Over the years, he’s tried dating sites like the Canada-based LavaLife and Australia’s RSVP, but he found his most recent long-term relationship on Facebook.

“In 2008, I met a female on the autism spectrum in the United States,” Burge says. “That became sort of a long distance relationship for a while, and that collapsed due to the immigration difficulties.”

Despite having some success in online dating, Burge isn’t optimistic about finding a partner.

“I’ve got to the stage where I just find the whole concept of dating and relationships is just simply overwhelming,” Burge says. “I don’t think there’s any future in that direction for me.”

Jeremy Hamburgh is a New York-based dating coach for both neurotypical people and people with disabilities. He’s a Hitch for those who can hardly flirt, and he spends hours hiding behind book shelves and potted plants in bars and restaurants as his clients attempt to initiate conversation, then offers feedback later. Hamburgh also leads workshops at Adaptations, a program through the Manhattan Jewish Community Center that teaches life skills to people with developmental disorders.

Hamburgh says that it’s part of his job to introduce neurotypical people to the idea that people on the spectrum are not as different as they may seem.

“One of the things that I work on with my online dating clients is trying to break through the stigma of autism by explaining what my client struggles with and what he or she is great at,” Hamburgh says.

The social stigma of ASD is something that Hussein and others grapple with regularly.

After a few hours of setting up his dating profile, Hussein shuts his computer and gets ready for bed, leaving his door slightly open. Even at 22, the dark still makes him anxious.

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Hussein’s strict criteria becomes apparent with each question he answers. “I don’t look for perfect-looking girls, but I’m looking for a person who weighs the same as me and is not too tall or too short,” he says. “I’m also looking for a girl who has good hygiene, and nothing like fake nails or dentures.”

David Finch, author of the memoir The Journal of Best Practices, says that this “my way or the highway” outlook on life affected his own dating history. Finch was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 2008 by his wife, a speech therapist.

“I wasn’t born with the skills to be able to go with the flow,” Finch says. “It’s important to know that those differences are there.”

Wendy Katz, who works for a nonprofit in Louisville, Kentucky, met her ex-husband online, and after her divorce eight years later, she’s dating again. Diagnosed at 17, Katz has no problem being social, but she says it’s a daily practice. Online dating, she says, helps her get over her nerves.

“A lot of times people on the spectrum, when they talk, either their face or their vocal tone is kind of wooden. I mean I’ve worked hard on mine over the years,” Katz says. “When you meet someone online, you’re not looking at them and you’re not hearing them, you might not know that that person is different. It might give them more of a chance.”