What kind of parents are people with Asperger Syndrome?
We are just learning about the mental health of NTs raised by Aspie parents or who have lived with a sibling on the Autism Spectrum. As adults some of these NTs are coming forward to talk about their childhoods. So far these people are reporting that they have coped with severe depression and self esteem problems because they lived with a parent who could not nurture them or get to know who they really are in the way that is so important to an NT. It is very debilitating to experience emotional rejection daily as a child, even if your physical needs are provided for. This does not mean the AS parent does not love their child. But the communication and relationship deficits confuse the child and can lead to the child feeling unloved. Remember it is the childs experience that defines the parenting, not whether the AS parent loves their child.
