can often seem confusing or nonsensical to others, and they are unable to see why others can’t understand them.
Social Development and Asperger Syndrome
People with AS often must work harder than those without it to develop relationships and to be “socially normal.” A circle of close friends and family can help those with AS understand ways they could improve social interactions with others. Feedback from those who care is crucial.
Developing meaningful relationships is hard for everyone, but those with AS have different, at times more challenging, experiences building and maintaining relationships. Friends and family of those with Asperger’s should do their best to accommodate the different experiences of their loved ones. No matter your relation to those with Asperger’s or other syndromes, Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is unconditional.
[External Resource: How should Christians respond to someone with Asperger’s?]
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Have you ever felt misunderstood or misinterpreted by someone? What happened?
- Have you ever known someone with Asperger’s or another Autism Spectrum Disorder? How did that person’s thinking and behavior differentiate them from what you would consider “normal” behavior?
- If you are not affected by such a disorder, what do you think your role is in the lives of those who are affected by them? What is not your role in their lives?
- How can you “love your neighbor as yourself” as it relates to people you may know with Asperger’s, their families, or their friends?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
See the FLEXTALK version of this topic.
