"The Spectrum" generally means the autism Spectrum, including Asperger's syndrome, HFA, PDD, Kanner's autism and other autism spectrum conditions. Many people "on the Spectrum" are comfortable with the generic reference of "autistic" (or "Autistic").
to Autism Self-Advocacy Links (near the bottom of this page)
Relationships
Relationships on the Spectrum and other issues
- singles.html - Autism and 'Singles' Dating Sites
- The first page written for this site, and its reason d'etre
- relationships.html - Autism, Dating and Socialization
- "Sexual Healing" (separate webpage on sexuality)
- or Just Another Webpage About Sex)
- books.html - A short list of books on meeting people, for people looking for that sort of thing.
- bodylanguage.html - A Perspective on "Reading" Body Language
- empathy.html - Do Autistics and Asperger's Syndrome People Have Feelings?
- abuse.html - Partner Abuse as Pertains to People on the Autism Spectrum
- other abuse links
- socialbullying.html - Social Bullying
- Addresses "control intimidation" and social group ostracism.
Relationships With People on the Spectrum
- Social Involvement with Someone on The Spectrum
- This page is directed to personal relationships. For information regarding support for Autistic culture, please see Phil Schwarz' article on The Case for Allies, describing 16 ways allies can help us.
outside links to Pages on Relationships
- tantra-intimacy-aspergers.com
- The Tantra, Intimacy and Asperger's Syndrome Project advocates sensitivity and support for neurodiverse learners and lovers. It is an educational approach to providing sexuality and intimacy training for adult "Aspies" and their partners.
- Inger's Relationships Page
- Part of Inger's Asperger Syndrome website
- Dating and Going Out - from aspiesforfreedom.com/wiki/
- On-line dating advice from http://www.jdate.com
- Good on-line dating advice can be found there. Or maybe it's evidence that NTs are more like us than they let-on. Besides, their pages are easier to read than mine.
- couplescompany.com - This looks like a commercial site.
- Includes discussions of things like being single and intimacy. This seems to have a heavy NT slant, which I guess is not surprising.
- www.unmarried.org - Alternatives To Marriage Project (ATMP)
- Why We Can't Just Marry Them All Off - article by Jerry Newport
Sexuality and Sexual Healing
- "Sexual Healing" (separate webpage on sexuality)
- or Just Another Webpage About Sex)
- http://www.positive.org/ - Coalition for Positive Sexuality
- Education site focused on teens and young adults - excellent resource with information particularly useful to autistic teens from 13 to, say, 64. This discusses the different aspects of "Just say yes." to sex (and of course how to say no when you want to say no).
- ¡Di Que Si! en Español
- www.ynetnews.com - Select "Singles link. - "Singles" section of Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper (English edition)
- This NT-oriented section has some good "singles lifestyles" and sexuality articles.
Autism Issues
- On The Spectrum in the Workplace
- - Job Issues - Autism in the Workplace
More about "On The Spectrum in the Workplace" below.
- etc. - A list of Miscellaneous Things
- ANR headsets
- The overpriced accessory du jour at airport shops, probably exceeds TV-B-Gone as a favourite toy for Autistics.
- syncope.html - Vasovagal Syncope
- If you have a needle or IV phobia, you should memorize the name "vasovagal syncope" and the medical procedures (or at least "TAC").
- exercises.html - Exercises in Negotiated Interaction
- bs.html - The "BS Test
- examples of Bovine Scatology, mostly in commercial transactions
- religion.html - An autistic perspective on spirituality
- Links on the subject are at www.neurodiversity.com
- www.scn.org/help/monitor.html - Reducing Computer Display Monitor Flicker
- driving.html - Learning to Drive with a Reduced Visual Perspective - adaptations - This is mostly a non-issue. Driving and distance perception is not a problem with most autistics, but there are a few who find driving to be a challenge.
- Eating Well - "Label Reading" as an approach to improvement in diet
- realistic.html - "You Need to be Realistic About Your Child's Future."
- Abortion and the Eugenics of Autism
- NEW "Causes" of Autism - Fad-Causes of Autism including the new "triclosan" theory
- Autism is 90% hereditary, but that doesn't seem to deter the kooks.
until proven innocent
- The Criminal Justice Process - a description
- "Not Guilty" Pleas (This page is hyperlinked in the "Criminal Justice Process" page)
Children
- Pets and Children - This applies to NT kids too.
- homeschooling.html - On Homeschooling
- Don't do it!
- the Relationships page
- Christschool's videos on YouTube
- These videos are amazing, and go further to describe life with a child on The Spectrum, taken from the viewpoint of an adult Autistic. There's a wide variety of issues there -- take your pick.
Artistic Expression
- theysay.html - They Say. (a poem)
- confinement.html - Lost in my own confinement (mixed expression)
- school1969.html - Memories of school 1969 (poem)
- dontbindme.html - Don't bind me. Recollection of teen years of an autistic placed in a mental hospital ward. (mixed expression)
- www.justgathertogether.com/write4.htm - more poems by Sondra and others
Autism Self-Advocacy
These are general links, related to organisations related to autism and Asperger's syndrome. (They are in no particular order.)
self-advocacy
- Donation Links
- ... for "accidental donors" and of course intentional donation. Please donate to groups who represent autistics and who are focused on autism advocacy.
- Autism Network International
- Ooops...Wrong Planet!
- Autistic Adults Picture Project...
- Our Names Are Autism Too
- I included this list here because it includes links to several individual self-advocacy pages.
