No, I did not say that and I do not think that every kid with AS has no sense of humor, never makes eye contact, and is not smart.

My son has met kids with AS online and he felt that he had a lot in common with one of them. The people with AS that we met online all seemed very, very bright.

I am the only one in my family that has trouble making small talk, especially with people I have nothing in common with.

My son is not shy like I was as a child and when I asked my very social former cheerleader daughter to rate her little brother's social skills, she said 10 out of 10. They talk to each other several times a day and enjoy verbal sparring with each other, just like his dad does with his geology professor sister. I am not sure, but I think that might be an example of social reciprocity.

He certainly doesn't lack the spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people.

He is good at making small talk with the friends who are interested in the things he likes. He doesn't want to talk about football or other sports that he can't play which is what most of his age mates want to talk about.

He doesn't have an encompassing preoccupation with one or more sterotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus. He likes video games, but no more than his friends, he likes history, but no more than one of his friends, he probably likes science a little more than most of his friends and none of his friends are into learning new vocabulary the way he does, some of his friends like trivia, but maybe not as much as he does.

There is no inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals.

He did do the repetitive motor mannerisms, but not so much now. I don't remember where, but I know I have seen this listed online somewhere as something that might be caused by sensory integration dysfunction. A child can have sensory integration dysfunction without AS.

I have looked at the criteria before and I still don't think it fits my son because he does have very good friends but they are several years older. He just does not have the required impairments in social interaction. There is only one that might fit--"failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level" --but when we told the developmental pediatrician that all his friends were gifted but several years older she told us that he had a "higher mental age" and that it was okay to have all older friends. If by "developmental level" they mean physical development then his motor issues, especially visual motor integration would be younger than his chronological age.