Awkward Love: Toronto filmmaker explores dating, intimacy on the autism spectrum

Dating can be complicated, uncomfortable and downright overwhelming something Evan Mead know all too well.

The 24-year-old Toronto filmmaker was diagnosed with Asperger's syndromewhen he was five years old.

"ForgetAsperger'ssyndrome; love is awkward in general," saidMead.

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Still, people withAsperger's, which is on the autism spectrum,can havedifficultywith social interaction and non-verbal communicationand are especially prone to social anxiety.

"We're very selective about who we're comfortable being around," Mead said. "So you can imagine what that'slike in finding a romantic parnter."

It's a topic he's exploring in his upcoming documentary, Awkward Love, which he hopes to debut in mid-2016.

Mead's social anxiety has been a major romantic roadblock for most of his life, he said, buthe's made a lot of progress by working with dating coaches and relationship experts.

Date Camp For Asperger's

This weekend, he rounded up some of those experts forDate Camp ForAspergers,a workshop forpeople with Asperger's syndrometo learnaboutthings such asbody language, dating etiquette, conversation skills and more.

Stephen De Wit, who has personally helped Mead overcome some of hisown romantic obstacles, was on hand for the event.

"We all have these questions. We all have these concerns. But with people with Asperger's,they may not have had the opportunity to really look at intimacy and sex and relationships," De Wit said.

The workshopis like any dating seminar, withtips on how to read signals, be confident and talk topeople but held within a safe space.

"There's a stereotype that people with Asperger's are anti-social,"Mead said. "That's not entirely true.We're very social. But there's social boundaries that we're not always comfortable crossing."

Date Camp participantDanielShare-Strom told CBC Newshe's looking to learn how to gain the confidence he needs to approach women and better readromantic cues.

"I'm just looking to learn a little more about approach anxiety and, you know, whether certain things mean someone is interested in you or just being friendly," he said.

"Those are the kinds of things that I've been more struggling with."

'Love is a universal emotion'

Mead will explore those types of struggles further inAwkward Love.

"I wanted to make a movie that shows what it's like for these people and to show that there is still hope," he said.

"The ultimate message that I want to drive home with Awkward Love is regardless of who you are, love is a universal emotionthat flows through all of us andthatunites all of us,and that it is always possible one way or another for someone to find love in form of their lives."