Body language when dating: when and when not to go for the kiss

Roissy explains, not talking down, because he writes for normals.

"Why don't you like me?" Sometimes you don't want a play-by-play

Even if you need to know, a rant all at once in anger is cruel, like badgering a witness in court.

Take the Eysenck Personality Test

Here.

The nozzle of weirdness from other people

Almost all of us have been there: a seeming non sequitur when out of the blue, unsolicited, somebody you thought was a friend starts harping on your real, perceived or imagined faults. I got it a lot as a reaction to 'spergyness (sounding sort of like "Bones": a brain glitch like color-blindness, not a mental illness) 10+ years ago when neither I nor the other person understood what that was. But it happens to normal people too.

Anyway Deborah and I came to nearly the same conclusion: you can't reason with that emotion (and appeasing a bully - an AS person trying to be nice and "talk it out" like he was told to - doesn't work) so let go and walk away.

Social skills: how to firmly say no without coming off like a jerk

Here. From The Art of Manliness.

Online personals - a word to the wise

Speaking as the "other half of the blogging team", I must warn that there are some "characters" and unscrupulous folk out out there on these type of sites, so you must be very careful. This is especially true of the ladies. They may try and play on the social naivety that can accompany many of us on the spectrum. So that means not divulging too much personal info too soon, like address and telephone number, etc. Get to know the person a little first.

If you should agree to meet, suggest an open public place with plenty of people around, like a restaurant or food court. I say this not to discourage or rain on your parade, but to insure safety. One characteristic we Aspies have is to get carried away especially when desperate and lonely, thus going way too fast, and saying way too much too soon.  That can lead to being hurt, in more than one way. So, a word to the wise...

Also, it's not necessary to give our entire life's story with copious foot notes the second you connect. That can be shared little bits at a times if/should the friendship/relationship progess. Remember, keep it simple as too many details can bore, overwhelm, and weird a person out. Be honest, but not too honest.

As for Wrong Planet... for all the good the forum can do, I also agree it isn't good for picking up a date. All the best & happy fishing!

Online personals: you too can date

As I wrote before, autism really is a spectrum from the happily married (but not without problems because of the autism) who often found out one of them has AS when a child was diagnosed to those who have never dated.

For the lonely, online dating has become a door to the normals' world in this department, and is almost but not quite respectable among normals (they often use it now too but still few 'fess up to it, which tells you not to talk about it).

Get a decent haircut and clothes, and a digital camera to show all that, and learn how to write online (no rambles or lectures about your obsessions) and you too can date etc.

As they say, your mileage may vary. Some sites will work for you; some won't.

My picks: Plenty of Fish (which I found on an AS site, Wrong Planet, which itself I found doesn't work if you're looking for a date) and OK Cupid. Let me put it this way: with a little effort like I described above, which is in the range of things most of us can handle, I can tell you firsthand you don't need to be an alpha to get results.

And they're free.

Good luck!