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may not be totally applicable anymore, but i was looking for something else, and though, why not answer this informal poll.

1. Where are you on the spectrum? Aspergers and ADD, though the ADD is certainly passive and arguably influential.
2. Are you a kid (your age is less than 13), teen (your age is 13 – 21), adult (your age is 22-60), or elderly (your age is 60+)? adult
3. How long have you been using online forums? mid 1995 MSN dialup seems about right, so 19 years.
4. Do you interact with people better on the forums as opposed to in real life? yes, and no. mostly Yes, but i tend to find it's an outlet for times i'd rather not be talking, it's either forums, reddit or Quora posts.
5. Has the forums helped you in real life interactions? If yes, how? uncertainly so. i find that being able to revise and edit a thought is a valuable process, in real life, i'm a little scattered, or between ideas.
a. Has it helped you improve your behavior? certainly not. i write what i assume nobody will read but someone who is invested in a response, someone like me, may appreciate or reject. in conversation, i take the 3rd or 5th conversation option that comes to mind, which gives me some time to reflect better on an idea. without sleep, you don't get a very good version of my logic or process, and while my essay and article writing appears articulate, i find listening and speaking vexing and frustrating to focus on, lateral processes kick in, and you get fractions of hyperlucid and linear conversation at the same time. e.g. i'll occasionally ramble in lexical analogy and so on, forth.
b. Has it helped you understand other people’s viewpoints? I don't know. i lace caustic wisdom into sardonic parlance. in real life, it comes across as a more accidental pejorative wit or metaphor laden obstacle course of ideas. it has improved over the years, so perhaps i'm not lacing as many anecdotes, or feeling uncomfortable about white lies and explaining my actions and ideas to others. perhaps it has. i've always had to shroud an idea into language or form, i've always had a visual thought process, and i'm fluent or frequently operating in metaphor or ideas, from context of raw and iconoclastic ideas. so, when i speak, i take what i want or mean to say, assess the audience, find the words i'd perceive they can follow or give them some perspective or critical phrase to latch on with, then wait for the residual language process to fill in the inbetween, or go back after the sentence, and cover the in-between in more detail if i see that they don't follow a regiment of social cues and nonverbal cues like nods or aimless vision. i may have picked this delivery and approach from teachers in my past, so it's probably not the best method in the world, but you take the examples which work. if i'd watched more TV as a child, i might have picked up language, delivery, intonation, and context-buffering via pause and inflection differently.
6. Are there any other ways you think the forums have helped you? it helps avoid the problem of initially thinking you're correct all the time. apart from an infinite chorus of invalid assumptions being a chord frequently heard/thought during my frequent inner monologue, checking what the alternatives are before the internet used to require a lot of work and emotional dissonance, i assumed a lot of information was both inflexibly correct and incorrect, and i spent a lot of energy and emotion trying to work out the best options, or the fastest options, or the right way to do things. Now, i'm lazy just like everyone else. sarcasm also allows you to be both humorous and invalid at the same time, and i choose the witty option in preference to assertive or persuasive answers. which i learned from writing, and posting techniques. or bastardised from either discipline or academic rote.
7. Are there any difficulties that you have in the real world that are overcome or not there when you use the forums? Sometimes. often online, i'll come to a post with a diagnostic or logical assumption in mind, i.e. "the internet is wrong! i must fix this", and it provides a brief distraction or time to concentrate, learn more, adapt my ideas, or abandon it entirely. there are still about 50+ Quora / Reddit drafts that have been forever lost for days, months that i will never hit submit on, but it's a way that i knowingly use as a cathexis or moment to mediate or meditate. writing, becomes a way to focus and hyperfocus, reduce stimuli and chaos from the ambient and latent anxieties. i know this because i'll often get into days where i just don't think about other people, and it mediates interaction with a purpose and distraction. there may be a synchronicity or temporal aspect that would worry me if i were NT, but it is a moderately acceptable method of tuning out and coming back to the pressures and inflexible reality of schedules,emotional relationships and responsibilities.
