Small Talk, Nerd Style

My "peeps".

One of the great things about having old friends come to visit is being reminded of forgotten memories. A former student of mine is here for the holidays.  She was working on her doctorate in engineering when she first met Boo, who was 9 at the time.

Like many single moms, when Boo was a kid I often had to take him to work with me.  Because I was in grad school and then worked in a University, Boo has always been surrounded by, well, kind of nerdy people.  I am one, too, so I really say it with love.

Anyway, my friend reminded me of one of Boo's little quirks from a few years ago...

Through the use of social stories, Boo had been taught a certain set of 'opening lines' as conversation starters.  Common ones they teach the kids have to do with asking people what types of games they like, or TV shows they watch.

Somehow, from hanging out with all of us nerds, he picked up a more unusual one: "So, what is your dissertation topic?" 

What is even funnier than an elementary-aged kid asking about a dissertation topic, is that everyone would always launch into a very animated discussion about their research, excited that someone would ask, and then actually listen to the answer.

It is interesting how well an Aspie fits into the engineering academic environment.