Longman, its good to see you. It upsets me that you feel as though your advice is of little value. For someone who isn't paid or an official volunteer of the NAS (on this forum) you are a fantastic source of insight into not only the thought processes of those of us on the spectrum but also of resources both those with and without ASD can access (which aren't otherwise easy to find via this website).
I consider you one of the veterens of this forum, and a great source of (mostly) non-bias wisdom tailored to individuals seeking advice.
Recombiantsocks, as always is the master of balance. I'm glad to see you still active as well, your ability to tone down any potential tensions in a debate and calmly present both sides of the arguement (in my opinion) makes you highly valuble to the forum in keeping debates rolling forward rather than dissolving into 'us vs them'.
Naturally the other 'veterans' (as I feel classifying people as 'oldies' or 'newbies' trivialises how vital long term contributors are to this forum), I'm happy to see you joining in the debate in your own ways.
Its this method of everyone coming together regardless of where they are on the spectrum (or related to it) that makes this forum so successful.
Personally I rarely post on the website as at times I often feel topics are directed at parents of those with ASD, trivial topics (such as baking) or are from people desperate for help when they've attempted to go through the other 'main' methods of seeking help (GPs for example).
I'd be more inclined to participate in discussions if there was a board where (as an example) a topic of debate were to be set up each week. Something not related to an individual, but perhaps an overarching subject such as 'How to improve the NAS forum'.
Where everything is so very personal its intimidating to try and offer support to others where I have only my own life experiences to draw on. In regards to the more negative threads (people desperate for help) these subjects can hit too close to home, meaning I am unable to engage as a result of my own feelings, or my feelings are so strong I feel I can't contribute anything meaningful asides from a rant.
Bob C- on the note of possible improvements, perhaps having some threads where a few professionals can offer advice would be more productive? For example, should you ask the community to submit questions/scenarios that often appear on the forum (issues with schools not offering the correct assistance for example), you could then ask a professional to offer their advice/opinion in an article response.
Not only does this ensure that someone professional is offering secure advice, it would also give other community members the chance to contribute or debate on the subject without fearing they're giving inadequate advice/anecdotes.
I worry that the veteren members in the forum are undervalued while simultaneously being taken for granted. I would urge the NAS to recognise their efforts (particularly that of Longman) and express gratitude appropriately. I would go so far as to say that without these veterans this forum would have died out long ago.
Longman, its good to see you. It upsets me that you feel as though your advice is of little value. For someone who isn't paid or an official volunteer of the NAS (on this forum) you are a fantastic source of insight into not only the thought processes of those of us on the spectrum but also of resources both those with and without ASD can access (which aren't otherwise easy to find via this website).
I consider you one of the veterens of this forum, and a great source of (mostly) non-bias wisdom tailored to individuals seeking advice.
Recombiantsocks, as always is the master of balance. I'm glad to see you still active as well, your ability to tone down any potential tensions in a debate and calmly present both sides of the arguement (in my opinion) makes you highly valuble to the forum in keeping debates rolling forward rather than dissolving into 'us vs them'.
Naturally the other 'veterans' (as I feel classifying people as 'oldies' or 'newbies' trivialises how vital long term contributors are to this forum), I'm happy to see you joining in the debate in your own ways.
Its this method of everyone coming together regardless of where they are on the spectrum (or related to it) that makes this forum so successful.
Personally I rarely post on the website as at times I often feel topics are directed at parents of those with ASD, trivial topics (such as baking) or are from people desperate for help when they've attempted to go through the other 'main' methods of seeking help (GPs for example).
I'd be more inclined to participate in discussions if there was a board where (as an example) a topic of debate were to be set up each week. Something not related to an individual, but perhaps an overarching subject such as 'How to improve the NAS forum'.
Where everything is so very personal its intimidating to try and offer support to others where I have only my own life experiences to draw on. In regards to the more negative threads (people desperate for help) these subjects can hit too close to home, meaning I am unable to engage as a result of my own feelings, or my feelings are so strong I feel I can't contribute anything meaningful asides from a rant.
Bob C- on the note of possible improvements, perhaps having some threads where a few professionals can offer advice would be more productive? For example, should you ask the community to submit questions/scenarios that often appear on the forum (issues with schools not offering the correct assistance for example), you could then ask a professional to offer their advice/opinion in an article response.
Not only does this ensure that someone professional is offering secure advice, it would also give other community members the chance to contribute or debate on the subject without fearing they're giving inadequate advice/anecdotes.
I worry that the veteren members in the forum are undervalued while simultaneously being taken for granted. I would urge the NAS to recognise their efforts (particularly that of Longman) and express gratitude appropriately. I would go so far as to say that without these veterans this forum would have died out long ago.
