Over the years, I’ve read quite a few relationship books, some have been good, some were bad and some were truly great. Most of these books concentrated on neurotypical couples but I never really thought about how wrong that was until I read “Loving Someone with Asperger’s Syndrome”.For me, “Loving Someone with Asperger’s Syndrome” takes the relationship thing to a whole new level. Cindy brings a great understanding of Aspergers Syndrome and related co-conditions into the book and makes it clear exactly how these things will impact a relationship.
With the divorce rate climbing past the 50% mark and aspie/nt relationships being (reportedly) in more danger than most, this book is an essential tool for any couple containing a partner on the spectrum.
Don’t wait until your relationship “feels like it’s in danger”. One of the main things that I’ve learned about relationships over the course of my 14+ (so far) year marriage, is that using any marriage resources such as guidebooks and exercises will bring even the strongest of relationships closer.
“Loving Someone with Asperger’s Syndrome” has a lot of information packed within its pages. For a start, there are great chapters on dealing with anger, communicating and finding emotional connections, sex and intimacy, parenting, co-conditions and the choice of whether or not to stay in a relationship.
Within many of these chapters are exercises that you and your partner can do. The book is structured in such a way that you can do the exercises without your partner but it’s strongly recommended that both partners are involved. The exercises will highlight things that you do well or poorly in your relationship and will help you to gain a much better understanding of your partner’s needs, wants and motivations.
So, the bad? I struggled to find anything bad in this excellent book but if I had to say anything, it would simply be that the aspie in the examples switches gender too often. I know this has been done for a good reason, to make the book apply regadless of the gender of the aspie but in some paragraphs, I had to do a double-take. “Oh, ok... the aspie is the female now”. It’s hardly a weakness.
This is a book that everyone with a person on the spectrum in their relationship needs to read. It's simply the best book of its kind.
“Loving Someone with Asperger’s Syndrome” by Cindy N Ariel can be purchased from Amazon.
Honesty clause; I was provided with a review copy of “Loving Someone with Asperger’s Syndrome” at no charge.
