AANE/BU HEARTS Dating Program Touted in “The New York Times” Article

Ellen Barry
The New York Times

Bradley Goldman, right, who has autism, with his dating coach, Disa Jean-Pierre. “I struggle with how to disclose,” he said. “Do I say I am ‘neuro-spicy’? Or ‘neurodiverse’? Or do I disclose at all?”Credit…Alex Welsh for “The New York Times”.

Karen Lean, Board Member and HEARTS Facilitator at AANE, is interviewed by “The New York Times”:

“The social skills classes tell you what to do, but that’s like putting on a costume,” said Karen Lean, 48, an I.T. specialist who was diagnosed with autism in her 30s. For years, she studied and imitated these behaviors — “everyone expects you to do small talk, so you should do small talk” — and the effort, she said, left her exhausted and alienated.