Here are 10 things that help Marilyn Cosho strike a truce with Asperger's syndrome.

1. Engaging in non-competitive activities. My parents encouraged me as a child to try music lessons, ballet, horseback riding, skiing, stamp collecting, drawing and swimming, alone or with others.

2. Owning pets. Our family always had a pet or two when I was growing up.

3. Finding the right therapist. I found one less interested in changing the way I think than in helping me understand the way typical people think.

4. Asking for help. I have learned to ask family members for advice, patience and understanding when I need help with a question involving why people behaved as they did.

5. Playing in a simple manner, even if it seems childish.

6. Getting biofeedback training from Michael McClay, a psychologist at the Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Hospital, taught my body and mind to let go of tension.

7. Getting massages from Lee Ann Garton at Massage Works.

8. Buying Irlen lenses, glasses with a special coating that can be helpful to Aspies. For details, go to www.Irlen.com.

9. Using sound-blocking headphones when I need some silence and using a Comfort-U pillow that encircles the top of my bed and makes me feel protected. Both are available from www.sensorycomfort.com to deal with the special sensory issues of people with Asperger's.

10. Listening to the same music at a very low volume as I fall asleep. This is another way to soothe my frayed senses and help me relax.