Autistic Writers on the Topic of Love

Let’s expel some myths about autism and dating/sexuality this Valentine’s Day! As always, the best way to do this is to see what people on the spectrum are saying about the topic. Below you’ll find a variety of articles authored by #ActuallyAutistic writers who speak on the topic of dating, romance, and love on the spectrum.

Autism Interview #101: Elizabeth Crawford on Listening, Marriage, and Autistic Identity

Elizabeth Crawford is an autistic freelance book editor and writer who blogs at Return to Innocence. She’s on a mission to support other women with Asperger’s Syndrome by writing about her life experiences. She has a new book Chameleon: An Asperger’s Memoir that released this month. This week she shared her experience as a former teacher in a school for autistic children as well as her experience navigating social life and the learning curve of personal relationship development.

Autistic and in Love: 3 Simple Guidelines for Parents

Autistic romantic relationships may look different than neurotypical ones. The best way to understand how autistic individuals can create successful romantic relationships is talking and listening to autistic people who have been in them. This article offers a simple overview for parents of three fundamental principles to remember regarding autistic involvement in romantic relationships and cites additional relationship resources for further reading.

Autism Interview #86: Gord Gates on Late Diagnosis, Marriage, and Advocacy

Gord Gates is a Canadian author, mental health counselor, and Autistic activist. Gates’ new book, Trauma, Stigma, and Autism: Developing Resilience and Loosening the Grip of Shame offers a unique framework for combating the psychological and emotional impact of stigma and creates a brighter path for anyone who’s been made to feel like an “outsider.” He says stigma is a form of trauma and shows how trauma in various forms can create difficult emotional challenges. He describes how autism can help us better manage these challenges as it provides insight into the nature of stigma and helps us counter the automatic reactions that often stigmatize others. This week he shares his experiences growing up without a diagnosis and how parents and educators can better support Autistic children and adults.

Autism Interview #52: Mark Kent on Asperger’s Syndrome and M.E.

Mark Kent is an autistic writer and married father of four. Mark lives with Aspergers and Myalgic Encephalopathy (M.E.) (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), a condition that makes everyday tasks challenging. Mark participates in a variety of research studies related to autism and M.E. and blogs about them at http://mark-kent.webs.com/ in order to help others improve awareness and understanding of people with disabilities. This week he shared some of his personal experiences as a father of four with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Autism Interview #15: Sarah Hendrickx on Autistic Females, Marriage, and Advocacy

Sarah Hendrickx

Sarah Hendrickx is an independent specialist consultant and trainer in Autism Spectrum Conditions. Sarah is autistic with a late diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome in her 40s. She has a lifetime of personal experience of autism, its mental and physical impact and how to live with it and shares this during training along with her professional expertise.

She travels internationally and has delivered over 1000 autism training sessions and speaks at conferences worldwide She has also worked with more than 200 autistic individuals as a coach and consultant in care, schools, relationships and employment. Sarah has written 6 books on autism and related conditions. She was featured in a BBC Horizon documentary on autism.