'Everyone wants CONNECTION'

THE LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM COUNSELLOR HAS WRITTEN A NEW BOOK ABOUT AUTISM

After a 30-year career working with individuals who have autism, Jodi Rodgers knows no two people on the spectrum are the same. But there is one thing she has found. “It’s very archaic thinking that every person who is autistic is aloof and wants to be by themselves,” she tells WHO. “To think that autistic people don’t want to have relationships or friendships couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Every autistic person I’ve met is looking for a way to make a connection,” she explains. “Just some are doing it in such a different way from what you might be used to.”

This is just one of the many reasons why the counsellor, disability advocate and sexologist signed up to help people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) navigate the world of dating on Love on the Spectrum. She credits the surprise TV hit, which first aired on the ABC in 2019, with going a long  way toward helping the general population have a more realistic understanding of how those with ASD present.