Lysander
Well-Known Member
Establish Connection, provide for the common Interest, promote the general Enjoyment, and secure the Treasures of Information to ourselves and our Followers, do ordain and establish this Inclusive Thread of AspiesCentral.
This is a thread for the empowerment of Aspies and Aspie-friends who differ from convention in more ways than one!
Those of us, including myself, who present with traits of Aspergers/Autism/PDD face more challenges than just the obvious ones. It is my belief that we deserve to have our social, mental, physical, and environmental needs met within our lifetime. Therefore I have created this thread, with the purpose of showcasing an encompassing menu of the resources I am aware of and a place of acceptance for the Exceptionable people of AspiesCentral.
Why "Exceptionable"? Doesn't that mean something bad? Because we Aspies are more than just Aspies and when one or more of our individualisms are ahead of what society members are ready to reconcile themselves with, we do find that we are exceptionable. Some of us are gay, non-religious, or otherwise distinct from convention. Let's face it, society in general does NOT treat us with fairness and this CAN have a unique effect on us Aspies. Large groups of people can be very small-minded: I personally feel that we should experience no shame for being Exceptionable members of society in this context.
***If you are on the Autistic spectrum, would like to contribute positively, and/or find that you are otherwise an underrepresented member of society because of your gender, ethnicity, sexuality, physical appearance, disability, lack of support, religion/absence thereof, income, or other individualism, this thread is for you. I hope that you find something here that is helpful***
***Resources for Aspies and Aspie-friends:
-Learning more about the strengths of being on the Autistic spectrum is absolutely essential! I would not be the same Aspie without knowing the positive qualities associated with the diagnosis my doc decided to associate, similarly, with me. The resources found elsewhere on this website are precisely the kind of thing I mean; positive, helpful, and supportive. We rarely need someone else to point out our troubles, but we stand to gain as much as anyone from empathetic feedback that helps us to gain insight into why things are this way. Check out the "Asperger's Diary" collected by Lynne Soraya, who has Aspergers herself, for a generous palette of uplifting tones and relevant topics. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergers-diary
-Avoid organizations like AutismSpeaks. The world is awash in "resources" about autism that are really meant to market frustrated parents by portraying Autism/PDD in such hopeless lighting as to push all of the responsibility onto the autism. That is not healthy for anyone! Autism/PDD information that is aimed at parents is not going to help you because it's money-centered propaganda.
-AspieCentral! This place is great and the people here are the right kind of company; thoughtfulness and acceptance are in very good supply.
-Youtube: Yeah, really. Some channels are hosted by and for those with Aspergers/PDD. "Dr. G" hosts a respectable channel even though he is not on the autistic spectrum, and (not gonna lie), I was surprised, so I will honor him here: https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=Xg1Ngp1nGds
-Public meet-ups in your area can offer quality opportunities to socialize without a lot of pressure. There are free public activities that focus on specific subjects, like hiking or learning to crochet; it can be less stressful because the people who go to those meetings are there to engage in the activity too, so it's not only focused on direct interaction. See if there's a "public outings" section of your newpaper (this one is sometimes published on Fridays, before the weekend) and check out the Meetup website to do a quick search. http://www.meetup.com/
-Community groups for Aspies! If you're lucky enough to be in an area where there is already a public group for people who have Aspergers (not the yucky toxic stuff designed for parents) take advantage, it's there for your use! Alternatively, you could take a throw at starting such a group, which I'm considering for my area. It's worth a shot. What fun?
***Resources for Non-religious Aspies and Aspie-friends:
-Is the reaction that you receive when your neighbors discover that you're non-religious significantly less than loving? Then grab a snack and sit back to enjoy some quality Secular comedy! I mean it; there is something about non-theism, a subject perpetually teetering upon the contrasted borderlines of controversy and benign reasoning that can extract a laugh such as only British humor once could. Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Startalk Radio http://www.startalkradio.net/ offers a refreshing and scientifically sound forum for humor and discussion. Videos are available here: https://m.youtube.com/?#/playlist?list=PLl4T6p7km9dYau3451qvJXN4G9UYM1mTh
-There are a lot of religious folks and only too few people with listening skills. Don't let what they have to say take center stage by default. Take a gander at some debates involving people such as physicist Lawrence Krauss
, biologist Richard Dawkins
, author Christopher Hitchens
, and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson
.
