Willow-Tree

INFJ Introvert(89%) iNtuitive(12%) iNtuitive Feeling(50%) Judging(11%) You have strong preference of Introversion over Extraversion (89%) You have slight preference of Intuition over Sensing (12%) You have moderate preference of Feeling over Thinking (50%) You have slight preference of Judging over Perceiving (11%) http://typelogic.com/infj.html

Here are the cards: http://www.autism.org.uk/Products/Free-resources/Autism-Alert-Cards.aspx We used to have something similar for my little brother. We also had a little sign that we stood up on our table at restaurants. Just a 'polite notice' type thing. Before we had, people would tut and roll their eyes and give my Mum dirty looks and even move tables to get away from us

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3af5JJ3DRJU

It's odd you should mention a video where certain noises are enhanced - ie, they way they can sound to people on the spectrum - because I just did one today; not in a supermarket though (it was about how small noises like a clock can make listening to a person really difficult), however - I could do one,

I think it would extremely difficult for a supermarket to make adjustments for everyone though. I'm sure there are plenty of other invisible - or even visible - disabilities which mean people have other issues with big supermarkets. They can't cater for everyone, as much as I'm sure they'd like to (well hopefully they would), unfortunately. There's a website that plays white noise constantly - which is apparently very good, through ear plugs/headphones, at blocking out background noise. I find it to be quite effective. Maybe playing this through your phone might help? http://simplynoise.com/ Or there's one that has the same effect, but it plays rain instead: http://rain.simplynoise.com/

I'm done with this; I was just stating my opinion, which is what you asked for at the beginning of your post. Don't ask for opinions if you can't accept that everyone has their own different one. And if this is another one of your experiments then can you please stop doing it as it's not fair.

All I'm saying is if someone has killed a person on purpose, they don't deserve anything, let alone the right to vote. I'm sorry if that upsets anyone but it's how I feel.

It should be more than just a blanket rule of either yes, everyone in prison can vote, or no they can't. For those who have evidence piled up against them and have admitted to certain levels of crime - ie, hurting, killing or raping another person - then they shouldn't be allowed to vote. Purely because they clearly don't care for people and have no morals. But for those who have committed smaller crimes, perhaps stolen because they didn't have any money or food, or something else fairly minor or for those who haven't admitted and there isn't a bunch of evidence - they should be allowed to vote.

As far as I can see there isn't anything major. I did have a lady from some kind of 'Adult Aspergers Team' who used to help me with filling out forms and was helping me with DLA but their funding got cut. I guess it depends what support you need. I never really know until someone says they could help with X, Y or Z and I think...'hmm I guess I do struggle with X..'. I don't currently get any help and my DLA was cut a few times but it's back at the low rate (not that I expect that to last!). A couple of years ago I was seeing an advisor for people with disabilities at the Job Centre - who was aiming to help me become more confident with interviews and what not. But I stopped that because my fiancé got a job and we decided it was best for me to work from home.

I understand this - I was in mainstream school and I got bullied out of it - twice, from two separate schools. At which point I received some level of support, but the whole experience has made me stronger - at the time it sure as hell didn't feel like it could ever be a positive thing though. I never said it's a mistake for a parent to help their child - I just think it's a mistake to rush into getting all levels of support, before trying mainstream. And yes, with some children it will be blatantly obvious that they will need support, and of course, that is the right thing to do - but as I said, some people will always need support. I didn't comment here for an argument and I don't think you're seeing my point of view because you're saying it back to me in a way I didn't intend/saying the opposite of what I said. (see quotes at the beginning of post). I just think that sometimes parents need to hang fire for a while and let their child grow a little first without extra support. Aspergers is about learning new ways to cope - but if there is nothing to overcome, it will never become more manageable - therefore hitting 18 and suddenly being expected to work etc will just be too much of a shock. You'll still be a child - in an adult world. You need to challenge the aspects of it which you struggle with.

