As the mother of an Asperger child

[msagara]

I want to talk around the edges of the events at Readercon. I've never attended; I've only -- until now -- heard good to great things about it.

But in the wake of the events that occurred there, I've seen a few comments that crop up from time to time - always as an excuse or a defense of harassment: It's Aspie behaviour. He probably doesn't know

Comments

Doesn't sound like autistic to me either

[wen_spencer]

My autistic son is turning 20. Yes, he has personal space issues we've worked on since he's been 5. Yes, he'll charge up to you and being 6'5" probably scare the shit out of you and then loom over you, but its full steam ahead about what's on his mind. He does NOT play mind games in front of an audience -- he be too focused on what he wanted to say because he's sure you see things exactly the way he does. Who doesn't want to know EVERYTHING about the Titanic and the movie DUEL and the Santa Fe train?

Touch another person? Omg, his grandmother has to chase him around to get a hug. Once in a blue moon it will occur to him that the proper thing to do is hug his mom -- which he kind of appears behind me, touch my shoulders lightly with his hands and rests his head for a second on my shoulder -- and the bolt away.

Look someone in the eye? Not really. Everything is more important in the room that maintain eye contact. If you hold his head, trying to force to look at you, he'll roll his eyes back into his head.

Unfortunately, yes, people are over using the whole autistic thing to excuse failures in life.