Acquiring Social Skills

     Does your child with Asperger Syndrome really want to be alone?

     I have Asperger Syndrome, and I enjoyed being alone when I was little, mostly when I was in my own world reading.  But I also craved company and wanted to be with people. 

     We have an opportunity here.

     An opportunity to help boys with Asperger Syndrome and similar forms of autism to "man up."  I’m not talking about being macho. I’m talking about learning about things such as sexuality, protecting oneself from sexual predators, and using a public men's room.

   When I was little, I almost drowned.  

   On summer days, I’d go to a community pool with the kids from the neighborhood.  One day, before I learned to swim, I found myself past the rope with floats that marked the deep water.  I stepped in the wrong direction and my head slipped below the surface.  

I love the story about a man who approached legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein on the street in New York and asked, “Excuse me, how do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Rubinstein reportedly looked at the man and said, “Practice, practice, practice.”