Autism and the Internet

Hello everyone and welcome back to Deeper Waters where we are diving into the ocean of truth. Right now, I’m giving an insider’s look for Autism Awareness Month on what it’s like to live with Asperger’s. Tonight, I’d like to take a look at what the internet often means to those of us on the spectrum.

I’m convinced that the internet has been a blessing to many of us who are on the spectrum. After all, we are very quiet in person and do not know what to say. The internet has made it easier for us to speak. The reader can consider that this blog is the blog of someone on the spectrum who has found it easier to communicate after communicating on the net.

Before my wife and I married, seeing as both of us were Aspies, and that we lived in different cities, we found internet communication to be very important. However, we also did communicate on the phone quite a lot, which was definitely easier to do when I was driving.

My former roommate and I also met via the internet and arranged through the phone and the net our living arrangements. The age of the internet has made such communication much easier. With tools like Facebook today, you can much more easily communicate with, that person that you knew back in high school.

The internet has made it easier for me as an apologist to practice debating as on theological forums and other such places I can communicate with those who do not share my worldview. In fact, for any success attributed to me in the offline arena, I would say that part of that is based on being able to communicate on the net and learning how to have an answer ready.

The friendships that I’ve made through the medium of the net I consider invaluable. I know people from all over the world and when my wedding took place, I had people fly in from places that were quite far away to be in attendance. We communicate through the phone as well, but we know each other through the net first and I realize some of us could very well only see each other for the first time when we get to Heaven.

Today, we should be thankful that while there are great wrongs that go on on the net, just like there are anywhere else, the net is a great tool to help a lot of people on the spectrum open up. They have found their voice there. However, I would say that if possible, that should be the starting point for learning to communicate with others, but there are some skills that can be built up there.

Thus, if you want to reach someone who is an Aspie, you could do well to try to be on the internet. Ask them for their name on AIM or become a Facebook friend with them. It is a medium through which that they can learn to trust you. Once again, the soul is worth it.

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