What is Autism?
Autism is a spectrum
condition meaning no two people diagnosed with it are the same as you can have
elements from all over the spectrum. Autism is mental condition, present from
early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in communicating, forming
relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts.
Asperger syndrome is
an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) considered to be on the “high functioning”
end of the spectrum. Affected children and adults have difficulty with social
interactions and exhibit a restricted range of interests and/or repetitive
behaviors.
Why does Second life help people with Autism?
Second Life removes so many of the obstacles of social interaction which get in the way in the real world. It gives people with autism the ability to express themselves as they wish, which may not be possible in the real world due to people’s reactions to this condition.
It is unfortunate that the real world can be
very harsh and critical of people on the spectrum due the fact that anyone with
autism doesn't fit neatly into the box that society considers
"normal". My name is Sam Firehawk and I am fully aware of the terms of service for
Second Life and will never allow any member of the Aspies Together Group to
break any rules while at the same time allowing our members to express themselves
as they wish within those guidelines.
Here is a little background on me, I have been in Second Life since 2008 and I have
suspected that I had a form of autism for a long time but only recently got
diagnosed. I have a background as a DJ and also enjoy building things in this
virtual world.
When I was officially
diagnosed a year ago I began looking more closely at the autism groups in SL and
couldn’t help but be disappointed with how inactive these groups were. It got
me thinking. What if we started a peer
to peer support and social group? This is when Aspies Together was born.
It started out as a group but we were very fortunate to get a kind land
donation which is our current home. The club house is on two levels. Downstairs is the club for live DJ events and
upstairs is the quiet meeting area for our group sessions. We are open to the
public to help bring awareness to Autism and inspiring others to spread
awareness and provide support.
Our future goals are
to offer free affordable housing and rentals for people on the Autism spectrum
because we believe having their own space to call home is both therapeutic and
important. We would also love to offer tuition for DJing to help with skill
development and confidence building as well as extend out services and tuition
for builders with Autism by providing free space to advertise and a place to
sell goods our members create. Working Together we can make a difference!
Join Aspies Together Today! Here is our Event Schedule
Mondays: 8am - 10am - Live DJ Sam Firehawk
Thursdays: 12pm - 1pm - Group session lead by Sam Firehawk with a different theme each week
Sundays: 12pm - 2pm Live DJ Yvette
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