[DrPhil]

That warms my heart, DaffyKD, and I hope MysticCat's son will enjoy such success and independence.

The people in my family with Asperger's are doing extremely well professionally and personally. They are socially awkward (as are many people depending on the environment) and have a difficult time feeling comfortable in one-on-one conversations. But, once they are comfortable, or if they are able to complete tasks without having to be face-to-face, they do quite well.

My family members with autism in their 20s will never live on their own. One of them keeps talking about getting an apartment and getting married. We know he will never be able to get his own apartment and he will only be able to live in an "assisted living" type of apartment. His mom may pay for that or she may feel as though paying for that (and making sure he's getting the appropriate amount of assistance) may be more trouble than it is worth. I don't foresee him ever being in a consensual romantic relationship. I have seen him awkwardly attempt to flirt with a woman. He has a very loud, very deep voice and a "tongue is too big for his mouth" speech impediment. Therefore, everyone in the room heard him when he told the young woman to sit on his lap. Needless to say, she didn't find that tempting. If he ever gets in a relationship or gets married it would be with a woman who also has some disorder. I don't even know whether that is possible--perhaps it could happen if he lives in an assisted living apartment building.