I'm trying to write a teenager whose pretty ocd with germs and time/scheduling and has aspergers syndrome. I do not know exactly how to write her. I do not have aspergers and do not know anyone with aspergers and I want her to be realistic especially in her way of thinking. I have her now very non communicative only speaking to one person and also she uses sign language she knows how to talk but prefers not to. She hates being touched and constantly needs to watch her hands especially at certain times everything has to be on schedule. Does this sound plausible to people who know others with this disorder or who know people. I don't want it to be stereotypical please you could help.
If you're writing a story about someone with Asperger's, you need to research, research, research! There are many books out there about conditions along the autism spectrum, some of which are written by people with the condition. I suggest you read everything you can find. A couple place to start: There was a wonderful movie on HBO a couple years ago about Temple Grandin, which I believe was simply called Temple Grandin. Dr. Grandin has also written several books about her life with autism and about animals. They would be great to check out. Another book written by someone with autism is called Born on a Blue Day, although I can't remember the name of the author. There are a couple others out there, too. Autism is more intense than Asperger's, but I think they would give you some good insight. And of course, there is all kinds of stuff available on the web. You need to know this condition inside and out if that's what you want to write about. Then write it as best you can, with the knowledge you gained from your research. We can't answer whether you are portraying it realistically based on what you wrote above. The only thing we could do is to comment on some excerpts, and even then, many people here won't be able to give you a valid opinion on whether it is a realistic portrayal of someone with Asperger's if they aren't familiar with the condition. Good luck!
Thank you and I am researching constantly I was just curious if maybe there was someone who might have Aspergers and they could give me some form of insight I'm looking at all avenues. Like I said I really just don't want my character to be offensive or stereotypical. I've noticed a lot of my information comes not first hand but what can be observed from people around the one with Aspergers. What I really want is to be able to get into their head. And I will check out that Born on a Blue Day book it seems exactly what I need. I didn't expect anyone to be able to answer me anymore than if I made her way too out there for a typical case which I know typical isn't a word that should be used. Thank you again though
There have been a number of good novels describing Autism-spectrum characters that may be worth a read. The one at the top of my mind is "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time". Good luck, Frank
She should do that scheduling thing way more everytime something mess with her social life. Her boyfriend might be in the hospital, so she is cleaning up the room for the Nurses or something
I don't know much about aspergers syndrome, so I can't give you much insight on it. Checking out books, watching shows, and possibly going to clinics, nursing homes, or hospitals and asking to speak with someone who has the condition or someone who is an expert on the condition might be a good idea. You could also go to your local library and see if they have any books on the condition, whether they are written by people with the condition, people who have studied the condition, or people who have written about people with the condititon. Unfortunately, without knowing a lot about the subject on a first hand basis, you're left with limited knowledge, which means you have a long road of research ahead of you. Web MD would be a good source to look up, I do know that they tend to explain the condition in full, with symptoms, treatments, and other stuff. Best of luck though with your research.
This is simply not possible. You can imagine things all you want but without any experience you will not get it right, no matter how hard you try. The fact that told me you don't have clear enough understanding of this condition is when you said that you don't want your Aspergers character to be stereotypical and offensive. Considering this definition of the condition: Asperger's syndrome or Asperger disorder, is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical (peculiar, odd) use of language are frequently reported how do you propose that she is not stereotypical (repetitive, obsessive) and sometimes offensive when those are the cardinal symptoms of Asperger's? It is the same as wanting to write about a diabetic who has no problems with their blood sugar.
Go on to youtube and see if you can find anything simular to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyI5_QRc8jA best place for research would be to talk to people who have this or just watch the videos.
