There is help for ASD and great possibility for a joyful and purposeful life!

[I love roses]

I didn’t specifically dismiss it in a way. To do that I would have included the name of the website in my statements and said that I thought it was a specifically bad site. Like I said, I check out websites thoroughly even if I’m ordering soap. A better analogy on profiteers is the Satanic Ritual Abuse theory that became exposed as scam and mass hysteria and phrenology. Now, some people are questioning all the new gender labels. If something works for you then by all means use it. But if you start losing money and you don’t get the results you need then bail. I was a little freaked on the term expert though. I don’t think there is such thing as an autism expert as knowledge is evolving. Doesn’t mean it isnt a good site but I would have picked a different name. I don’t think you are a troll either. Trolls always get removed from by staff or monitors of legitimate sites. I’m wondering why this site charges for levels of memberships. I’ve never seen a forum charge before. I haven’t paid as I just signed on so I don’t even know what that is about. Is it just a donation? Do you know? What is the membership for and what does it do? And there is tons of spam where I can’t hardly scroll and read anything sometimes.

 

[tree]

I’m wondering why this site charges for levels of memberships. I’ve never seen a forum charge before. I haven’t paid as I just signed on so I don’t even know what that is about. Is it just a donation? Do you know? What is the membership for and what does it do? And there is tons of spam where I can’t hardly scroll and read anything sometimes.

By "spam" I think you are referring to the ads.

Spam posts are removed by staff.

This link describes membership.
https://www.autismforums.com/account/upgrades

 

[I love roses]

I was afraid to click on that. But thanks @tree! I clicked it and found out a bunch of people rated my on the job bullying post response and really dug it. Now I know how to encourage others or show strong beneficial feelings with the icons. I have gotten so skeptical of forums these days. They are the best things in the world. Many are fantastic and others are used for mining, fraud and others ills so I have gotten untrusting. But I think a little wariness until a person proofs something for themselves is not all bad.

So, @tree, when it refers to only having 5 conversations as opposed to 20, does that refer to chat room? If so then then can parties carry on private conversations and have closed sessions between just two people or add who they wish? I haven’t used chat in years and was wondering that is what it is and is ifnit is how that works.

 

[tree]

@I love roses

No, the "5 conversations" doesn't refer to the Chat Room.
There is no limit on the number of people who may occupy
the General Chat Room at one time.

It is possible to open a Private Chat between two people.

Conversation is also called Private Message.

The difference between PM and chat is
fluid is fluid/real time while messages are
static/like email.

Private Messages are received in your Inbox.

The number of people in a group Message can
be just the two, up to 5, or in the case of
paid membership...up to 20 people.

 

[Desertphile]

https://www.asperg

This is spam. Also, I think these people are not to be trusted.

 

[Nitro]

I didn’t specifically dismiss it in a way. To do that I would have included the name of the website in my statements and said that I thought it was a specifically bad site. Like I said, I check out websites thoroughly even if I’m ordering soap. A better analogy on profiteers is the Satanic Ritual Abuse theory that became exposed as scam and mass hysteria and phrenology. Now, some people are questioning all the new gender labels. If something works for you then by all means use it. But if you start losing money and you don’t get the results you need then bail. I was a little freaked on the term expert though. I don’t think there is such thing as an autism expert as knowledge is evolving. Doesn’t mean it isnt a good site but I would have picked a different name. I don’t think you are a troll either. Trolls always get removed from by staff or monitors of legitimate sites. I’m wondering why this site charges for levels of memberships. I’ve never seen a forum charge before. I haven’t paid as I just signed on so I don’t even know what that is about. Is it just a donation? Do you know? What is the membership for and what does it do? And there is tons of spam where I can’t hardly scroll and read anything sometimes.

Keeping this forum running financially is support two different ways.
One way is thru ad revenues which is why the unpaid members have to tolerate the ads.

We have some fairly strict guidelines we must follow in order to keep those revenues, so we do moderate this place in a manner that ensures we keep those revenues coming in.
The other way it is supported is thru VIP memberships that remove all ads.
There are a few other smaller perks, but once again, if you are an active part of this forum, I see no reason to not join as a VIP member in any capacity.

