Laddo

What is more morally wrong though, allowing a child to continue to be abused or placing them in protective custody for 24 hours until more appropriate services become available? These type of things often simply cannot become immediately available

I don't think it needs to be essential that we bring a friend, only if we feel nervous about meeting others. I wouldn't have anyone to bring either, so I couldn't anyway. Any more thoughts?

I'm not sure children in these cases will actually be locked up along with the offenders. I think it just means that they will be kept supervised in a secure part of the facility, and only then if there are no other suitable services, although I could be wrong about this. The article does mention a few times that the child cannot be taken into custody unless there is significant evidence to suggest the child is at risk of harm. If the child's parents are dead or in hospital, it still means they are not around to take care of the child and the police would have to act accordingly to ensure the child's safety. As much as I dislike the police, I think they are doing the right thing in this case given the resources they currently have. Plus the law may have changed since this article was published - it seems to be from 2009

That's a good idea about those who feel a little more nervous bringing a friend, squeeg. I would be happy to meet one or a few people on my own too but I would just like to make sure that the meet ups are as safe as possible. I'm wondering if there's a way to make this thread hidden to non-members, too? That could certainly help filter any unwanted people turning up to the meet ups. We could post photos of ourselves, yes, but as you say some people may feel uncomfortable doing this. I personally wouldn't be against it, though. Maybe we could create a private Facebook group or something similar for the meetups? I definitely agree that structure to meet ups is essential. I think the best way forward with this is for attendees to all make suggestions for what we do and the best dates for them and we can vote for our favourites. What does everything think about this? Ground rules are another essential, I think. We don't want a lot of disagreements breaking out during the meet ups, after all. I'd like to keep this all as democratic as possible so everyone feels involved, so the more ideas brought to the table the better

Yes, I can see how people would be concerned about this. I think the best way to resolve this is for there to be quite strict rules for potential meet ups, for example a minimum limit to how many people can attend. I think a minimum of 5 people might be good, but I'd like to hear others' thoughts on this. Meetings should always be in a public area - not, for example, at a member's house. A balanced ratio between the sexes would be ideal too if possible - I can see people being worried about a meet up with, say, 4 males and 1 female, for example. The problem with this though is that too many people attending a meet up could be quite a daunting thought for some people. I myself would be a little apprehensive about meeting up with several strangers at once :/ I would love to hear other people's ideas on how we can get this to work

I can so see this being the tagline for some advert Poison!

Glad to hear it squeeg Let's keep 'em coming!

Do you know if anything has changed in the care home recently? Like the routines, redecoration, a lot of new staff etc? Perhaps something like this has affected Glen's routine. I hope he goes back to how we was in the first 8 months soon

That is such an interesting and thoughtful article! It's such a good analogy and I think it could be really effective in helping NT people understand AS better. It should become mandatory reading for NTs!

I applied for a life style mentor apprenticeship and reapplied for JSA

I could never stop seeking love though, never. I feel it's my main purpose in life

I'm a dog person myself. I love their loyalty, enthusiasm and playfulness

Hi Princezz welcome to the forum! I had a look at your profile and think you sound pretty cool - a free spirit! You'll find we're a friendly bunch on here. So yeah, welcome aboard! Laddo

I'd like to do what Mihaela did and list some positive points of my AS, along with some negatives. Positive traits Intense loyalty to friends Strong desire to help others Creativity Attention to detail Heightened sense of love (This does mean I feel the hurt more if a relationship ends or if I'm rejected but the feeling of love when a relationship works is so worth it!) More open-minded - The questioning, analytical nature of my aspie mind makes me consider several different options Honesty Very quick learner Negative traits Can be naïve - This makes it easier for people to take advantage Social anxiety Easily stressed - Can make me say things I regret Feel uncomfortable around most people Emotional pain often manifests as physical pain Occasionally atrocious attention span (try saying that after 20 pints) Not great at small talk You win some, you lose some. Must focus on the positives!

Animals can be annoying too to be fair. The amount of times I've been woken up by flying-rat seagulls is unreal

This is such a quality idea for a thread! I saw The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and outlined some plans for the new year

No rhyming in this one. I'm such a maverick. The ache begins to gnaw beneath my ribs My shoulders are petrified An icy knife glides across my lungs Oxygen released I cannot breathe For I need you But I do not know who you are Who are you? Where are you? How will we meet? Time keeps me begging Snatches away my treat just when my teeth sink in I am hurting I am bleeding inside This longing It will kill me

When you tell him you need quiet, how do you approach the subject? Do you fully explain how badly it affects you? He might react better if the subject is approached in a calm and detailed way

Germany today is vastly different to Nazi Germany. It is much more progressive. Germans try to remove as many aspects of Nazism from their culture as possible these days, such as rarely using 'Führer' for 'leader', instead preferring 'Leiter' or 'Leiterin'. Modern German has many loanwords, mostly from French. It doesn't surprise me that the French are so reluctant to adopt loanwords - France is becoming quite right wing. Skateboard

^^This. Getting into the 'us and them' mindset is so unhealthy. To me, if an aspie instantly dismisses all neurotypicals as bad then they are no better than an NT being prejudiced against autistics. Neurotypical people are individuals, just like aspies. You get some ######, but also a lot of good ones. Just like you get some ###### aspies as well as good ones. We also can't expect NTs to change if we're so resistant to changing for them. We all have our foibles, but sadly from what I've seen a worrying number of aspies seem incapable of admitting they were wrong and blame everyone else for it. Those who do this should try stepping back and actually trying to think about how their actions affect other people and how they would like it if they treated in the same way. You know what I would love? An end to all the hatred between NTs and ASD people. That goes both ways.

Except for 'Computer', 'Laptop', 'Pommes', 'Bonbon', 'Champignon' among many others Mercury

I would email CS as soon as possible and say that you are extremely dissatisfied with their efforts so far. How long has it been since you first contacted them? Three months? Have they actually done anything in that time? When I sent a complaint to them they said they take complaints very seriously, presumably as it will damage the image of the business, so hopefully it will act as the kick up the they deserve.

I see. Thanks for clearing it up for me