I just wanted to let you all know that I have started posting this site within Autism forums elsewhere, those frequented by NT's looking for answers. I've suggested they visit and post in the NT/AS forum with their questions there. This will hopefully keep us (as NT's) from overly disrupting your exchanges on other forums. I decided to post about this site because I am of the opinion that you (as AS) will only get past the curebie mentality of NT's by letting them see what their children will become through you. I'm hoping this will be beneficial all around with your answers to questions giving them a better understanding of their children, while they incidentally develop a greater appreciation and respect for AS as individuals generally. Hoping in time this will result in better parenting for the children and better treatment of AS generally in society.
So far I've made three posts. Will leave it at that and wait to see what comes of it. Mom of Hrick aka anonanont
Not a bad idea, the only problem I can see is what I've seen happen in other groups of this nature. Groups like this are set up for those who are on the spectrum to be able to communicate with others on the spectrum. I've seen other groups like this fall apart when NTs start comming in and asking all kinds of questions like we're test subjects. I'm not saying it's happened here, but there's been other groups such as ones on Myspace which started out like this, and are now mostly occupied by NTs because so many of them go into the groups looking for answers. There's even been times where I've seen NTs get all pissed off when they don't get answers to their questions, as if the group was set up for them and not for us.
When I come on this group, the last thing I want to see is 100 threads of questions from NTs, since the whole reason I come here is to talk with others like me.
Normally_impaired
Now you are making me nervous! You make an excellent point and it is a valid concern. In fact it is why I only posted in 3 sites at outset. I confess, even I want to guard against it, and I am an NT. You have something wonderful here and the last thing I would want to do is undermine it in any way. But I also believe that interaction with and education by AS is the only way to breed understanding and appreciation for your culture among NT's.... and there are so many websites out there that feed the ignorance.
Please take no offense to my saying it, but you present differently here. This format showcases your intelligence and humanity, absent all of the distractors we Nt's so easily get caught up in and bogged down by when we interact in the face to face. It causes us to rethink ourselves and our behavior toward you as a class/culture.
Hrick has an overselectivity whereby to highlight something in color affects his visual processing such as to rob him of the underlying word content. We NT's are not so different. We have our own overselectivities whereby outward appearances sometimes prevent us from seeing through to the person beneath . It is our humanity that binds us. My son Hrick is extremely intelligent yet to see him in person you would immediately presume someone of severe retardation. He is automatically discounted by most as having nothing of value to offer, yet his intellect and insight far surpasses my own for sure, and I suspect some others.
Any suggestions, on how to further the goal of educating us (NT's) to a better understanding of who and what you are all about without risking areas where you want to maintain privacy?. Is there perhaps a way to limit NT access to only certain areas or your forums via password, just as I have to register to join?
I hope I have not made a mistake here. I know the site is out there for the finding in any case, but it may not be readily apparent to most Nt's to look.
I sincerely hope the goals of this forum do not prove to be conflictual. What you have here in each other is too valuable to waste as such. Mom of Hrick
I've not yet seen much more than the occasional question from NTs so far. I don't wanna feel like some kind of goldfish cum-labrat either -- but I suppose one thing that could come about is if people with questions might post on a specific part on the site, where only those who actually want to answer would visit.
We could set up guidelines for NTs who come looking for answers & make a sticky thread with them. Then if they don't obey the rules, we ban them (after a couple of warnings, of course).
The only problems I see with this are people purposely joining to insult, or swamp the forums with the same questions or use us as "lab rats" etc. I think the best idea for this is to make it an entirely separate forum where members from here can go there and answer them, and the sites aren't together. That could end up working out well.
Like other posters have said, this is a community for us, by us, and its great to have new members but I personally feel that could lead to a lot of spamming or questions like "Why shouldn't you be cured?" Asked lots of times.
On the other hand... it has been a while since Mom of hrick posted that and at least I have not noticed any negative outcome so far. Or am I missing something?
There are some idiosyncrasies that may need to be worked out too.
i.e. the 'are still ignorant' thread would be found offensive right off the bat, and even though the registration page makes restriction of 'orientated' messages there have been some orientated threads (depends on your viewpoint) in here.