With your second article, it was concluded that people with ASD are concerned
with
building and maintaining relationships. During my undergraduate work, I had the
opportunity to mentor people with ASD. In this time, I mentored people from
toddlers to middle-aged adults. While I was mentoring the teen group, romance
became quite the topic of conservation. Almost every one of these kids expressed
little interest in any kind of romantic relationship. They were very indifferent on
the subject. They did not care if they ever had a romantic partner. With that in
mind, a predictive study might be of use in examining this topic. We could
complete a study that would determine if the presence of ASD predicts a person’s
relationship satisfaction. The variable of ASD could be defined using the criteria in
the DSM-5. At the same time, relationship satisfaction is feeling happy with one’s
relationship. In other words, does the relationship bring them joy and fulfill their
need for love?
a a a a a a a a a a A recent study did something similar. The researchers understood that
ASD led to difficulty maintaining romantic relationships. However, they believed
that the necessity for romance varied with the type of autism present. More
specifically, they believed that those with high-functioning autism had a deeper
desire for love compared to others on the spectrum. The study used 229
participants. During the study, the participants were asked if they were in a
relationship. If they were not, they were asked if they were interested in one.
However, if they were in a relationship, they were asked if their partner was also
autistic. For those in a relationship, they were asked about the satisfaction in the
relationship. This study concluded that those in a relationship were much happier
if their partner also had an ASD. Plus, out of all respondents, only seven percent
were uninterested in romance (Strunz et al., 2017).
a a a a a a a a a a With these results in mind, it may not be that people with ASD have
difficulty with relationships. It may be that they cannot relate to their partner. On
the other hand, maybe their partner cannot relate to them. This conclusion may
explain why relationships are happier and healthier if both partners have ASD.
Reference
Strunz, S., Schermuck, C., Ballerstein, S., Ahlers, C. J., Dziobek, I., Roepke, S.
(2017). Romantic relationships and relationship satisfaction among adults with
asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism. Journal of Clinical Psychology,
73(1), 113-125. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1002/jclp.22319