8. Do you like that you can interact with other people who have autism/Asperger on forums? i find it's not that different to the everyday forums i use, which are often tech based, or public such as reddit. the fact that i've been around for decades. I don't know if ASD walled communities provide a great instinctive collective wellbeing, perhaps because i've spent so much more time outside in the corrosive blinding lights and thoughts pervading the internet, I've filtered so much banality that i only ever notice the grammar and context, as well as the misspelt insults. Of all the forums, i find that WP has a pretty solid audience, and just reminds me of walled forums like SomethingAwful, a haven for madness and trite banality, and underneath there's a heavy ASD focused audience entrenched within the purloined walls and heirarchy of the $10 forums there, a general hatred of non-conformity and the world outside and in. Now, SA is terrible and a very suspect vis conflicting "sperg" aggressive attitude to illiterate or too literate personalities, but underneath, all the mods are brutally ADD/ASD inclined, a sort of brutal iconoclastic communism of words and ideas within a protected bubble. the banality or grossness outside has no bearing on the inside where the forums lie. and there's a lot of pretense and idiocy. it's a melting pot of ideas and expression. i suppose it's the very model of a looking glass of madness when you enter, it's contemptible, but within the madness lies beauty and wretchedness. how i see the NT world, i have to say, is through this familiar, worn and jaded lens, so without it, i'm not sure what i'd do differently.
a. Would you like this as much if you were interacting with them in real life instead of online? text has a reliable sense of authenticity that is missing in a real world setting. i can edit and review someone's opinions or options and take some time in following their decisions. and, it doesn't affect my feeling towards another person by trying to empathise or follow along with them. it's a softer method of making a point. But in a social context, you make mistakes. it relies on so much more nuance, and there's higher stages and stakes to risk, and lose. though i do really well with disembodied speaking in groups i'm also told, a raid leader is a uniquely challenging discipline or a lecturer/educator which i do effortlessly, and have been told should be my calling. though i profess no interest. I'ts probably the grey hair more than the frequent advice and positive, direct sarcasm.
b. Do you prefer this online interaction to real life interactions? i certainly have more practise with online fora and methods. and while i can't multitask effectivel due to being male. and/or ASD/ADD, i attempt it well and without too much ridicule or notice. i'm just not too keen on it in practise due to the irritation i can't abandon or address in a real life setting. yes, i have practise dealing with being in crowds and noisy environments, but it is not a desirable or relaxing state. Not even pushing myself into a toastmasters course in high school was as burdensome as spending a week in the bush with classmates and having nothing to do but talk and listen to nature.
9. What other forum websites do you use? mostly tech sites, whirlpool, ocau, reddit, quora, and others. I have less time available to pore over singular topics, twitter is most often a 20 minute burst of random coherence that helps me acclimate to the news or body politic of strangers for the day or week, i'm sure i'm not using it appropriately, but it's effective for news, opinion, and extending my POV of an issue beyond a soundbite or a chorus of opinions without facts.
10. Are there any rules of the forum that a new person to the forum wouldn’t know? By rules I mean courtesy things like pointing out if sarcasm is being used, or how to use acronyms, or how to use smilies (emoticons), etc,. i generally like to observe how new posts are handled in a popular forum, and part of that instinct is many years of seeing posts unreplied, unread or the point was missed entirely due to a subtext that was crossed or a faux pas, or even a sense of inappropriate context. Socially, you learn by making an effort or seeing how visitors are treated, and not all communities are qualified or balanced. Those elusive Unwritten Rules are the most vexing, and while WP has a fair approach, there is latent and bridled opinion, which makes it a generally newb friendly place to interact, without the dejection or rejection that you'd see in other places, enough emotional play to redirect and more than enough context to admonish lightly or reproach without direct intercedence. ie. it's not confrontational, and the trolling is not so bad as to be noticeable in text or subtext, just choices of language. and it's more about color and variety than being right, or wrong, it's all discourse.

