Pressure

I think it's great to tell your friends and family about all the fabulous, successful Aspies out there in the world. It helps the neurotypical community understand that people with Asperger's Syndrome are normal people with amazing minds and limitless potential to achieve great things.

It is important to be mindful not to put too much pressure on children with Asperger's though. When my son was about 8 years old, we made the mistake of telling him about people with Asperger's whom also happened to be savants. He subsequently felt inadequate when he couldn't, for example, recite pi up to one million decimal places, creating unwanted anxiety about his own achievements, which he should have been very proud of. Needless to say we don't do that anymore!

Now that our son is a few years older, he feels both comforted and excited about sharing his condition with the "Awesome Aspies" I mentioned in yesterday's post.