Abstract
It is impossible to observe a social interaction, or a social impairment, in a person who is alone. Regardless, the phrase social impairment in autism is frequently used to refer to the social challenges associated with disorders identified by Leo Kanner (1943) and Hans Asperger (1944). The words in autism in this case may leave a misleading impression that the social impairment lies solely within the individual with autism. This is inconsistent with the definition of the word social, which requires the involvement of more than one person. Firsthand accounts by people with autism (e.g., Cesaroni & Garber, 1991; Grandin & Scariano, 1986; Volkmar & Cohen, 1985; Williams, 1992), and families of individuals with autism (Hart, 1989; McDonnell, 1993; Moreno, 1992) raise awareness of the frustrations experienced by all parties as they work to understand, communicate, and interact successfully with one another. Confusion and feelings of being overwhelmed and misunderstood are experienced not only by people with high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome (HFA/AS), but also by parents, professionals, and friends.
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Gray, C.A. (1998). Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations with Students with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism. In: Schopler, E., Mesibov, G.B., Kunce, L.J. (eds) Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism?. Current Issues in Autism. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5369-4_9
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