There are some support services like you are asking about Korrigan - and YAI for example. I think that learning life skills is great.
AHA/AS/PDD
http://www.aha-as-pdd.org/
AHA/AS/PDD is a Long Island based organization providing support and education for families, individuals and professionals affected by Aspergers Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders.
ASAP (formerly ASCEND Group, Inc.)
http://www.ascendgroup.org/
Asperger Syndrome information alliance located in the Philadelphia region.
Asperger Syndrome Education Network (ASPEN)
http://www.aspennj.org
A regionally-based non-profit organization headquartered in New Jersey, with 11 local chapters, providing families and those individuals affected with Asperger Syndrome, PDD-NOS, High Functioning Autism, and related disorders
Autism Living and Working (Philadelphia)
http://www.autismlivingworking.org/
ALAW's first goal has been to secure the services and supports necessary to sustain the participation of adults with autism in the normal round of adult life
Autism Society Of Delaware
http://www.delautism.org/
Our mission is to improve the lives of people with autism and those of their families through education, advocacy, and public awareness, and to promote lifelong opportunity and acceptance for people with autism in their communities.
Autism Spectrum Adult Issues Support / Social Skills Group
http://domanski.webhop.net/ASGroup
The meetings take place in St Paul's Church, 62 S Main St., Milltown NJ. The meetings take place in St Paul's Church, 62 S Main St., Milltown NJ.
AutismLink
http://www.autismlink.com/index.php
Pennsylvania's Statewide Resource for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Beattie Center for Children with Autism: Fleming Raritan Autism Program
http://frsd.k12.nj.us/autistic/
Center for Autism
http://northshorelij.com/body.cfm?id=173...LinkID=159
A transdisciplinary team of specialists offering diagnostic assessment, psychological or neuropsychological testing, speech and language assessment, functional analyses of behavior, specialized assessments, neurological examinations, etc.
North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System
Community School of Maryland
http://www.csaac.org/school.htm
The primary goal is to prepare students for inclusion in their communities. The students range in age from 2 to 21 years of age and are served in three programs that provide training in compliance with their Individualized Education Programs.
Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children, Inc.
Community Services For Autistic Adults And Children
http://www.csaac.org
CSAAC's mission is to support individuals with autism to achieve their personal goals and dreams with integrity and distinction. Offers Early Intervention, Residential, School, Vocational Services.
Cooperstown boy wins area spelling bee
http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories.../sb52.html
A seventh-grader at Cooperstown Central School confidently spelled his way to first place at the fourth annual Daily Star regional spelling bee Saturday. Michael Leonardo correctly spelled "condiment" to win the bee at the State University College at Oneonta�s Goodrich Theatre. As the winner of the spelling bee, Michael will compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington in May.
Oneonta Daily Star
CSAAC's Residential Program
http://www.csaac.org/res.htm
Provides housing in Montgomery County, Maryland for adults (21 years or older) with autism. Their homes give them an alternative to living in an institution or in their parents' homes, and allow them to exercise some independence as adults.
Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children, Inc.
CSAAC's Supported Employment Program
http://www.csaac.org/voc.htm
CSAAC provides each person with the training and support necessary to achieve and maintain employment in the individual's chosen career field.
Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children, Inc.
Group helps parents of children with autism
http://recordonline.com/archive/2006/01/20/brf547.htm
The Autism Spectrum Support Group will meet from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday at Sullivan County BOCES, Rubin Pollack Education Center, 52 Ferndale-Loomis Road, Liberty. This support group is for any parent in Sullivan County who has a child with autism, Asperger's Syndrome or other pervasive developmental delays. Parents receive support and education they need to advocate for appropriate services for their children.
Times Herald Record
JCC�s special-needs campers get by with a little help from their �shadows�
http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/071...Needs.html
Invisibility is the best evidence of the success of the "shadow" program at the JCC of Central New Jersey this summer. Twenty children with special needs are participating in the center�s Camp Yachad, each accompanied by companions -- or shadows -- who keep an eye on their charges and provide a dose of extra help and comfort. Unless they are pointed out, however, a visitor would be hard-pressed to identify the shadows among the boisterous mass of kids playing, swimming, singing, eating, and generally doing their camp things.
New Jersey Jewish News
Open Center for Autism, Kingston NY
http://www.aspieschool.org/
The Open Center for Autism�s mission is to develop effective educational programs that provide meaningful access to social, intellectual, behavioral, therapeutic, vocational, and self-advocacy support to students, families, and professionals in the Autism Community. The ultimate goal is to give individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) authentic learning and leisure opportunities, so that they may lead fulfilling lives.
Ozone Park Autism Group Looks To Grow
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsi...61&dept_id
=574908&rfi=6
The group that has spent the last eight years creating a haven for the families of autistic children is now itself looking for a new home in Queens. "We�re about giving people a sense of belonging. I want to open that up to as many people as possible," said Andrew Baumann, president of the Ozone Park based New York Families for Autistic Children and father of a 13 year old autistic boy.
Joseph Wendelken, Queens Chronicle
Parent Link: Westchester Advocates for Individuals with High Functioning Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and other PDDs
http://westchesterparentlink.org
We are a support group for parents of children with these disorders. Our membership also includes other family members, interested professionals and friends. Our aims are to attain -- for higher functioning children, youth, and adults with these disorders -- appropriate educational programming, increased social and recreational opportunities, and meaningful employment; to develop a strong network of parents who share the common bond of having a child with autism/PDD; and to educated health and educational professionals by welcoming them to relevant presentations.
