Helpful Hint: Your Aspie probably won’t ask for help—you’ll be the one who needs to do that. So another one of your tasks is figuring out what help your Aspie needs and where to get that help. Research and locate the resources available to you and your Aspie at the local level as well as the national level. Get on the Internet and Google away! Search! Ask! Inquire! Because if you don’t search or ask, you have no chance of receiving. Then fight the good fight to make sure Aspies get the help and accommodations that are rightfully theirs.
Principle: Despite all the publicity being heaped on learning disabilities, the resources available for families of Asperger’s syndrome, autism spectrum, and other “different brain” individuals are woefully limited. Many parents of Aspies, especially the moms, have done noble battle with the system to obtain the accommodations and assistance their Aspies deserve and are legally entitled to. But even when the authorities want to help, the obstacle is the pervasive ignorance of the resources available for your Aspie (or for any other person with disabilities). You will fight a lot of battles—constant battles—and to win those battles you will need to arm yourself with knowledge. After all, the medical establishment, the educational establishment, the workplace establishment, and the government establishment have something in common. They’re all tough.
Many more groups with a stake in this issue are good sources of information and support. The ones listed here are a good place to start. Some of these groups include The Autism Society of America and their state chapters, The Asperger Autism Spectrum Education Network (ASPEN), OASIS@MAAP, Autism Speaks, The Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), and Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association (AHA).
This book isn’t meant to be the ultimate referral source for Asperger’s or high-functioning autism. If you do a Google search for “resources for Asperger’s syndrome,” the list of organizations goes on at length. If the bookstores and libraries in your area have limited resources on the subject, you’ll have to go hunting online. Becoming part of a group that communicates well can provide many advantages if the individuals are positive-minded. Negativity does little good in general, and fighting the good fight for your Aspie is no exception. Do your homework and talk to others.
Here are a few more examples. The Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) is at more than a few universities here in the tri-county area of Broward County, including Nova Southeastern University in Broward, Florida Atlantic University in Boca, and University of Miami. Available are e-mail groups and lists, Asperger’s meet-up groups, Asperger’s summer camps, as well as employment services and numerous qualified professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, ESE teachers, and educational programs. But let’s face it: the system as it exists today is not as geared up as it should be to meet the needs of Aspies at any age level. But as Aspies enter adulthood, it gets especially lonely out there for their advocates.
ACTION PLAN: Research, meet, talk, join, attend, speak, observe, read, watch, educate yourself and others, read some more, communicate, visit www.aspertools.com, and do Google searches. You’re only as good as your information. And don’t forget, you are not alone. Social media can be very helpful, and lots of groups exist.
