Looking for a Mentor

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Hello Everyone,

My name is Shaun and I'm Mom to Tenzin. Tenzin is Tibetan-American and he has autism. His Dad grew up in Tibet, I grew up in America and we met in India.

Tenzin is an awesome kid. He's 6 years old, very sweet. He just started kindergarten this year after two years of developmental preschool, which was helpful for him

in terms of learning to follow instructions, social skills, and academic stuff. Also, I'm sure the structure was a relief for him, since I'm an unstructured person.

He's going to a public Montessori school, and is in an inclusion program. He LOVES the other children and he LOVES going to school because he's so social. NOT that

he has great social skills... He is verbal but words are very difficult for him to understand and produce. He has one friends at school, a Chinese boy who was adopted by an American couple.

He doesn't have the same expectations for conversation the other children have. They hug each other periodically all day. I am thrilled beyond belief that Tenzin has

Julian to pal around with. The other kids like him, but they don't get him and don't have the patience to try to bring him into their play.

He's extremely visual, and the people at school are finally getting that he needs visuals for everything in order to learn with his peers. Anyway, I'm looking for a teen or adult on the

autism spectrum who would be willing to be a mentor for us. I'm very sensitive, but I'm not on the spectrum and there is so much that I don't understand about my son's internal experience.

I'm trying to learn from books but I learn better through conversation with real people, my way of learning is through inter-personal experience with others.

I'm looking for someone who can communicate with effort, thinks in pictures, likes to be social and has some time to give to a Mom and her son. Maybe a chat once a month or something like that.

I'm looking for advice on how to best support Tenzin at school, at home, in life. I could use support too. And, in turn, I'm really good at listening and could offer support as a neurotypical (albeit highly sensitive).

I've come to see autism as a gift, a way of perceiving that has benefitted humanity all along, but also comes with intense challenges that can make life hard to bear without support.

Please write if you are interested in writing or talking with me. Let's see if we can connect! My expectations are not huge and I realize that what becomes of this mentorship will depend on if we connect or not.

Thank You! Shaun

Welcome to WP!

Welcome to WP!

Are the any groups that provide support for parents with children who have Autism or Asperger's Syndrome in your community?
In my community, there is such a group and parents get together for coffee once a week to talk and gain advice from other parents with similiar difficulties and experiences. If one is not available, why not start one?

Yes, Zsazsa, there are groups for parents. I find that they provide a certain amount of support for me as they can
relate to the experience of parenting unique children, but I'm looking for support from people who have autism themselves.
They have the experience from the inside. I'm sure there are plenty of people who, from their own experience and through hindsite, have
much to say about what could have benefitted them as they were growing up. Or, hopefully, what did benefit them that they appreciate.

And I'm all ears.

Thanks for the welcome!

To WrongPlanet!! !

One good place may be http://meetup.com where social groups are formed in your own local area, of interest groups, list under developmental disorder, autism, aspergers ... there may be people in your local area, already waiting for you to join them. If not, they will contact you as they check meetup to find you.

Greetings and heartfelt welcome!

Welcome to the WP forums, Shaun.

Hello Shaun, welcome, enjoy your stay on the Wrong Planet!