I agree that a parent has to guide a child, obviously - but I think the parent needs to take a look at people with an ASD that has had support as a child and one that hasn't; some people will need support and will always need it, but others are given it when really, they could have managed without it - meaning that when they get to 18 and there's no support, they're not prepared. In the current system where support disappears after 18, I think parents need to think really carefully about the support they push for, for their child - and whether or not that is in fact going to have a negative impact in the long term, due to lack of adult support. Sometimes, you cannot tell in the early years of a child's life how difficult things are going to be - but putting them straight into a special school because they have a diagnosis of ASD and keeping them in special school's until they graduate isn't necessarily the right thing to do. If you keep them in a mainstream school they might cope just fine and learn important skills and coping mechanisms which will ultimately make them a stronger, more prepared adult. My brother got a diagnosis of Autism very early on - he was barely speaking and he had a lot of anger issues - but my Mum put him in a mainstream school from the start; he struggled on and off but the process on the whole has made him so much more than I think he would have been had we sent him to a special school when we got the diagnosis. He's now in a mainstream high school and he's doing fine - he still has friends which he made in lower school, who have an understanding of his behaviour. On the flip side - my friend who had a diagnosis early on (who was very, very similar to my brother, pre-school) was sent to special schools and given all the support under the sun, and now as an adult he doesn't function without support from his Mum. I can't help but feel sad thinking that it could have been so much different for him had they just waited to see how he might have coped without so much support.

I disagree - surely it's best to understand this from the perspective of the person with the ASD? A parent can't truly know how that person is feeling or how something has made them feel. The best way would be a conversation between a person with an ASD who didn't have support as a child and a person with an ASD who did.

I guess supporting children with an ASD by taking them out of difficult situations can have a negative impact on them when all of a sudden the big wide world is a real place where they have to function - whereas if they'd not had the support they would have either - always been used to having to deal with difficult situations and so it wouldn't be a shock; or they could have learnt how to cope and overcome certain things so they can begin to function a little more 'normally' (hate that word - but you get my drift). I wasn't diagnosed as a child so I had no support - I had a friend once who was diagnosed as a child and they had all the support under the sun, but they weren't coping as an adult and I think it's because to an extent, they'd been 'wrapped in bubble wrap'.

I think 3 or so more people have done your survey Hope this helps.

My fiancé has started building things using Symfony - I think that's what my site will be built on You're site idea sounds good - we've been thinking of doing the same kind of a thing for a while but we never got around to it.

Hehe - the only thing I have remotely live at the moment is my WillowHope.com site - but it's just a splash page. I designed it all though, including my little monsters XD

And I'm a graphic designer

Hi Tim, I'm Willow I struggle to begin a conversation to but like you say, it's easier if someone else starts it- although I still struggle. I feel like most conversations are 'hi, how are you, good - you?, great thanks'...and then something about the weather! It's great that you want to start a website What sort of thing are you aiming for? Anything is achievable I guess it just depends how good you are with web development - that's what holds me back from doing things; I have to wait for my partner to come home from work and get him to do it for me XD

Yeah I think you definitely need to talk with her if you feel comfortable around her. Sharing your problems and feelings with someone who will listen will help

Anything that Hans Zimmer has done XD favourites include Time from Inception and Marry Me/At Wits End from Pirates of the Caribbean.

hehe I'm hoping it's genetic otherwise mine and my fiancé's children (when we have them) will be normal and having 2 AS parents might be odd for them! On a serious note - I do think a lot of parents of someone with AS show a lot of symptoms - mine do

I'll see if I can send some people over from my forum

Welcome I'm 20. Just thought I'd say XD

This is true and no matter how much it might suck hearing it - you'll probably be hearing it a lot more when you do get to see a therapist/psychologist/counsellor - because I heard it from all of them, and it really is the truth. People can guide you, as they do on this forum, and as the psychologist/whoever you see will - but you have to be in the right frame of mind; ie, want to help yourself and do whatever it's going to take to get out of this dark place you're in. I know it's hard - I really do - but it's possible. It's always possible.

If you read the article I suggested and try it out, and stick at it, you might be able to get into a routine and be able to wake up at the same time every day feeling refreshed.