My sister is 27 and has an autistic spectrum condition. She is quite independent and has a job as a data-entry assistant. Her colleagues are supportive and understanding and she enjoys working there.
However, after work she comes home and goes straight to her room and watch videos on YouTube. The videos are of her favourite band and she has watched these videos, literally, several hundreds of times - if not thousands. This has been pretty much her life for the last three years or so, since I left home.
She recently made some inappropriate comments to coworkers, misinterpreting their friendliness as romantic affection. When I discussed this with her she assured me that there was no sexual motive only that she was "very lonely, feels left out" and she said, "I have no friends". This is heartbreaking to me.
I began looking into local support groups to see if there were other adults with similar conditions to my sister who also simply wanted to have friends - someone to share a coffee with or go watch a film with. I found nothing.
Does the NAS know of any such support? Do other parents/carers see a need for such a service? Would parents/carers support me if I tried to create a "friends network" for people with autistic spectrum disorders?
I think my sister's life would be transformed if she could just find two or three good friends. I know she can't be the only autistic person who needs this in their life.
I'm eight years older than my sister and I often wonder what will happen to her when I'm gone. I wouldn't worry if I knew she had a few good friends around her.
Does anyone else have any thoughts/opinions on helping adults on the autistic spectrum find friends and develop a social life?