First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Happily married to her husband with Asperger Syndrome for 25 years, Ashley Stanford is an expert on how Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can affect a relationship and her bestselling book has helped thousands of couples. Brought fully up to date, this second edition clarifies the new DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and explains how, without a solid awareness of the condition, ASD behaviors can easily be misinterpreted. Stanford's book provides a wealth of strategies for living with the more uncompromising aspects of ASD, pointing out that ASD also brings enormous strengths to a relationship. It shows how understanding the intentions, motivations and reasoning behind ASD behaviors can lead to better communication, relief of tension, and ultimately to a happier, more mutually fulfilling relationship.

"This accessible book is an invaluable source of information and support for couples in which one or both partners has Asperger Syndrome, as well as counsellors and health and social care professionals."--BOOK JACKET.

Offering practical advice straight from the couples counseling room, Eva A. Mendes provides an insider's view into what couples and counselors can do to help make an ASD relationship last. She outlines the challenges faced in an ASD relationship and provides strategies that can improve the lives and marriages of couples on a daily basis.

Adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) often have difficulties acquiring relationship skills due to the defining characteristics of the syndrome, experiences with peers during childhood and adolescence, and the expectations of their partners. However, an increasing number do go on to achieve happy and successful long-term relationships with non-spectrum (NS) partners. This supportive book will give NS partners a better understanding of NS/AS relationships, and of what other NS partners have found to be helpful in terms of better understanding themselves and their partners, and enriching their relationships. Drawing on interviews with over 100 people in NS/AS relationships, as well as on their own experiences of having family members on the autism spectrum, the authors explore the key differences which may impact upon AS/NS relationships, such as communication, social skills, and sensory issues, and offer tried-and-tested advice on how to surmount difficulties and make things work. The book includes chapters on coping with stress and meltdowns, parenting, positive AS qualities and how to use them to their full advantage in a relationship, as well as advice on how the NS partner can ensure that their own needs are met. This book will provide support and encouragement to those in a relationship with someone who has been diagnosed with AS, or who is suspected of having AS, and will also be a useful resource for counsellors and other professionals who wish to deepen their understanding of AS/NS relationships.

If you’re in a relationship with someone who has Asperger’s syndrome, it’s likely that your partner sometimes seems cold and insensitive. Other times, he or she may have emotional outbursts for no apparent reason. And in those moments when you can’t understand each other at all, you both feel fed up, frustrated, and confused. The behavior of people with Asperger’s can be hard to understand and easy to misinterpret, which is why it’s so important to learn more about your partner’s condition. The tools presented in Loving Someone with Asperger’s Syndrome will help you build intimacy and improve the way you and your partner communicate. Filled with assessments and exercises for both you and your partner, this book will help you forge a deeper, more fulfilling relationship. This book will teach you how to: • Understand the effect of Asperger’s syndrome on your partner • Practice effective communication skills • Constructively work through frustrations and fights • Establish relationship ground rules to help you fulfill each others’ needs

Don't you wish relationships came with a manual? Ashley Stanford has written a user's guide to relationships that adopts a practical troubleshooting approach to resolving difficulties that will greatly appeal to the logical minds of individuals on the autism spectrum, as well as offering valuable guidance to their partners. Troubleshooting identifies problems and makes them fixable. This book presents a three-step troubleshooting process that can defuse even the trickiest relationship dilemma. Specific problem areas are covered in detail including communication, executive functioning, mindblindness, attachment, intimacy, co-habiting, and raising a family. The book offers straightforward solution-focused strategies and additional help is given in the form of bulleted lists, summaries, scripts, and example scenarios.

Asperger syndrome (AS) has often been considered to be incompatible with love and relationships, but as the number of people who are diagnosed with the disorder increases, it is becoming apparent that people with AS can and do have full and intimate relationships. Comparing and contrasting both AS and non-AS partners' viewpoints, this book frankly examines the fundamental aspects of relationships that are often complicated by the disorder. With all findings illustrated with case examples taken from interviews conducted with couples, the author tackles issues such as attraction, trust, communication, sex and intimacy, and parenting. Drawing on her extensive research and established career as a Relate counsellor, Maxine Aston has produced a much-needed analysis of intimate relationships where one adult has AS and this book is a must for all those with AS and their partners, as well as for friends, family and counsellors.

Thousands of people live in Asperger marriages without recognizing the signs that their spouse has AS. When Swiss-born Katrin met Gavin while backpacking in Australia, she fell in love with a man that was kind, good looking and different. He followed her to Switzerland where they married eight months later. At first everything seemed fine, but once back in Australia things changed very drastically. Alone Together shares the struggle of one couple to rescue their marriage. It explains the clues that suggest a person might have AS and explores the effect of diagnosis. It is uplifting and humorous and includes plenty of tips for making as Asperger marriage succeed. This book offers couples hope, encouragement and strategies for their own relationships.

Comprised of the accounts of twelve heterosexual couples in which the man is on the Autism Spectrum, this book invites both partners to discuss their own perspectives of different key issues, including anxiety, empathy, employment and socialising. Autism expert Tony Attwood contributes a commentary and a question and answer section for each of the twelve accounts. The first book of its kind to provide perspectives from both sides of a relationship on a variety of different topics, Neurodiverse Relationships is the perfect companion for couples in neurodiverse relationships who are trying to understand one another better.