Penpal group for AS kids

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Penpal group for AS kids
12
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:34pm

A mom I know from another board has decided to start a yahoo group for tweens and teens on the spectrum (those about 9+ give or take - when they would start getting interested in that sort of thing maybe). Don't know if it will take off but what the heck. Worth a try! If you are interested here is the link http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ASpenpal/

It is really new still and working out the bugs but I know some moms here in the past have mentioned something like this. Samantha, didn't you get us all to exchange info a while ago for a penpal thing?

I am not sure Mike will be interested but I think Cait will. I have created them some emails to use so they can try it out. Thankfully my email host has killer parental controls.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2005
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 6:09pm

Yish, tried to repond once and the IV grimlins got it!

Okay, my 11yo DD would like to know if she can join too. She's HFA and saw the part where it said Asperger's Syndrome, so she's insisting she may not be allowed. There goes that stickler for the rules thing again. Also, I think she's nervous cause she's joined other Aspie groups before only to find out that she didn't 'get' half the stuff Aspies 'get', like jokes, references, etc. This is where her MLMR realy seems to define the line for her between AS and HFA. Even she sees it.

Anyhoo, she wanted my to 'ask Renee' to be sure, lol.

APOV on Autism

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 6:29pm

YOu tell that girl that I was SOOOOOO hoping she would join!

No worries about the understanding. My kids draw the line between HFA and AS themselves often and miss many of those things themselves.

Actually, I am of the mind (at least from my limited perspective and experience) that in the case of my kids HFA and AS are basically the same. Ya know that conversation we have had purple, yellow, same darn rainbow.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Sat, 06-17-2006 - 9:58am

Yes, I did. Kyle lost interest really quickly though. Maybe now that he's older though. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for posting it.

-S

Samantha
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Registered: 07-12-2005
Sat, 06-17-2006 - 3:50pm
Okie dokie, signed her up.

APOV on Autism

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 06-17-2006 - 6:13pm

Did you get accepted yet? I haven't gotten a response and wondering if it is working

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2005
Sun, 06-18-2006 - 4:10am
Well, Herself has membership controls now, so I gues it's working. She hasn't posted yet, but we're planning on doing that tomorrow... Sunday for you daytime folks, lol.

APOV on Autism

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 06-18-2006 - 10:29am

We got it too. I read it over with Mr. Mike but he was not ready to post anything. He is still really unsure of all of this and what it all means in the grand scheme of things. lol. Cait is too busy with neopets to take the time! Eventually I will get her to do it, particularly if she knows your girl is there.

I was talking to mark at aspergerinfo. Both of us had the same concern. AS kid groups usually don't take off because the kids are more interested in thier obsession than talking to other similar kids and developing relationships with them.

Now if it was an AS group for animal fanatics or all about video games then we would be talking.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2005
Sun, 06-18-2006 - 3:49pm
Oh yeah! My girl would be ALL over a group os ASD kids talking about "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction" lol.

APOV on Autism

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Sun, 06-18-2006 - 6:24pm

Well why shouldn't they talk about their interests on the group. Hopefully they'll find someone who's also interested in what they are. Renee, Kyle could talk to Cait about foxes. I don't know what "Diablo II" is but Kyle might. I haven't had a chance yet to show it to Kyle. I plan to though.

-S

Samantha
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 06-18-2006 - 6:45pm

Oh, I agree and I hope that they do.

The problem that I have found in the past is that when the focus of the group isn't thier special interest then they lose interest. Same IRL with Aspie friends. Cait has "friends" who have AS. She actually has quite a number of them that she calls friends. However, she rarely calls or visits any of them or even asks too. I would not say they are friends in the conventional sense at all. Mostly she sees them in school or if I arrange it (with the one AS friend outside school) Cait calls Mitchell on rare occasions. Maybe 10 times all year and hasn't called any of the others. And they haven't called her. Even her "boyfriend". However, the girl will spend all day and night on neopets.com and is constantly bugging me to sign the permission form for her to be on the boards there. Which I won't because I will never get her off.

For a while I let cait read and post on the asperger board I moderate. There were some really nice adults with AS on there. There was one lady who was a total cat lady. After about the first week the only posts Cait would read were edda's if they were about animals and all she posted about was animals. This is fine but if there isnt another animal obsessed person she will likely lose interest very fast.

Renee

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