- Aspies For Freedom (AFF)
- GRASP - The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership
- Tantra, Intimacy & Asperger's Syndrome Project
- neurodiversity.com
regional
- Asperger Adults of Greater Washington (Washington, DC. Most people there don't know that Washington is a state.)
- Portland Asperger Support Group
Some Explanations of Autism
- thiswayoflife.org/index.html - Joel Smith's website
- Joel Smith's website, "This Way of Life" is divided into a well-written series of essays on issues generally related to autism self-advocacy.
Includes a commentary about "venting", a euphemism for hate speech typically directed toward spouses and children.
- "Don't Mourn for Us"
- This 1993 essay by Jim Sinclair, co-founder of ANI is seen as the touchstone to the autism self-advocacy movement.
(mirror page)
(video montage) from christschool (Youtube)
- (numerous similar links here)
- Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical - a tongue-in-cheek commentary from autistics.org
Pages Elsewhere on SCN and
Elsewhere not on SCN
- www.scn.org/help/monitor.html - Reducing Computer Display Monitor Flicker
- There is a tendency for people with Asperger's syndrome to be affected by computer display monitor flicker.
- www.scn.org/~bk269/94-142.html - Summary of Public Law 94-142 (US)
- P.L. 94-142, otherwise known as IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) provides for educational opportunities, mainstreaming, and independent educational plans (IEPs) in the US.
- Neurodiversity.com
- Jane Meyerding's Website
- a list of "Snippets"
- - This is a single page with explanations of various experiences related to autism.
- links -
- - She has a links page, directing the reader to such topics as prosopagnosia (inability to recognize human faces) which at least to some extent affects everyone on The Spectrum.
- http://staff.washington.edu/mjane/
- - (her main page, at University of Washington in Seattle)
- "Repeat Naming" or Signifying
The part about giving them your dog's name is particularly useful if you're in an irritable mood trying to solve a particular problem on the phone.)
- human-emotions.com Mind Reading "The Interactive Guide to Emotions" DVD
- (redirects to here) The website explains it. The DVD got a pretty good review (BBC) and is almost certainly worth the £74.95 cost. They appear to have a good conversion rate, so it shouldn't matter if you choose to pay in $US or £UK. But the "important" note says if you are a member of a relevant organisation, cost is £54.95 .
Other Outside Links
- www.autisticsociety.org
- - This site is attempting to start various forums and discussion groups.
- Connecting the Dots
- - Rhonda's Web Links (geocities)
- Some Famous People on The Spectrum
Steven Speilberg
Bram Cohen of Bit Torrent
Dan Aykroyd
Vernon L. Smith (Nobel winning mathematician)- www.autistichat.net - User Access Site
- This site permits users to interact, post webpages, etc., using MediaWiki software. This is a sort-of cross between Wikipedia and a chatroom. This particular site is focused on autism spectrum.
- Privacy
- (not related to autism, but it's here anyway)
- GLBA Letter (US)
- Sample GLBA privacy letter (US) to decline to have personal information "shared", with instructions.
Other Links in www.scn.org/people
- www.scn.org/people/ - Other links in the "People" category of SCN
- www.scn.org/people/sex/ - Other sexuality links in the "People" category of SCN
Drugs and Other Treatments
- In general autism is a personality (or personality disorder depending on one's political viewpoint). A significant percentage of autistics -- probably the majority -- would object to a "cure". It's unlikely that drugs therapy would "cure" a personality condition in any meaningful way.
The subject of drug therapy ranging from caffeine to early LSD studies is discussed at www.scn.org/people/autistics/pharmaceuticals.html
No other links yet (although this page was written with the aid of quite a bit of "organic shade grown" from Whole Foods). Caffeine is, after all, a drug of choice of many people in the workplace.
Psychology
- www.scn.org/~bk269/shrinks.html - The difference between "psychiatrist" and "psychologist" (definitions and their significance)
- Basically, a "psychologist" deals with personality issues; a "psychiatRist" deals with dRugs.
- www.scn.org/health/ - SCN's links to "Diseases and Conditions"
- www.scn.org/health/disabled.html - Disabled
- www.scn.org/health/mental.html - Mental Health and Advocacy
- Also includes items such as ADD Adults of Washington
- "Definition" of AS according to DSM-IV -
- ... actually more of a set of diagnostic criteria. Despite the "Disorder" language, this is useful in establishing uniformity in describing AS, autism, and related conditions (and, yes, also disorders).
Harm Caused by Quack Cures and Aversion Therapy, etc.
NEW "Harm Caused by Quack Cures" - describes legal recourse for unorthodox medical treatmentsCitizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a group within the Church of Scientology has become active in opposing what they call "psychiatric violations of human rights".It seems that Scientology is involved in part because they disfavour psychiatry; instead favouring their own techniques. As far as I'm concerned, their concern is more than welcome. Thank you, Scientologists.
If you have been harmed in any way by quack "cures", CCHR may be able to direct you to a lawyer willing to take the case. Please see the links for this.
- CCHR
- What Is CCHR?
- CCHR's Lawyer Referral Page
- CCHR can be useful in locating lawyers willing to take on "professionals" responsible for abusive therapies.
One Non-Orthodox Treatment that is Well-Accepted and is Possibly Beneficial
- Irlen Lenses
- Information on Irlen Lenses
Helen L. Irlen's US Patent 4,961,640 (which expires Oct-2007) The patent contains instructions on the Irlen technique.(text format of US 4,961,640)
.pdf of US 4,961,640 from pat2pdf.org: