Trouble

Aspies and Trouble

Aspies are not immune to getting into trouble with authority figures; to the contrary, because we have such strong internal moral directives, we are often prone to arguing with authority figures, rather than simply submitting in the moment to get through a difficult and stressful interaction.

This can, of course, lead to all kinds of issues. From defiance towards teachers that Aspies simply don't believe are as intelligent as the Aspie him- or herself, arguing with police about nonsensical laws, even family arguments in which the Aspie simply refuses to back down, its fairly obvious that this can be detrimental to Aspie's and the people around them.

Many Aspies have significant fear when interacting with police, in particular. Law enforcement have a very limited set of tools when it comes to dealing with an obstinate Aspie: handcuffs, mace, billy clubs and firearms. A meltdown at the wrong time can result in incarceration, injury or worse, conceivably, although that's a rare occurence.

Additionally, Aspies can have problems with drugs and alcohol. We have deep-seated anxiety concerning social interaction. As we mature, we find ourselves more and more anxious about fitting in, finding social connection, dating & sexuality. Often, we turn to drugs and alcohol as a way to cope, which in turn leads to cascading problems with the law, poor outcome socialization, addiction, etc.

Sometimes, too, being often at a social disadvantage, Aspies can find themselves in a position where they are being taken advantage of by less-than-scrupulous social acquaintances, even romantic partners. This can in turn lead to all kinds of financial and legal consequences.

We spend a lot of time counselling our peers about dealing with these issues. In Professor Tony Atwood's video YouTube video, Could it be Asperger's, at about 30 minutes in, he describes heartbreakingly his own son's difficulties in dealing with social anxiety and where it led. What's particularly sad about this episode is that Professor Atwood didn't recognize what was going on with his own son at the time.

This really leads to the importance of the Aspie individual's self-awareness. The cluster of symptoms often prevents others from seeing our own distress; even withdrawal leads to neurotypicals concluding "Well, they seem to be functioning better" -- because the Aspie isn't at the moment causing a problem for the neurotypical, although the Aspie individual can be in severe internal distress. Aspies need to be self-aware enough to monitor their own internal temperatures, and empowered to reach out to relevant individuals and say, I have a problem and you need to pay attention to me.