1. Where are you on the spectrum?
Asperger, ADD.

2. Are you a kid (your age is less than 13), teen (your age is 13 – 21), adult (your age is 22-60), or elderly (your age is 60+)?
Adult.

3. How long have you been using online forums?
when they first appeared on the net.

4. Do you interact with people better on the forums as opposed to in real life?
No. Different environment, different rules, different mistakes.

5. Has the forums helped you in real life interactions? If yes, how?
A little. Was over 30 when they started, learned most things about IRL communication before that.

a. Has it helped you improve your behavior?
Yes.

b. Has it helped you understand other people’s viewpoints?
Yes

6. Are there any other ways you think the forums have helped you?
Yes.

7. Are there any difficulties that you have in the real world that are overcome or not there when you use the forums?
I get more time to think, but that can lead to overthinking.

8. Do you like that you can interact with other people who have autism/Asperger on forums?
Not really. Interaction on the forums is more difficult. Could be age-related, I started foruming later in life.

a. Would you like this as much if you were interacting with them in real life instead of online?
would like it more

b. Do you prefer this online interaction to real life interactions?
Prefer IRL.

9. What other forum websites do you use?
marshallforum, lespaulforum and stuff like that. Very few interactions, I usually just read the posts.

10. Are there any rules of the forum that a new person to the forum wouldn’t know? By rules I mean courtesy things like pointing out if sarcasm is being used, or how to use acronyms, or how to use smilies (emoticons), etc,.
Yes. Every forum has its own set of written and implied rules, and it takes some effort to find them out.

Is there anything else you think I should know?

1. Where are you on the spectrum?
Officially, I have NLD. I am being tested for what's now called ASD in July.

2. Are you a kid (your age is less than 13), teen (your age is 13 – 21), adult (your age is 22-60), or elderly (your age is 60+)?
Teen.

3. How long have you been using online forums?
This one? Since the beginning of this month. In general, since I was 14.

4. Do you interact with people better on the forums as opposed to in real life?
No, I just post opinions, I don't really have conversations. But when I do have conversations, it's a little better than in real life.

5. Has the forums helped you in real life interactions? If yes, how?
No.

a. Has it helped you improve your behavior?
No

b. Has it helped you understand other people’s viewpoints?
No.

6. Are there any other ways you think the forums have helped you?
Nope. Other than to gather some information.

7. Are there any difficulties that you have in the real world that are overcome or not there when you use the forums?
Not really.

8. Do you like that you can interact with other people who have autism/Asperger on forums?
Sometimes.

a. Would you like this as much if you were interacting with them in real life instead of online?
I'm not sure. Sometimes others with an ASD as just as confusing as those without.

b. Do you prefer this online interaction to real life interactions?
No.

9. What other forum websites do you use?
I'm not going to tell you that, there are a few, and I don't feel like listing them.

10. Are there any rules of the forum that a new person to the forum wouldn’t know? By rules I mean courtesy things like pointing out if sarcasm is being used, or how to use acronyms, or how to use smilies (emoticons), etc,.
I have no idea, although I have seen some people point out to others when they are using sarcasm.

Is there anything else you think I should know?
Nope.

1. Where are you on the spectrum? Asperger's Syndrome.
2. Are you a kid (your age is less than 13), teen (your age is 13 – 21), adult (your age is 22-60), or elderly (your age is 60+)? 20 years old.
3. How long have you been using online forums? 6+ years.
4. Do you interact with people better on the forums as opposed to in real life? Usually.
5. Has the forums helped you in real life interactions? If yes, how? Yes, understanding social norms and expectations.
a. Has it helped you improve your behavior? Yes.
b. Has it helped you understand other people’s viewpoints? Yes.
6. Are there any other ways you think the forums have helped you? Can't think of any at the moment.
7. Are there any difficulties that you have in the real world that are overcome or not there when you use the forums? I have trouble reading body language and knowing how tone of voice changes the meaning of what people are saying. That is generally not a problem online. However, it is fairly easy to miss sarcasm online - more so than in real life.
8. Do you like that you can interact with other people who have autism/Asperger on forums? Yes.
a. Would you like this as much if you were interacting with them in real life instead of online? It would be nice to meet some other people with autism/Asperger's in real life but I like talking to them online as well.
b. Do you prefer this online interaction to real life interactions? Sometimes I prefer online interaction and other times I prefer real life interactions.
9. What other forum websites do you use? Just this one.
10. Are there any rules of the forum that a new person to the forum wouldn’t know? By rules I mean courtesy things like pointing out if sarcasm is being used, or how to use acronyms, or how to use smilies (emoticons), etc,. I suggest holding up a sarcasm sign when one is being sarcastic.