As a member who took on a volunteer position as an acting admin, I signed on for a lifetime hitch, but after realizing that I would no longer be supporting the forum, I took to gifting VIP memberships to those I felt deserved them who are most often those who follow me here

 

[Catana]

Maybe I'm wrong since I chose not to delve into the material, but my impression is that this is all directed as changing emotional responses. First, I doubt that most aspies' emotional problems would be considered PTSD. That has become almost a fad -- or bandwagon -- for people to jump on. I don't question the very real problems or the emotional responses to them, but strong emotional reactions aren't always PTSD. Second, PTSD, and other emotional reactions are outcomes, not causes. Treating the emotions may bring about some improvement in functioning, but it doesn't touch the root causes. And relying on this approach may actually interfere in dealing appropriately with the basic problems.

 

[Catana]

This is spam. Also, I think these people are not to be trusted.

The price of each of their courses is $95.00, with a guaranteed one-year money back offer. Money-back offers are only as good as the honesty of the people running the site. How do we know what the reputation of this site actually is? Do a google search. There's a discussion on Wrong Planet, that ran from 2014 to 2017. There are probably more reviews from other sources, but the bottom line is that they charge for everything. Just to be a member of the community (does that mean anything more than a forum?) is $20 a month.

 

[Tom]

'Joyful and purposeful lives' make me nervous. Being that happy is well... unnatural.

 

[dragonwolf]

This is spam. Also, I think these people are not to be trusted.

The cure mentality within the "Autism Coach" one is setting off red flags for me. A particularly big one was an unfounded statement that "40% of people labeled as autistic lose the label" in their "Start Here" page.

OP - I get that you love and want to help your daughter, and I'm glad you got benefit out of some of the things you're sharing, but be wary. There's a lot of crap out there specifically targeted to you and people like you -- NT parents of an Autistic child encountering this whole "Autism" thing for the first time.

Autism is only "a collection of symptoms," because the medical industry has spent the past umpteen decades ignoring us. There are underlying neurological differences, and sometimes those differences clash with the environment in ways a Neurotypical's neurology doesn't. We've told people this. There are pages and pages and pages written about this by Autistics.

There are certainly things that can help us operate at our best. I've personally found dietary changes to help with brain fog and migraine issues. These things can do things like reduce the number of meltdowns (and, like migraines, increase the threshold before which one is triggered), improve information processing/retention, etc, but the underlying neurology is still there and that's not a bad thing.

 

[I love roses]

Keeping this forum running financially is support two different ways.
One way is thru ad revenues which is why the unpaid members have to tolerate the ads.

We have some fairly strict guidelines we must follow in order to keep those revenues, so we do moderate this place in a manner that ensures we keep those revenues coming in.
The other way it is supported is thru VIP memberships that remove all ads.
There are a few other smaller perks, but once again, if you are an active part of this forum, I see no reason to not join as a VIP member in any capacity.

As a member who took on a volunteer position as an acting admin, I signed on for a lifetime hitch, but after realizing that I would no longer be supporting the forum, I took to gifting VIP memberships to those I felt deserved them who are most often those who follow me here

You sound like a syndicate biker. And I thought yall were just good ol guys! Sounds like black mail or an okey doke. Sorry, i’m independent and nobody’s property.

 

[I love roses]

You mean your posts Nitro or do you own the site? That’s a little weird.

 

[I love roses]

Nobody rides for free and you know that.

 

[Nitro]

You sound like a syndicate biker. And I thought yall were just good ol guys! Sounds like black mail or an okey doke. Sorry, i’m independent and nobody’s property.

Care to translate this?

 

[I love roses]

Care to translate this?

Why would you gift something for following you on a thread? What is in it for a person to be followed I was just making fun of your Harley logo like you were hustling someone. I used to ride. Thought you spoke the cultural language because of Harley Davison logo staying under your posts. Into could be a biker name as in racing fuel. okey doke is to fool someone in such a way that the person agrees and thinks it is a good idea and doesn’t know they are being snookered. I’m independent, meaning i’m not affiliated with a bike club. Im not property meaning i’m not a biker ok lady. i’m married to mine. I was just joking around and checking to see if you knew the language. It wasn’t a serious statement. I rode a shovel head. Hubby rode 55 pan. You ride?

 

[Nitro]

Point #1: I gift VIP memberships to people that follow my newsfeed, not just those who respond to my threads.
That helps support the site.
The one time lifetime hitch is not a continued support, so I do my part to share the wealth.

Being followed is a sign of friendship here for many, but is not expected. If you want, you can follow me and see how it works.

Point #2: I support Harley-Davidson because I actually own one.
It's a sissy little girl's bike with training wheels.
Some day I might learn to ride it.
And one day I hope my mommy lets me ride it on the road.


Point #3: Nitro is short for nitromethane.
It is an internet handle I have used for years now.
It is also a reference to topfuel dragracing and my participation as a racer in NHRA.

