dragonfly22's comments

Coping with an adult with Asperger's (4)

26 May 2009 02:41 PM

My husband and I are fairly certain that his cousin has Asperger's. (I put in a few years paid and volunteer work in social services, so have some training and experience.) He fits all the criteria except that he has a good sense of humor, but he can still take humorous comments too literally if he's caught at the right moment, and is often unable to understand when the joke is "over." He's in his early 30s, but doesn't date, and has avoided opportunities to do so; as far as we can tell, he doesn't have any real friends, just relatives and acquaintances he's met through relatives, who he just drops in on every week or so, in a sort of round that he makes around town. He doesn't work, although he graduated last year with a doctorate in the sciences from a prestigious program. As he has yet to go to a single job interview of any kind, despite considerable encouragement, we're concerned that he will get into financial difficulty, not to mention lose what little motivation he seems to have to work. (Instead, he focuses on his several intense and unusual hobbies.) What we're wondering is this: Would not his chances for success be increased if he were to be diagnosed and get into a support group and/or social skills training? Should we try to get him to seek help? He seems to be more comfortable with us than with his immediate family, so if anyone were to speak directly to him, it would probably be us. Should we just tell him what we've read about Asperger's, and suggest that he talk to his doctor about it? He does get Amitryptyline from his primary doc for anxiety and insomnia, but it doesn't seem to help him much. We're very concerned about making him feel stigmatized or rejected. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!