Cope With an Asperger's Syndrome Father

If your father is diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome or is thought to be Aspergers or shows Aspergers traits, these tips should hopefully help you. Aspergers is a variety of Autism which you can find more information on using most online search engines.

Steps

 * 1) If he knows about his diagnosis, ask him how that feels to him, e.g. "Does anything the doctor said ring true?", listen to him and try and understand from your own knowledge how that applies to the Aspergers mind. If he does not know, try leading him to talk about things that are effected by the syndrome, see how he feels, does that seem Aspergers to you?
 * 2)  Talking to him very clearly about how he makes you feel will help in the short run, the trouble with the Aspergers mind is that they have little emotion and normally feel that they are right. It may feel like you're talking to a brick wall. Describe how you feel, but try not to patronise.

Tips

 * If you've come to the conclusion that he has Aspergers yourself, you don't have to tell a soul. Really; don't. Keep it to yourself because it can cause ALOT of trouble, but accept what you think he has and try to understand what that means.
 * If you know someone Aspergers, or someone who knows someone with this or any strain of Autism, talk to them about your problems if you feel comfortable with it.
 * Speaking to anyone about this problem should be a private time, find somewhere quiet and have lots of time, you'll be surprised how long the conversation could last!
 * You may realise that at times you just need to avoid each other, like in most parent/child relationships, but understand he will always be much more stubborn than most parents.

Warnings

 * A father's role is normally the dominant role in the household, it may seem strange, that you're undermining him or patronising his natural role by researching his behavioural difficulties. Understand that it's your right to understand the syndrome and how to cope with it yourself.

Things You'll Need

 * Patience & Understanding.
 * Time out/Your own space.
 * Good friends.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Relate to Someone who Has Asperger's Syndrome
 * How to Communicate With People Who Have High Functioning Autism
 * How to Create a PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) Chart