Where do people get these ideas about Asperger's?

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Did you ask your "educated" friend where he got his information from? Can he show you some sources? Because I, too, would be very curious to know where people come up with these ideas.

As for following through and sending him more correct information about Asperger´s, why not? Since you are knowledgeable on the subject, and he is an intellectual, he may find it interesting to learn the facts. I would do it!

But then again, I am probably socially inappropriate and I tend to be ruled by my special interests, so you might want to take my advice with a grain of salt.

There are some genuinely messed up people with asperger's who use it as an excuse for their disturbing and abnormal behaviors.

"I can't help it, I have autism!" can commonly be heard from the most unpopular student in your class when someone actually bothers to point out that their launching massive tantrums, screaming at their classmates, throwing things across the room, and drawing rape and murder fantasies about their classmates is.... well, not very pleasant, nor normal, or something a civilized human being should do. There's a reason these people got diagnosed with asperger's, and anyone who has had the misfortune to know one will look at similar behaviors and see signs of it.

Actually some of us very much would especially those who are passive and easily led. Just because YOU wouldn't doesn't mean everyone else is just like you.

This is exactly what I tried to say in my response to him, although I don't think it was as well phrased or as thoughtfully organized. He was claiming that the extreme level of "leadability" he described was one of the hallmarks of AS. Several people have mentioned this as possibly being a misunderstanding of Aspie naivete, and that does seem reasonable.



His reaction was pretty much stunned silence - which was everyone else's reaction, too. Even though this was a small group, and they are all people I know pretty well, I don't typically say much in a social context. My contribution to dinner conversation is typically along the lines of "This meat is soooo tender! Would you mind giving me the recipe? Thanks so much!" For me to give a several minute long data dump in the middle of dinner is so out of character that it caught everyone off guard. Well, actually, it is very much in character, but I've learned to not start!



You're probably right, but, meh. He's part of my boyfriend's "inner circle," and he's quite picky about who gets into that group. He wouldn't be there if he wasn't pretty open minded. If I can correct his misunderstanding of what Asperger's is, I won't worry about his (probable) conclusion that I have it.



Hmmm, yes. Often true, but not always. He had a BS before he started working there - about 30 years ago - and, as an employee he gets to take classes for free. Give me free classes for 30 years, and I promise I'll have multiple degrees - maybe even a PhD in something!

Your point, which Wavefreak also made, about highly educated people thinking that their opinion is always relevant is quite accurate, though. People do assume that, because they are expert in one area, they are expert in all areas.



I did not. I wanted to, but realized that it would have come out something like, "Where in God's name did you get such a ridiculously distorted misunderstanding of Asperger's?," and I didn't think that would go over very well.