Pennsylvania Autism Task Force
http://dpw.state.pa.us/general/ATF_Famil...Issues.asp
The base model inappropriately presumes that the ASD path is a disease state that requires mental health intervention
Quality Of Care For People With Autism To Improve As Mount Sinai And YAI/NIPD Network Join Forces
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicaln...wsid=42520
The Seaver and New York Autism Center for Excellence at Mount Sinai School of Medicine announced that it is entering into an affiliation with the YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities (YAI/NIPD) Network to offer enhanced programs and greater access to diagnostic services for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Mount Sinai School of Medicine -- an institution committed to accelerating scientific discovery and translating those discoveries into better diagnostic tools and treatment -- is excited to partner with the YAI/NIPD Network, comprised of seven not-for-profit agencies serving individuals with developmental and learning disabilities for nearly 50 years. The partnership will bring the highest levels of quality care and access to state-of-the-art evaluation, diagnosis, treatment and services for patients with ASD.
Medical News Today
You are correct in your statement. I meant, basically, that someone who was on the other end of the "job and life skills ability set" would be a good offset to Richie.
It would be fine and dandy as well to show average! But I think I undertand why it was shown that way now too.
Korrigan, you agree with batman, but were saying the opposite weren't you? I am so confused lately, I must be readin everything opposite. I say again, life skills are great - micgrace, help with things you need help with is good, right? I can't see how it is bad.
Korrigan, I am glad that you understand now.
Honestly, I was offended, but thought maybe I was misreading or misunderstanding it.
Well, GuessWho can be kind of hard to follow, but he has a lot of good things to say. Here's a translation. (Not meant to be offensive, GuessWho. Just making Korrigan aware of what you wanted to get across, as obviously she didn't - literally - piece it together).
Nope, tried to reread it to see what I was missing. I am feeling "dumb as a bag of hammers" today. Thank goodness I do not work on incredibly important legal files all day or anything. (sarcasm.)
I read your post again, and to clarify again, since my "What?" did no clarification.
I am not attempting in the least to sound condescending.
I did not mention NT anywhere. NOPE. Not once. Nor did I IMPLY in any way that an Aspie is superior to an NT.
FROM WHAT I CAN SEE - Yes, the average person, these days, does own a PC. (Notice, this is MY VISION ONLY - no one else is required to have it.)
To MANY people a supermarket job may be "below" them. I have met them. I am not making judgments on them (either the people holding the supermarket job or the people that are "above" that). There need to be people performing all kinds of jobs for the world to survive. (I AM A PEON FOR LAWYERS, I get that there are all kinds of rungs on the career ladder.)
I did NOT say that every bit of media has to show anything. I did say that I thought they SHOULD have shown all 3 types of Aspies that I discussed. One who has a really difficult time with the more "basic tasks" such as "boiling water and making his own meal," one who is more average, getting along in life like we all are, and one who is more successful in the job and life skills department, AND HOW ALL OF THEM USED AND WERE HELPED BY THEIR SERVICES! That would be an incredible ad. Like, look, these three people have all achieved different things in life, and we were able to help them all in some way. This is how I would have liked it seen done. I did not say anyone HAD to do anything.
(You may be picking up on my tone here, and you are not incorrect. I am annoyed at your statements, mostly because you are stating things that are NOT what I am saying.)
I was offended at the ad, because my husband, an ASPIE, was offended at the ad. The thought, to him, that he would be "lucky" to learn to boil water, was VERY UPSETTING TO HIM. I posted this thread so that I could understand more from other Aspies seeing the site and the video, what their feelings were about it. I got some great insightful thoughts. I appreciate that.
I watched the video when I got home and discussed it with him. He was still offended. He has the right to that opinion.
Maybe they should have discussed that prior to marriage, dontcha think? 
Woman: Can you cook yourself food?
Man: Yes.
Done.
Not at all. That is a very individual choice. When you leave home is all about what home is to you. Is it a place you need to be? Is it a warm and comforting place? Or is it a bad place you can't wait to escape? I wish I had been able to stay at home past the age of 17. But I was unable to.
Well, I'll give you that.
But then there are some intelligent people--non-disabled people--that still live at home past the "acceptable age." Assuming they are employed, does that mean they are on the "low end" of the life skills spectrum?
They aren't celebrating that he boils water - watch the video -click on the links, it is not something terrible - Shall I transcribe it here, exactly, or will paraphrasing do? They give a date that a bunch of family and freinds talk about like a pivitol point - the reason behind that there friend/relative love one, neighbor, went from always "turning away" no confidence -to how he is now, The day they describe as akin to the berlin wall goinf down is the date of his first PAYCHECK, not even ata supermarket, he's at like an electronics store, he is happy, he has confidence. Every one is happy for him.
That is what the avergae person wants, to be happy, to do their best, and some of you will agree that being paid to do something, being more independent and seld-sustaining (even boiling water) is good and makes you feel good.
I could be wrong, but I think you are responding to me.
I am not sure what "we" were going to do. Maybe you should be more specific about who "we" are and what you mean in this post.
My husband, an Aspie, wanted me to point out he did not think that this was an average representation of an Aspie.
I do not believe anyone said that YAI said he was average.
I am again a bit unsure what you are talking about as you did not quote, but I am doing my best to answer nonethless.
I did retail sales, and was very good at it. I could usually find what the person needed, nothing more, and get them to buy it without too much of a problem. I was not into the BS selling extra stuff part, but that got me good return customers.
But I think waitressing would just put me in a position where I could not control my fate enough. You are essentially the person in the middle between the people at the table and the people in the kitchen. Should either end fail, you are stuck in the middle. (Like, if the food is wrong because of the kitchen messing it up, or it takes too long, the person at the table will be mad. If the kitchen has to do a bunch of specific requests, or the person does not like the food or changes their mind, you hear it from the kitchen.)
Plus, I get overstimulated in my own way and it would be too loud and there would be too many bright lights and distractions.