Hi just wanted to reach out on here to anyone parent or otherwise. My son is 22 diagnosed Aspergers age 12
Some things get better some get worse as he grows up! Hoping to find some advice and support here
Particular worries are relationships long term and work prospects!
When I was a little kid, the inability to make friends was crushing. Even when people were friendly, my own pain and experiences led me to discount it. The inability to figure out what people really meant instead of the literal meaning of their words left me feeling alienated and vulnerable. I was sometimes taken advantage of because I couldn't see through deceit.
I was depressed all the time. I think it was a result of alienation and not comorbidity. The ADD was a comorbid that kept me from being able to focus unless something was really really fascinating.
Oh yeah. I was very clumsy and poor at athletics that involved precision movement and eye-hand coordination. They led to teasing and ridicule, even from PE instructors. There were sports I could have been good at like track or weightlifting and I could have been better at those I was poor at but there was no personalized attention for anyone but natural athletes. I eventually took up weight training and karate on my own to reduce my own feelings of physical vulnerability. There were plenty of bullies around.
When I got into high school I was doing fine until I was a sophmore and everything started to fall apart. I don't know why. I lost all motivation and all hope. Went from an honors student to almost not graduating overnight. First year of college was the same. It was a couple decades before I got a degree and didn't break out of bottom-tier jobs until my late 20s.
Alienation, self loathing, diffculty navigating the social scene, depression, ADD, clumsiness, failure to launch, I think I've listed all my childhood problems. Your boy is very lucky to have a parent who is aware of ASD as an issue in his life (not think of it as moral failure, like mine did) and will probably have a much better shot at success than I did. Even so, I did manage to get a good job, (eventually) marry, have kids, and find a social niche where I was accepted.
Though I will never be an extrovert or a salesman or any good in job interviews. Or fit into the standard mold of what "normal" people are supposed to be.
. This is a good place for support.
