Why does my partner always want to leave social occasions early? And if visitors come to our house, why does she disappear as soon as possible?
People with Asperger syndrome can find social situations difficult. They may not know what to say or how to initiate small talk. Christopher Slater Walker, who has Asperger syndrome, writes: “Not only do I not like it, I feel that I’m completely at a loss for an appropriate subject” (Slater Walker, 2002). On the other hand, they may walk up to someone and start talking about something factual that they have read or are interested in, without any introduction. (Conversation skills are addressed in a later question.) They may interrupt current conversations to talk to someone in particular, and may find it easier to talk to one person at a time. Alternatively, noise created by various conversations might be difficult for her to tolerate. If you are in a room where there are people talking and other background distractions, such as music, your partner may be having problems filtering out all these extra noises in order to be able to concentrate on what is being said. This situation could
