I met someone recently who was diagnosed with autism late in life.  He said that in a way, he found the diagnosis relieving because he was starting to wonder “Is something terribly wrong with me?”.  But, he says that the diagnosis hasn’t helped him figure out how to fix his very real problems.

He forms friendships but he is awkward meeting new people and in social situations.  He has trouble picking up on social norms and standards of behavior.  He struggles with the transition from friendship to more intimate connections such as romances and sexual relationships.  As a result he has been alone and celibate for 15 years.

He has access to a psychiatrist, but cannot afford the copays for a therapist who could help him learn the social skills he needs.

This struck me as an unacceptable lack of resources.  And it got me thinking.  The mental health sector seems to be taking on a lot.  I’m wondering if some of the education that goes on between therapist and client might be made more accessible.  Some of the things that my therapist teaches me could be taught in a class, and by someone with less specialized training than a psychologist.  I’m imagining low cost public classes for adults on relationships, communication, mindfulness techniques etc.  Wouldn’t that be less expensive than learning one-on-one from a trained therapist?

And wouldn’t the same be true for someone diagnosed late with autism seeking to learn how to improve his social skills?  Are there programs like what I’m thinking of?

I know there is some of this sort of thing out there.  My co-counseling organization fits into this category I think.  There are organizations that teach authentic relating techniques, groups that practice deep sharing and empathetic listening, and classes on non-violent communication.  I think we need more of this.  Being a human is complicated.  There is a lot of knowledge out there from science and from age-old cultural wisdom.  Maybe we can do a much better job at spreading that knowledge to both children and adults.