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Separate forum/community for autistic adults ?

Bob C

Hi

Recently the suggestion has been made that a separate forum of community is needed for Autistic Adults. 

I would welcome thoughts, comments and ideas on this subject.

Starter questions:

Q: Is there a need for "another" community when others exist online?

Q: Is the NAS the best organisation to fascilitate this?

Q: Could it be self-managed but just technically supported by the NAS?

Q: Should it be "part" of this community or completely separate?

Regards

Bob Chase: Digital Services Manager

Parents

  • Except that the forum flourished for five years. A lot of the parents' section questions were answered by adults with autism. A few parents comnforted other parents.

    Yes there was friction due to the misunderstandings and prejudices you describe, but it mostly got sorted quite tactfully and discretely between members and moderators. Ocasionally there were really big flareups and the odd fiery regular disappeared, apparently amicably.

    That is until three months ago when very intrusive moderation was introduced. Now almost all the regulars have 'left'.

    Maybe it will recover with new regulars, and perhaps in future a higher proportion of parents. But they will need to be accommodating with the level of moderation now in effect.

    However I do think it most unfortunate that some people on the spectrum are keen to place all blame on the behaviours of people with autism.

    None of us are trained counsellors and none of us get stress counselling. We each of us only exist in here under our profile names, we have no means of communicating outside this forum. Any distress caused to individuals, and being able to comfort each other, has had to be addressed in public.

    We have repeatedly asked for some sort of support and privacy and it has been refused. This whole on-line community has developed out of goodwill of the participants.

    The goodwill has gone. Was that all down to the foibles of people with autism?

Reply

  • Except that the forum flourished for five years. A lot of the parents' section questions were answered by adults with autism. A few parents comnforted other parents.

    Yes there was friction due to the misunderstandings and prejudices you describe, but it mostly got sorted quite tactfully and discretely between members and moderators. Ocasionally there were really big flareups and the odd fiery regular disappeared, apparently amicably.

    That is until three months ago when very intrusive moderation was introduced. Now almost all the regulars have 'left'.

    Maybe it will recover with new regulars, and perhaps in future a higher proportion of parents. But they will need to be accommodating with the level of moderation now in effect.

    However I do think it most unfortunate that some people on the spectrum are keen to place all blame on the behaviours of people with autism.

    None of us are trained counsellors and none of us get stress counselling. We each of us only exist in here under our profile names, we have no means of communicating outside this forum. Any distress caused to individuals, and being able to comfort each other, has had to be addressed in public.

    We have repeatedly asked for some sort of support and privacy and it has been refused. This whole on-line community has developed out of goodwill of the participants.

    The goodwill has gone. Was that all down to the foibles of people with autism?

Children
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