There are a number of possible reasons that I can think of for why the forum has gone quiet.
There are surges at times in the academic year when children/students are confronted with new school/college.Seasonal variation happens in all sorts of activities as people do different activities, and are affected differently by the four seasons etc. Also, statistically, just as buses arrive all together, there will be random luctuations in activity.
People can get exhausted with the relentless flow of suffering that presents itself through the different threads. The same old stories of missed diagnosis, inappropriate and inadequate treatment and lack of resources for adult sufferers, unmanagable children and uncomprehending parents can simply be wearing after a while. People may well leave the forum when they are getting more grief than benefit from participation.
We can also be very critical and negative at times. I ended up with diagnosis and participating on the forum because my managers felt I was relentlessly negative and critical of them. Sometimes that negativity surfaces in the threads and I suspect that newcomers (and forum veterans) can be put off by posts that don't offer encouragement and assistance but, instead, point out the difficulties and pitfalls of a given course of action. Sometimes this negativity results from the mental states that we are prone to get ourselves into. I suspect that the compassion fatigue, that I for one have experienced, may sometimes colour our ability to remain optimistic.
There is also a notable absence of professional input. We are largely left to our own devices and it can be the blind leading the blind at times. The advice given, although given with best intentions and in good faith, sometimes may not be current best practice. Sometimes we are working things out in our own minds as we write and I think people should try and bear this in mind and make constructive comments rather than trying to knock each other down. If we had more positive guidance rather than control from the moderators then the forum might grow and we might be able to promote more best practice and deliver more assistance to more people.
I agree with TC who says that we should not divide the forum up, the sharing of experience between people who have grown up with autism and those who are trying to bring up the next generation and who are often unknowingly affected themselves must be a benefit.
I don't think there is a single problem with a single solution. The variety and wealth of knowledge and experience must be nurtured and cultivated.
There are a number of possible reasons that I can think of for why the forum has gone quiet.
There are surges at times in the academic year when children/students are confronted with new school/college.Seasonal variation happens in all sorts of activities as people do different activities, and are affected differently by the four seasons etc. Also, statistically, just as buses arrive all together, there will be random luctuations in activity.
People can get exhausted with the relentless flow of suffering that presents itself through the different threads. The same old stories of missed diagnosis, inappropriate and inadequate treatment and lack of resources for adult sufferers, unmanagable children and uncomprehending parents can simply be wearing after a while. People may well leave the forum when they are getting more grief than benefit from participation.
We can also be very critical and negative at times. I ended up with diagnosis and participating on the forum because my managers felt I was relentlessly negative and critical of them. Sometimes that negativity surfaces in the threads and I suspect that newcomers (and forum veterans) can be put off by posts that don't offer encouragement and assistance but, instead, point out the difficulties and pitfalls of a given course of action. Sometimes this negativity results from the mental states that we are prone to get ourselves into. I suspect that the compassion fatigue, that I for one have experienced, may sometimes colour our ability to remain optimistic.
There is also a notable absence of professional input. We are largely left to our own devices and it can be the blind leading the blind at times. The advice given, although given with best intentions and in good faith, sometimes may not be current best practice. Sometimes we are working things out in our own minds as we write and I think people should try and bear this in mind and make constructive comments rather than trying to knock each other down. If we had more positive guidance rather than control from the moderators then the forum might grow and we might be able to promote more best practice and deliver more assistance to more people.
I agree with TC who says that we should not divide the forum up, the sharing of experience between people who have grown up with autism and those who are trying to bring up the next generation and who are often unknowingly affected themselves must be a benefit.
I don't think there is a single problem with a single solution. The variety and wealth of knowledge and experience must be nurtured and cultivated.
