How to Support Someone With ASD

If you have a friend or sibling with ASD, it’s helpful to ask them about ASD. You can also educate yourself about the condition and its symptoms. Knowing about ASD is the first step towards support and understanding, which are essential in every relationship.

Here are tips for any friendship, with some especially useful for friendships with individuals with ASD:

don’t talk over your people when others are around.
Help them by providing structure when meeting. For example, let your friend know what you would like to do, but try to avoid making all decisions yourself. Let them know what to expect, especially if it’s a meeting with several friends.
assist them with their social skills without being too pushy or coming across like a parent. As a friend, you could:
- Try to engage them in conversations when you are standing in a group.
- Suggest meeting up for a hobby you both share or like, rather than just meeting to talk.
- Provide subtle hints about social signals they might miss – these hints should be recognizable only to both of you, helping them behaving and responding properly in social situations.

Being a friend or sibling of someone with ASD means accepting that:

they are direct and transparent, often missing subtle hints, so it’s important to be open and clear in your communication.
They might not be small talk masters but prefer to go straight to the point – don’t take this communication style as rude.
They might show behavior or facial expressions that others could misinterpret as disrespectful or insulting, but it is not their intention.
They prefer meeting in places they know and places that aren’t too loud and crowded.
They like to know what to expect when meeting or being invited over.
They might prefer to meet and stay in touch in ways different from how you usually interact with friends without ASD, such as through texting, virtual gaming, or individual meetups rather than group gatherings.

Lastly, like in any other friendship, friendships should founded on trust and compassion, common hobbies, and valuing time together.

Famous people with ASD

Remember, ASD also comes with strengths and many famous people live with it and have had impactful and thriving lives including Greta Thunberg, Elon Musk, Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, and many more.