Would you socialise with LF autistic people?

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I'd actually feel more uncomfortable talking to people who are higher functioning than myself.

One of my best friends has cerebral palsy, but she's very NT. I just consider her one of my NT friends; the cerebral palsy is just a physical difference really. We can relate on some levels that others can't though because we both understand discrimination, struggling with daily life, exhaustion, having a past of social difficulties, and just generally dealing with difficulties other people don't have.

- Depends on the individual's character. It could be interesting and mutually beneficial. I'd find it rewarding to make a difference for someone who is very deeply autistic, and thru interaction & observation I might get to understand better which of my own traits are actually due to being autistic, and how these traits relate to one another.

- One-on-one interaction isn't quite "socializing", I think. I find it a lot easier than dealing with 2 or more people simultaneously. Maybe it isn't such a good idea to have autistics interact in groups.

- "Stupid people" AKA "ret*ds", in my book, are people who greatly overestimate themselves. This includes a lot of folks with Mensa-level IQ's.

I worked as a substitute teacher for a while, and one time I had a job in a LF Autistic classroom at an elementary school.
That was eye-opening

These kids ranged from 8-11, and all were totally nonverbal. I was warned by one of the classroom aides that it would be "pretty intense". I was unprepared for it.

One child was very large physically and was constantly biting her hand and making it bleed. She had a number of meltdowns and was frequently put in a padded "safe room" adjacent to the actual classroom until the parent came and picked her up.
Another boy stayed totally withdrawn the whole day until he became interested in a toy that another student had, and went after it. When the other kid refused, he had a meltdown with hitting and biting and scratching. I actually got scratched that time.

Granted, these were extreme cases. What was intriguing to me were the similarities between these LFA kids and AS/HFA types... The repetitive stimming behavior, some of the facial expressions, and the sensitivities to sensory stimuli... it was all there.

It was a humbling experience, and uncomfortable at the time, but I'm glad for having it all the same.

you didn't want to meet the space person?

i would have.

One of my favorite people has CP. I also go to bowl on a league years ago thanks to a friend who had spina bifida. I like to have friends I can relate to about something. I don't care if they are green with purple polka dots.

If you do not have compassion for the less fortunate or functional, you should not expect compassion. Treat everyone with respect. Only idiots do otherwise.

not meant so i'm sure but humorous nonetheless

I try to live by the first part. That doesn't mean I never fail. Epically on occasion... As illustrated...

If it was me, I think I'd go to the group a few times and see how I felt. I sometimes enjoy spending time with truly developmentally disabled adults (Down's Syndrome, CP, etc) because I find my interactions with them really honest and childlike- they don't play the mind games that some NT socialites play. As far as whether I'd want a LF autistic as a close friend, I wouldn't be sure because I would find it hard to relate to them as a peer and talk about stuff but I could still enjoy spending time with them.


Just my two cents.

Allie Kat
http://www.myaspergerslifestory.com/

I've never been to a support group, but I have lived with a low functioning Autistic boy. Socializing with him was challenging... still is.

My brother is lower functioning, too. He and I had a lot in common as children, and we can have some great discussions when he's up to it. Again, though, it's a challenge. More so than with NTs.

This is what I expected was going to happen with you. This is why it might have been better for you to have spoken to the people who run the group first in order to determine if this was going to be the case.

The groups run by organisations such as the NAS tend to be a foundation for people to develop social skills and then branch out into mainstream communities or are a safe zone for people not as independent or adapted on the spectrum.

As for your question, I would, I have and I continue to do so. But my friendship with such people is in a mentoring role, so you could argue its an extension of my work in some respects. But I've worked with learning disabled people for 10+ years I don't expect the average person to understand or tolerate what I do.

Where do the HFA/Aspies hangout? They find niche's, the internet is our domain and it is the area noticeably absent of the so called "LFA" group because it takes a degree of cognitive understanding to use computers and make use of the internet and understand the concept of posting on an internet forum typing on a keyboard and being literate.

So if you want to exclude yourself from the LFA crowd you've come to the right place!

What might be a suggestion is to try and see if there is an interest in organising a meetup here on wrong planet in the Newcastle area and see what kind of turn out you get? You could also see if there are any meetups planned on the UK site aspie village but they seem to be making a determined effort to let the site die in recent times. Would help to have a UK specific asperger forum, but sadly theres a big void at the moment.

You seem to have a lot in common with another famous Asperger who had issues with tolerance.
http://www.lakartidningen.se/store/arti ... 1_1204.pdf

I don't think I need to translate the German into English for you.

I'd socialise with any type of low functioning individual, besides the run of the mill normal idiot. I have a morbid curiosity towards them.
Used to talk to insane people from public transport.

When people here and on other AS/HFA forums say "low functioning", they usually end up describing people in the middle of the spectrum. Truly low functioning people typically don't know how or don't care to interact with others unless it is to get a basic need met, and sometimes they can't even do that and you have to guess what they need. However, if they wanted to socialize, I would be cool doing that with them.

The little boy I spoke of is definitely low functioning. He's got some severe co-morbid conditions, as well.

He's very interested in talking to others when his paranoid schizophrenia doesn't have him convinced everyone is trying to kill him.

I thought low functioning meant nonverbal or close to it; When I was a kid no one possibly entertained the idea that I could be remotely autistic because you HAD TO be really delayed with language and have a poor vocabulary to qualify for an autism diagnosis. Since I had had an above average vocabulary and spoke two languages well, they attributed all my social problems to "acting out to get attention.

Allie Kat.

http://www.myaspergerslifestory.com/