<p>I'm looking for someone I can PM a few times about a private issue. Preferably a parent who has a kid with an Autism-spectrum disorder and has raised non-labeled children as well. Or a particularly mature young adult with a disabled sibling. </p>
<p>Please PM me tonight or as soon as you read this. I leave to see Swarthmore in the morning, and I have yet to pack.</p>
<p>I'm the parent of 2 daughters - the older one is graduating from Lewis & Clark this spring and is neurotypical (="normal"), the younger one is a high school junior and is on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum. We're employing Very different strategies in the college search for younger daughter, compared to older daughter. Younger daughter is extremely bright, scores well on standardized tests (will be National Merit Commended or Semi-finalist), 4.0 GPA, yet has had an aide in high school (for social skills) and has a daily period in the resource room (for study hall and speech therapy).</p>
<p>I suspect that many college students have Asperger's syndrome or have a shadow expression of autistic traits. The highly focused, perseverative features of autism often lead to academic success. It's in the arena of social skills and interpersonal communication that autism becomes a disability. There is a major discrepancy between chronological and emotional/social age in most kids with autism; thus an eighteen year old with Asperger's may function like a twelve year old in social settings. So you can understand the trepidation we feel about sending younger daughter off to college.</p>
<p>We're seeking an LAC that will feed her mind and support her emotionally and socially. We're confident that eventually she'll successfully live on her own, pursuing a passion and accomplishing great things - it's the distance from here to there that is so worrisome.</p>