[MR] People banned from SCA events

[Gerita della Mara]

Asperger's Syndrome is, if you will, the left edge of what is now known 
as the Autism Spectrum.  Severe Autism is clear over on the right edge 
of the same spectrum.  The Spectrum was designed in the last 10 years to 
be a better descriptor of the truly awesome variation in people with 
this 'set' of conditions.

People with Asperger's Syndrome (very generally) have difficulty with 
social situations.  They often miss 'cues' that average folks take for 
granted. They are unlikely to be able to carry on a conversation in the 
'take turns talking' sense, and don't read 'body language' well.  They 
don't deal with change well, and often seem un-empathetic (empathy being 
the ability to understand the feelings of others). They may have a very 
formal speech style, and either stare at others, or refuse to make eye 
contact. They can become almost obsessed with one interest, often to the 
complete exclusion of others.  This is where they 'talk your ear off' 
about the minutiae of John Deere tractors, for example, and can't be 
distracted onto another topic.  As kids, their motor development is 
slow, so even as an adult, someone with Asperger's Syndrome can seem 
clumsy.   They can develop "odd" likes and dislikes.  I had a student 
who would eat only PBJ sandwiches; tuna went in a little dish, not on 
bread, for example. They can be extremely sensitive to sound and other 
sensory stimulation, and when over-stimulated can become suddenly 
enraged (the clear answer to this is to remove them to a very quiet area 
to gather themselves).

This is a GENERAL description, and takes up fully half that spectrum I 
mentioned above.  Some folks who seem just a bit eccentric (3/4 of the 
SCA?) may well be at the very left edge!

So, how do you deal with someone like this?  Speak clearly and 
directly.  No sarcasm, no PC-speak, no beating-about-the-bush.  Jokes 
often fall flat, so don't bother.  Give instructions the same way, 
better yet both in written (bullets or list, limit the prose) and verbal 
form.  Assume you'll need to give instructions on 
everything...literally...in the SCA, and some things you think 'they 
should know'.  They don't.

Stefan, if you want articles on "disabilities" please contact me and 
I'll help write them.  Handicapped people were my career until I joined 
their community in 2004.

Gerita