-Secular Student Alliance! https://secularstudents.org/about An inspiring organization: The mission statement says it all. Secular Student Alliance members are known to engage in fun and pro-social activities such as on-campus presentations, setting up "Ask-An-Atheist" booths accessible to the student community at large, and gently bludgeoning the stigma faced by members of it's community with compassionate, open, and honest involvement. The Secular Student Alliance offers free memberships to all students who are committed to ". . .promote the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy, secularism, and human-based ethics. . .", helps students attend national Secular events with discounted travel/stay rates, and has a vast expanse of locations within institutions of higher education. They'll even help you establish a new location within your own school! I highly recommend this organization for Atheists and Secular Students who would like to experience support and belonging.
-Richard Dawkins. Of the Richard Dawkins Foundation. 'Nuff said. If any one person can be credited with single-handedly excavating secularism from the bedrock of taboo and placing it firmly, with devastating truthfulness, into the public eye, Richard Dawkins is the man. His debates, lectures, interviews, and published works are pure gold. I highly recommend checking his books out at your local library if you haven't already. The "List of Friendly Addresses" near the latter end of The God Delusion is quite worth perusal.
***Resources for Gay Aspies and Aspie-Friends:
Alas, this is where my knowledge begins to wane! I'm happy to add more resources as others share: but here is what I know of:
-Be proud of who you are; no one else could do it and besides, there's no virtue in denial. Take advantage of Pride Events, local support groups, and Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in your area. Don't forget to stop and taste the rainbow.
-The Human Rights Campaign http://www.hrc.org/resources is the leading organization pushing for the civil liberties of gay citizens and their families. The website of the HRC contains links to more resources regarding coming out, adoption, and health.
-COMEDY. Yep, I went there again. The Ellen Degeneres Show is a great example and hosted by the world's best-known homosexual, Ellen herself.
I may add to this thread as time goes on - I believe that being on the Autism spectrum effects our social experience indirectly, making it more stressful to be different in other ways as well. It's hard enough to be ourselves without being pressured to hide certain aspects of our basic identity on risk of complete rejection, any of the many forms of interpersonal aggression, and even violence.
I declare that it is important that we have access to support and remain a cohesive community.
Applause to all who chose to look over this!
This is a thread for the empowerment of Aspies and Aspie-friends who differ from convention in more ways than one!
Those of us, including myself, who present with traits of Aspergers/Autism/PDD face more challenges than just the obvious ones. It is my belief that we deserve to have our social, mental, physical, and environmental needs met within our lifetime. Therefore I have created this thread, with the purpose of showcasing an encompassing menu of the resources I am aware of and a place of acceptance for the Exceptionable people of AspiesCentral.
Why "Exceptionable"? Doesn't that mean something bad? Because we Aspies are more than just Aspies and when one or more of our individualisms are ahead of what society members are ready to reconcile themselves with, we do find that we are exceptionable. Some of us are gay, non-religious, or otherwise distinct from convention. Let's face it, society in general does NOT treat us with fairness and this CAN have a unique effect on us Aspies. Large groups of people can be very small-minded: I personally feel that we should experience no shame for being Exceptionable members of society in this context.
***If you are on the Autistic spectrum, would like to contribute positively, and/or find that you are otherwise an underrepresented member of society because of your gender, ethnicity, sexuality, physical appearance, disability, lack of support, religion/absence thereof, income, or other individualism, this thread is for you. I hope that you find something here that is helpful***
***Resources for Aspies and Aspie-friends:
-Learning more about the strengths of being on the Autistic spectrum is absolutely essential! I would not be the same Aspie without knowing the positive qualities associated with the diagnosis my doc decided to associate, similarly, with me. The resources found elsewhere on this website are precisely the kind of thing I mean; positive, helpful, and supportive. We rarely need someone else to point out our troubles, but we stand to gain as much as anyone from empathetic feedback that helps us to gain insight into why things are this way. Check out the "Asperger's Diary" collected by Lynne Soraya, who has Aspergers herself, for a generous palette of uplifting tones and relevant topics. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergers-diary
-Avoid organizations like AutismSpeaks. The world is awash in "resources" about autism that are really meant to market frustrated parents by portraying Autism/PDD in such hopeless lighting as to push all of the responsibility onto the autism. That is not healthy for anyone! Autism/PDD information that is aimed at parents is not going to help you because it's money-centered propaganda.