1. Where are you on the spectrum?
low functioning, severely autistic.

2. Are you a kid (your age is less than 13), teen (your age is 13 – 21), adult (your age is 22-60), or elderly (your age is 60+)?
age thirty

3. How long have you been using online forums?
since sixteen,although most years were spent just looking,was recommended foruming by a pyschologist

4. Do you interact with people better on the forums as opposed to in real life?
yes-slightly,but am not able to interact on forums,back-forth interaction/chat is a huge issue for self,am able to make posts but find it almost impossible to feel and accept interacting so really struggle with answering any questions or replies to self.

5. Has the forums helped you in real life interactions? If yes, how?
no but it has helped with understanding language a bit better as am forced to look up meanings of words for most posts

a. Has it helped you improve your behavior?
no.

b. Has it helped you understand other people’s viewpoints?
yes, am more accepting of hearing other people out,am less likely to ignore views am not intersted in.

6. Are there any other ways you think the forums have helped you?
it has helped self to understand the autism spectrum and learn a lot about autism overall to the point of helping relatives get diagnosed and have even been thanked by their doctor for having such knowledge of it.

7. Are there any difficulties that you have in the real world that are overcome or not there when you use the forums?
yes, communication,language and interaction difficulties;these cross over to online.
and also being understood is a big difficulty, as much of the aspie community have never seen a LFA autist outside of stereotypical films or LF profiles built by desperate parents of profoundly autistic children who think everyone with LFA is the same stereotype,am an autism & intelectual disability activist in the local community and find it very hard to come online to a place where we shoud at least have a little backup;
be filled with comments that we live lives of suffering and shoud be cured whilst HFAs allowed to be who they want;the only ones who can decide whose suffering are us.
its also difficult when aproached by parents of young profoundly autistic children as they have very limited understanding of the low functioning spectrum and think everyone who isnt like their child is putting it on, being able to type on a forum is usualy a disqualifier of theirs.

8. Do you like that you can interact with other people who have autism/Asperger on forums?
yes-its nice to be on a community with people who can relate in different ways as long as they are accomodating of others differences though.

a. Would you like this as much if you were interacting with them in real life instead of online?
no,as am not able to interact with people online in the true manner of the word.

b. Do you prefer this online interaction to real life interactions?
prefer using forums as its a way of getting mental build up out that am not able to communicate verbaly, plus have got a love of helping people.

9. What other forum websites do you use?
an animal one,thats it.

10. Are there any rules of the forum that a new person to the forum wouldn’t know? By rules I mean courtesy things like pointing out if sarcasm is being used, or how to use acronyms, or how to use smilies (emoticons), etc,.
treat other users as woud like to be treated, dont be nasty to anyone and if someone is nasty report it without making a rude comment back-otherwise woud be as bad as them, dont be rude about other users differences,dont make offensive and/or negative generalizations about any groups;such as neurotypicality, low functioning autism or even high functioning autism if are a part of that group.
avoid the use of 'ret*d' and 'mentaly ret*d'-one is a disablist slur regardless of its useage and the other is a no longer used name for what is now called intelectual disability in america [and learning disability in the UK],many of us on the spectrum have ID and this is supposed to be a peer support
community for the whole spectrum.

Is there anything else you think I should know?
no,not that can think of.

But you haven't yet answered the responders questions about why you are doing this specifically. For an assignment, a paper you are writing, an article? Will you be quoting or identifying these people in any way?

I would not recommend any one to respond until the OP has clarified the nature of this questionnaire.

yeah,didnt think of that although am all for helping people understand us.
just thought as well,wonder has OP asked alex or at least the mods for permision to post this survey as alex used to delete surveys that werent given permision first.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind answering too. These 'researchers' or whatever they are, should be willing to be up front about it and take the time to address concerns. That is a good point about running it past an Admin. I should of done it before, but will do so now.

^ This.

No request was made to a moderator before starting this survey and valid concerns have been raised about its purpose, so I think I'll lock this thread now to be on the safe side.
The OP can PM me with the information and responses she's thus far failed to provide and we'll judge from that whether it should continue.