If it means anything to you, my primary special interest is the internal combustion engine followed by high performance vehicles on land water and in the air.


Point #4: I'm associated with a high profile MC, but not a patched member.
I ain't no old lady either.

Point #5: I do not own this site, nor receive any compensation from my position here.
I obviously have participated a good deal on this forum, otherwise I would never have been asked to join the staff.
I accepted the position because I felt a chance to give something back would be a positive thing.

---------------------------------------------------

I posted the FYI outlining how this forum is supported financially, not as a beatdown, if you do understand the "language"

 

[mw2530]

I didn’t specifically dismiss it in a way. To do that I would have included the name of the website in my statements and said that I thought it was a specifically bad site. Like I said, I check out websites thoroughly even if I’m ordering soap. A better analogy on profiteers is the Satanic Ritual Abuse theory that became exposed as scam and mass hysteria and phrenology. Now, some people are questioning all the new gender labels. If something works for you then by all means use it. But if you start losing money and you don’t get the results you need then bail. I was a little freaked on the term expert though. I don’t think there is such thing as an autism expert as knowledge is evolving. Doesn’t mean it isnt a good site but I would have picked a different name. I don’t think you are a troll either. Trolls always get removed from by staff or monitors of legitimate sites. I’m wondering why this site charges for levels of memberships. I’ve never seen a forum charge before. I haven’t paid as I just signed on so I don’t even know what that is about. Is it just a donation? Do you know? What is the membership for and what does it do? And there is tons of spam where I can’t hardly scroll and read anything sometimes.

Maybe you didn't specifically dismiss the site, but one has to look at the substance of your posts. Why else would you bring up these scams you've seen or your terrible experiences with professionals. And why are you bringing up the issue of memberships on this thread? It has nothing to do with the original thread. You are correct I'm no troll. I've been posting and creating threads on this site for over 4 years now. I only responded directly to your posts b/c I thought you were forming a very strong opinion without doing your research. I would like to see the OP respond to some of these posts.

 

[mw2530]

In any event, I believe the polyvagal theory explains much of my experiences and behavior. It makes a lot of sense to me. And ptsd may be a result of things, but according to the theory it causes your body to work differently. I've read some books on trauma and this theory. People's nervous system can shut down after experiencing trauma, whether ASD or not. I'm younger than a lot of the posters on this thread. Maybe that's why I seem to be more flexible on considering these ideas.

 

[I love roses]

It sounds like a good idea for you then. I would never want to hinder someone’s progress. My comment was meant generally, but not necessarily a specific site. I notice “patterns” a lot and I look for red flags as a way of protection. That is what i actually did in my career.

What I actually meant was, You can go on any site. If it is a really good site, it is not going to allow certain things to occur on it. It will have good staff and monitor and not allow trolls or posters to repeatedly harass other posters It is going to have a good success rate with people over time. It will make a lot of money in business because of its legitimacy.

There will always be good and bad experiences for every person in their life. So I’m not all fearful and running like a dog with its tail between its legs just because that one place I went to was bad. By no means. I learned a valuable lesson that day and that is the title Dr. even is not a guarantee that something is good or that it is good for me.

Testimonials is another thing that can be used to take advantage of people. People will sometimes get their friends to put up bogus testimonials on their site. So like, if I was to to order something, I wouldn’t read the first few testimonials on a product rating on Amazon let’s say. I would jump to review number 56 if it had 200 reviews and start there. If a product or service has been bad you will see more bad reviews mixed in and inconsistency.

Another red flag is if someone comes on a site and posts another site and then right behind them posters do too, then they may be working for someone and in tandem with each other. you watch them and warn the other people that you care about in your community to watch them, too. If they are not a troll, their pattern of promoting will end. But if they are a troll they will ben pushy. They will attack people in anger that disagree about the site that they promoted. Other members in the community will sound off warnings also. The poster Desertphile raised his flag. On the first page of this thread above my post was someone who directly challenged that person and said, Hey I noticed you (not you, the original poster) has linked the same three websites, What is going on here? Why didn’t you accuse her too? She did before I did? Not that is not to mean that we all think that poster is a troll. But it just means, Hey everybody, Keep your eye out.

