Does this forum help or hurt?

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If you've stumbled across WP the good news is you've found a whole community of others with ASDs like you.
The bad news is this site is so inactive these days that unless you post about Donald Trump your thread might take a few days to get a reply, particularly if you don't post in GAD.

Anyway, seriously, here's a list of points where WP has helped me and hurt me:-

Good points
- It has taught me that the spectrum is more diverse than I thought it was
- It has made me realise that not everyone gets diagnosed in childhood like I did
- I feel like this site is an "Aspie/autism headquarters" where we live our daily lives then come here to discuss things like our deepest thoughts and feelings, whether we discuss them outside of WP or not

Stay tuned for the bad points coming later!

I post frequently for brief stints then leave for awhile. It’s nice to have an outlet, but sometimes it makes me get into my head too much and, occasionally, hyperfocus on negative things, so then I need to back off.

I probably just need to be more balanced in my approach.

\
\it's nice to feel like there is ONE comfortable spot in the world,

where a person can just say things and discuss things

and not be made fun of or offend people unintentionally, or being judged for external appearances,
or have to worry about responding quickly (can take time to think)

and feel much more understood than in other interactions,

and not like a weirdo compared to 'normal' people,

and also everyone seems more easygoing (at least the sections that I frequent)

and all have a unique voice, interesting people.

I have this issue too, sometimes I get stupidly engaged in things that drain me.

Knowing when to leave a discussion is an important online life skill, I guess.

It’s not really that. Due to the anonymity of WP, people tend to share and talk about stuff we wouldn’t normally in an in person conversation.

It can make me retain baggage or perhaps pick it up again when I possibly should just let it go.

When I was here in the past, it was about 50-50.

I was young and naive when I came here, where I wasn't as cautious and mindful as I am now.

I came back for advice and to see other people's perspectives on particular topics in and amongst the miscellaneous.

Taking advice here (or on any other forum) with a pinch of salt's suited me better. It's subjective. You enter a forum like this to lurk, gauge and/or engage. What you do with the received and/or discussed advice is down to you.

WP might become helpful if WP content encourages people concerned with HFA to become proactive......both here on WP, and outside of WP i.e., in real-life.

The two WP discussion threads encourage novel approaches to "break the ice so to speak!" Potentially workable
approaches to encouraging friendships, as well as how participation in the arts might be helpful. For example, the arts might activate those overlooked parts of the brain; which might be helpful in developing friendships:

* Platonic Versions Matchmakers Helpful W/ Friendships W/HFA?
viewtopic.php?t=381925

* Art Helpful With High Functioning Autism (HFA)? Any Studies?
viewtopic.php?t=382440

What do you mean? Why would anyone feel the need to be sarcastic to break the ice to speak here? I don't understand what you mean.

Do you think that encouraging people to become proactive is the only way that people can feel helped? I am just trying to understand what you are saying.

Maybe the person means sarcastic humour?

Personally i enjoy it if i can understand it but i can't actually use it myself. Needs better brains

I am confused by what justfoundhere is saying. It sounds like JFH is saying that people need to be be sarcastic in order to start posting on this site. I don't quite understand. Hopefully JFH can explain what he means.

It is not necessary to be sarcastic in order to "stand-out" on WP, and encourage novel "out-of-box" approaches which might better address concerns of High Functioning Autism (HFA).

As a person with HFA, let's empathize with those concerned with HFA - who "spin their wheels" and "pull their hair" (sometimes beyond expressing plain-old sarcasm) out of frustration in trying to understand why people with HFA are too often unable to "get out of their own ways" in order to progress e.g., successful social interaction. In short, difficulties in understanding what things motivate people with HFA to progress??

In short, I (as a person with HFA) I feel I have become very much like an advocate of frustrated NTs concerned with how to better serve people with HFA - "yes, quite that rock and a hard place dilemma- which in a way can also illustrate the dichotomy of HFA!" -- The dichotomy of HFA can best be described as that not able enough, yet not quite disabled enough - being caught in the middle.

The positive-side here is greater awareness of HFA, and hence WP becoming an established presence! The negative-side is too much of that counter-productive sentiment here on WP - which seems to become too much of a self-fulfilling prophecy - hence holding-back WP potential in better addressing HFA.

Hence, why I've posted here in this discussion thread. In my previous posts in this thread, I have discussed concrete specific approaches which may "break the ice so to speak!"

I think this forum has been very helpful to me, Knowing there are other people who have Autism and how they cope,
also when they tell their stories you can relate to some of them because you can say "yes that happened to me as well"

Everything "helps", "hurts" both or neither

Which one is for the recipient to say

Nobody can cross examine the recipient

Anyone could correctly claim that anything "helped" or "hurt" them

Mussolini was "helping" the Gestapo (correct)

JFH,
Thank you for explaining. Sorry but it is difficult for me to still understand because I am pretty simple minded. I will have to read this post several times to see if I can understand it fully. You wrote it kind of like a technical assessment. I am having a hard time understanding what these sentences mean. I will try though because I do really want to understand you.