Published on 12, July, 2020
My 13 year old daughter spends a lot of time online. I think she would really benefit from getting to know other teens with Autism and would find an online community supportive. Does anyone know of any safe online community for teens with Autism? Thanks!
Sounds familiar! Like I was at her age. Even now, most of my 'friends' are really acquaintances - people I work with, etc. Generally speaking, I have no friends as most people understand them. Suits me, though
I hope some people her age will respond. I've looked at 'Wrong Planet', which has a lot of young people on it. I can't say I've been over-impressed with some of the comments posted, though. Might be worth taking a look to see what you think.
Yes I think she does prefer being online to talking to people in person. We occasionally have a good chat but mainly she ignores me or shouts at me (usual teenage stuff) so I'd love her to find some like-minded online buddies. She does have some real-life friends but I'm not sure how strong the friendships are - the people she would describe as her best friends are really the children of my friends who we have known for a very long time and are therefore familiar.
Sounds a wise move with FB! When you say she spends a lot of time online (what teen doesn't? ), do you mean she prefers that to socialising with others? A lot of us here, of all ages, don't know many people around us with ASC, which is why communities like this are so great and so useful. I've seen lots of posts in the past from younger people, so I've every hope that some will respond to you. The forums are very well moderated to ensure safety and civility.
Tom
Thanks Tom. She doesn't have a FB account just yet and I'm trying to keep it that way for a while. I agree that this site might be just the place for her if there are enough other youngsters here. I've seen lots of NAS training resources as part of my job but not really explored stuff for young people themselves - will get on it!
Hi Heyer Fan,
There are lots of online communities, but I wouldn't be sure about all of them. I also use some dedicated groups on Facebook, and there are lots of younger people there with ASC.
This is the best I know about. It's safe and friendly - and there are quite a few younger people here who post things. Maybe you or she could try starting a thread to reach out to other teens on the site.
Having said that - this thread might do just that!
Check out some of the resources the NAS offers for young people if you haven't already.
In the Community
Best wishes,