-AspieCentral! This place is great and the people here are the right kind of company; thoughtfulness and acceptance are in very good supply.
-Youtube: Yeah, really. Some channels are hosted by and for those with Aspergers/PDD. "Dr. G" hosts a respectable channel even though he is not on the autistic spectrum, and (not gonna lie), I was surprised, so I will honor him here: https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=Xg1Ngp1nGds
-Public meet-ups in your area can offer quality opportunities to socialize without a lot of pressure. There are free public activities that focus on specific subjects, like hiking or learning to crochet; it can be less stressful because the people who go to those meetings are there to engage in the activity too, so it's not only focused on direct interaction. See if there's a "public outings" section of your newpaper (this one is sometimes published on Fridays, before the weekend) and check out the Meetup website to do a quick search. http://www.meetup.com/
-Community groups for Aspies! If you're lucky enough to be in an area where there is already a public group for people who have Aspergers (not the yucky toxic stuff designed for parents) take advantage, it's there for your use! Alternatively, you could take a throw at starting such a group, which I'm considering for my area. It's worth a shot. What fun?
***Resources for Non-religious Aspies and Aspie-friends:
-Is the reaction that you receive when your neighbors discover that you're non-religious significantly less than loving? Then grab a snack and sit back to enjoy some quality Secular comedy! I mean it; there is something about non-theism, a subject perpetually teetering upon the contrasted borderlines of controversy and benign reasoning that can extract a laugh such as only British humor once could. Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Startalk Radio http://www.startalkradio.net/ offers a refreshing and scientifically sound forum for humor and discussion. Videos are available here: https://m.youtube.com/?#/playlist?list=PLl4T6p7km9dYau3451qvJXN4G9UYM1mTh
-There are a lot of religious folks and only too few people with listening skills. Don't let what they have to say take center stage by default. Take a gander at some debates involving people such as physicist Lawrence Krauss
-Secular Student Alliance! https://secularstudents.org/about An inspiring organization: The mission statement says it all. Secular Student Alliance members are known to engage in fun and pro-social activities such as on-campus presentations, setting up "Ask-An-Atheist" booths accessible to the student community at large, and gently bludgeoning the stigma faced by members of it's community with compassionate, open, and honest involvement. The Secular Student Alliance offers free memberships to all students who are committed to ". . .promote the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy, secularism, and human-based ethics. . .", helps students attend national Secular events with discounted travel/stay rates, and has a vast expanse of locations within institutions of higher education. They'll even help you establish a new location within your own school! I highly recommend this organization for Atheists and Secular Students who would like to experience support and belonging.
-Richard Dawkins. Of the Richard Dawkins Foundation. 'Nuff said. If any one person can be credited with single-handedly excavating secularism from the bedrock of taboo and placing it firmly, with devastating truthfulness, into the public eye, Richard Dawkins is the man. His debates, lectures, interviews, and published works are pure gold. I highly recommend checking his books out at your local library if you haven't already. The "List of Friendly Addresses" near the latter end of The God Delusion is quite worth perusal.
***Resources for Gay Aspies and Aspie-Friends:
Alas, this is where my knowledge begins to wane! I'm happy to add more resources as others share: but here is what I know of:
-Be proud of who you are; no one else could do it and besides, there's no virtue in denial. Take advantage of Pride Events, local support groups, and Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in your area. Don't forget to stop and taste the rainbow.
-The Human Rights Campaign http://www.hrc.org/resources is the leading organization pushing for the civil liberties of gay citizens and their families. The website of the HRC contains links to more resources regarding coming out, adoption, and health.
-COMEDY. Yep, I went there again. The Ellen Degeneres Show is a great example and hosted by the world's best-known homosexual, Ellen herself.
I may add to this thread as time goes on - I believe that being on the Autism spectrum effects our social experience indirectly, making it more stressful to be different in other ways as well. It's hard enough to be ourselves without being pressured to hide certain aspects of our basic identity on risk of complete rejection, any of the many forms of interpersonal aggression, and even violence.
I declare that it is important that we have access to support and remain a cohesive community.
Applause to all who chose to look over this!
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