Autism and Ageing.

I've studied the Autism and Maturity section, and I'm quite perplexerd how this is going to work.

For starters how does anyone interface with it? How are we to input anything? Just through here? In which case can we have an area dedicated to it?

The emphasis seems to be that those first diagnosed are now entering middle age. Yet you have a large population of people with adult diagnoses in their 60s, 70s and beyond, who might have a contribution to make. You're still trying to restrict understanding of the effects of autism to those diagnosed as children, and failing to make effective use of the population diagnosed as adults who often aren't considered in surveys or studies.

NAS is still, even in something like this, parent/carer/professional led rather than "person with" led.

I then came across the professional autism forum. Now this might be useful to me having been involved professionally in supporting people on the spectrum in HE. It also might be beneficial to adults on the spectrum at least to be able to see what is discussed (as the rules prevent anything sensitive or confidential being included). But we cannot get in.

Indeed I've just tried to register and found I couldn't complete it. Well there's no consideration of retired professional - once you've retired you've no potential input.

You have to specify level of professional involvement - 100%, 50%, 30% or generic. The last I assume means dispersed across the range of activities but less than 100%, probably more than 30% from the way it is written.

So anyone with less than 30% professional contact hasn't anything relevant to say?

I read the terms and conditions. Unfortunately the only way out of these pages was to switch off the entire internet link with NAS. So anyone who completes has to go round again.

Now it is clear to me there are two discussion fora here - professionals spending 30% of their time or more, and on the other hand adults on the spectrum/parents and carers. NOTHING in between. NOTHING done to share common ground. NO WAY the latter can find out what the former is doing.

With such a blinkered approach it is quite unrealistic for NAS to claim you are addressing autism and maturity. You simply aint got the means.

I've studied the Autism and Maturity section, and I'm quite perplexerd how this is going to work.

For starters how does anyone interface with it? How are we to input anything? Just through here? In which case can we have an area dedicated to it?

The emphasis seems to be that those first diagnosed are now entering middle age. Yet you have a large population of people with adult diagnoses in their 60s, 70s and beyond, who might have a contribution to make. You're still trying to restrict understanding of the effects of autism to those diagnosed as children, and failing to make effective use of the population diagnosed as adults who often aren't considered in surveys or studies.

NAS is still, even in something like this, parent/carer/professional led rather than "person with" led.

I then came across the professional autism forum. Now this might be useful to me having been involved professionally in supporting people on the spectrum in HE. It also might be beneficial to adults on the spectrum at least to be able to see what is discussed (as the rules prevent anything sensitive or confidential being included). But we cannot get in.

Indeed I've just tried to register and found I couldn't complete it. Well there's no consideration of retired professional - once you've retired you've no potential input.

You have to specify level of professional involvement - 100%, 50%, 30% or generic. The last I assume means dispersed across the range of activities but less than 100%, probably more than 30% from the way it is written.

So anyone with less than 30% professional contact hasn't anything relevant to say?

I read the terms and conditions. Unfortunately the only way out of these pages was to switch off the entire internet link with NAS. So anyone who completes has to go round again.

Now it is clear to me there are two discussion fora here - professionals spending 30% of their time or more, and on the other hand adults on the spectrum/parents and carers. NOTHING in between. NOTHING done to share common ground. NO WAY the latter can find out what the former is doing.

With such a blinkered approach it is quite unrealistic for NAS to claim you are addressing autism and maturity. You simply aint got the means.