I am a male recently diagnosed with ASD at age 25 by a professional. But my personal life is a mess. To the extent I've had relationships or friendships at all, they are almost all professional and only on the shallowest level possible (and, occasionally, sexual). My key problem is inability to express emotions. A flat voice does that, but it's more than that. Also the usual aspie problems of not being able to read facial cues. I'm really almost a classic case of middle-of-the-road Asperger Syndrome (123/200 on the quiz on this site).
So what's the way forward?
I am looking to change my prosody-less voice into something more normal. Any tips for this? Are there voice coaches that can help with this? It's surprising how little information there is on this topic. 99% of resources for ASD are for small kids.
How about for reading facial cues and hiding personality quirks? There has got to be something. Worst case scenario ... Has anyone had any luck putting up a Craigslist ad for a jobless psych student or, better yet, an acting student/graduate? I once had a girlfriend who took it upon herself to "tutor" me in these things when I was a few years younger (back then, we both blamed everything on my having been homeschooled). I actually made some good progress till she got tired of it and dumped me. So ... I'm thinking a more economics-based arrangement could hold some hope. Am I the only one who's ever thought of this?
I am in law school and have lived on my own for 5 years and have had jobs and lived in dangerous third world countries. So don't worry about safety wrt craigslist. But I'd welcome anything constructive.
25 Nov 2012, 8:58 pm
