Reply To: Why aren’t autistic people that are orthodox open about their diagnosis

My father thinks that 2 Asperger’s people being friends are like 2 blind people being friends. All those organizations in the ultra-orthodox community, like hamaspik, doesn’t really help individuals on the spectrum meet other individuals on the spectrum. I even reached out to them and no one responded. I think those organizations are to help parents out. The modern orthodox organizations, like Yachad, is a little better since its sole purpose is for individuals with disabilities to meet other people with disabilities but I remember 5 years ago when I was a member of Yachad and attended IVDU Upper School that they expected me to know how to socialize with people and the people that got along with each other were mostly people with ADHD and learning disabilities. They thought that I was being mean to people when all I did was act immature and no one really helped me at all. There was even someone in an orthodox synagogue that claims he’s autistic (probably misdiagnosed) that told me that I made his younger autistic brother uncomfortable and expected me to know that he was being uncomfortable from his body language when I don’t know how to read body language and it’s one of the main things of autism to not know how to read body language. I’m going to try a program called Shelanu which is a Reform Jewish program for young adults on the autism spectrum to meet each other and make friends and they’re very open about autism there.