Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: aspergers, culture, gender, learning disabilities
I ran across this really great post on the Feministing community blog. It’s by a woman with Aspergers Syndrome. She discusses the ways in which males and females experience Asperger’s Syndrome differently, since mainstream cultures tend to expect women to exhibit a much more nuanced set of social skills than they expect from men. The author writes:
“Many times, I have been accused of being “insensitive” “rude” “cold” “heartless” “bitchy” and other unsavory adjectives, because I have difficulty displaying empathy, I dislike being hugged, and I am far from the “nurturing” type. I thought it was simply a part of the emotional baggage of having Asperger Syndrome, but upon questioning my male peers with Asperger Syndrome, I discovered this treatment was unique to me. Men with Asperger Syndrome told me that their behavior, while standoffish and socially awkward, was regarded as the norm for men when dealing with a difficult situation. But I, as a woman, was expected to emotionally plunge myself in with the people who were experiencing the situation, and offer myself as a beacon of comfort and sympathy.”
I think this post is an interesting reminder of the fact that learning differences exist in the context of other kinds of differences, and that they often intersect.