Now, I have another example that is completely opposite. One time I joined a church that was a lot of fun. It was some hard core metal heads that wanted their own church. They were in their teens and early 20’s. They started with three people. In a few months they had 200 members. I was there near the beginning and they were legitimate good people. Because they were immature without seasoned older people to guide them they developed some cultish habits later on. Were they a cult? No. Were they misguided? yes. Was I harmed by their beliefs? no, because for the time I was with them, they met my needs and I didn’t believe everything they said but Inwas gleaning something Ineeded from them and they needed from me. Did I stay in the group? No, Did they harm other people, yes. Did they do it on purpose, no! Are all this misguided people still my friends? Of course. All of the, the ones who were harmed and the ones who inadvertently harmed others are still my friends.

The place that was professional, did I get something from them, some good service? Yes. Did it keep working for me? No! How could I tell it wasn’t working for me? They wanted to make me do something against my will. I saw people who were controlled by drugs. The others were not getting better long term. I saw the case worker harass someone with dementia who was not capable of defending themselves. Was the caregiver evil? I doubt it, she was probably not very skilled and new in her career I can only hopeless. So I stayed while it worked for me and left when it no longer did.

These principles will work for anyone, anytime, anywhere, in anything.

I am not worried about trolls on this site or any site. Mr, Hardley Davidson Nitro above me has my back. Now if Nito doesn’t deal with the trolls. Then my trust level in even this site might waver. That is just one of my litmus tests and not my only one.

So if that site you mentioned is helping you, it doesn’t matter if “ they are good or bad” because it helps you. You are most important to you. It doesn’t matter about all the other people.

You are right in that PTSD and Aspergers have overlapping symptoms. Many conditions do. Thyroid disease can have asperger symptoms. It doesn’t mean they are wrong. Some of the treatment tactics will work regardless, some things that work for one won’t work for the other. As for whether I believe in the new theory? I’m just not into that on a personal level. I have seen many theories come and go. I have even seen legitimate medical research centers recant their science when new science came out later that disproved it. They were research hospitals with big names and reputations.

So here is my third point. If ten years from now this theory is disproven, does that mean that it didn’t help you in its practice? Nope. And if if i upset you it was because you are new in it and you don’t want to give up something that might be good for you that is at least working for you in the present moment, and you shoulder have to. Now, this is my post to extend good will toward you and to help you. If you stay miffed after now, i’m no longer going to continue about this same topic because it is not good for you for me to do so. But maybe this helps you out.

 

[I love roses]

Point #1: I gift VIP memberships to people that follow my newsfeed, not just those who respond to my threads.
That helps support the site.
The one time lifetime hitch is not a continued support, so I do my part to share the wealth.

Being followed is a sign of friendship here for many, but is not expected. If you want, you can follow me and see how it works.

Point #2: I support Harley-Davidson because I actually own one.
It's a sissy little girl's bike with training wheels.
Some day I might learn to ride it.
And one day I hope my mommy lets me ride it on the road.


Point #3: Nitro is short for nitromethane.
It is an internet handle I have used for years now.
It is also a reference to topfuel dragracing and my participation as a racer in NHRA.

If it means anything to you, my primary special interest is the internal combustion engine followed by high performance vehicles on land water and in the air.


Point #4: I'm associated with a high profile MC, but not a patched member.
I ain't no old lady either.

Point #5: I do not own this site, nor receive any compensation from my position here.
I obviously have participated a good deal on this forum, otherwise I would never have been asked to join the staff.
I accepted the position because I felt a chance to give something back would be a positive thing.

---------------------------------------------------

I posted the FYI outlining how this forum is supported financially, not as a beatdown, if you do understand the "language"

I soooo read you loud and clear. And thanks for the clarification of no beatdown. It is easy to misinterpret written word without inflection. You know we can always spot our own! I’ll be watching you. Lol! I had a piglet, mine was a mini 70’s style chopper with mini ape hangers or is that “A” hangers. but then I got a big bike 1300 low rider chopped, bored out for the high end. Boy I hate red lights and keeping it from getting hot at idle. But I’d forget I had hit 120 at after entering an entrance ramp. It didn’t even feel like i was moving except I started noticing I was passing all the cars on the freeway. Oops. My piglet was an AMF ironhead. I pushed more than rode that one. But it gave entrance and acceptance and served its purpose for that because I wasn’t born into community, I was married in, so had to have proving time. Long as you like your bike, just tweak it, make it cute or cool, and love on it.

So far I love this site as you can probably tell. You know where I came from so you know trust is not easy. But no one should ever fully trust any thing on the web. But we know that going in don’t we? Now, no one can do without the web. Sometimes it feels like an actual web, too. I wonder who the spider is? Web is a weird word. I know it means “connected” but those Zuckerberg types may one day eat us like a bug. Check ya later and thanks!