Navigating Love and Autism by Amy Harmon Article Analysis

After I read the article ‘Navigating Love and Autism’ by Amy Harmon, I believe that the purpose of this text was to inform people about what it's like to love or be loved by someone with autism. This story follows Jack, who has Asperger’s, and his girlfriend Kristen who also has Asperger’s (lower scale) on their love journey. Asperger’s is a disorder that can cause the person to not grasp onto other people’s feelings or emotions, Harmon writes, “many assumed that those with such autism spectrum disorders were incapable of, or indifferent to, intimate relationships” (Harmon). This type of thinking led both Kristen and Jack to think they wouldn’t find love. Instead, they found each other. As the relationship between Jack and Kristen grows, we see that anyone can find love, but love still comes with difficulty. 

Throughout this article, we find out that Kristen had a hard time with social cues, “Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at age 11, she never heard the word autism. They were convinced that with some effort she could become as socially adept as he was” (Harmon). Jack would remind Kristen of some of the things she missed like, “People will take advantage of you if you act that way,” or “When people look away,” he explained, “it means they’re not interested” (Harmon). On the other hand, Kristen wanted to cuddle while she felt sad, but Jack felt uncomfortable and could not comfort her. They both did things that upset each other. Jack and Kristen had to compromise and try to find ways to not upset each other. This article talks a lot about many of the struggles they went through that connected to their autism. This article also talks about all the good things they go through, such as understanding each other. It shows that no matter what disability you have, you are always capable of love.

I believe that the primary audience of this article is the people who didn’t think that people with autism could find love. Such as teachers, friends, and parents of kids with autism. At the beginning of this article, it talks about the first night they stayed by each other and the next morning Jack texted “Is this what love is Kirsten?” he had asked” (Harmon). Kristen never thought she would ever be able to find love due to her conditions. I think that this article would show everyone who doubted, that autistic people can love and be loved. Harmon quotes that, “Many children of her generation who probably had Asperger’s, she read, were misdiagnosed with A.D.H.D. because autism carried more of a stigma. Girls with the condition, one theory went, were overlooked because their shyness was tolerated more and “mother hen” friends might shield them from the worst social isolation, as had happened to Kirsten” (Harmon). This quote is very captivating because it means that many people could have been misdiagnosed and have a higher probability of having autism. No one should look down on anyone who has it. This article proves that though there can be hardships and struggles that anyone can find love. Just because you have autism, doesn't mean that you can’t love and be loved.