Services and Professionals Forum?

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Hi! Has anyone ever suggested starting a WP forum about services for ASD and professionals who work in the field?

I'm dx'd with AS myself, but also work in disability services, and am frustrated on a regular basis by some of the attitudes I encounter from people responsible for providing services to people on the Spectrum. It's becoming more common for educators, psychologists, social workers, nurses, etc. to learn a little about autism during their professional training, but it seems the majority enter their field without ever actually interacting with an adult with ASD.

I really believe if professionals are able to 'put a human face' on a condition, rather than just learn a list of symptoms from a seminar or textbook, it'll lead to better quality services for all who need them. I think giving parents the chance to talk with adults on the Spectrum and get our insight on the Parents' Forum is very valuable. There would be similar value to allowing professionals the chance to do the same.

It's tough to find good ASD services and resources, particularly for those either dx'd as adults or currently seeking a formal diagnosis. It would be great to have some kind of directory where people can list resources they would (or would not) recommend, by region. Maybe just in a format where people are sort of reviewing the therapist or agency, so it would not be like WP is endorsing or promoting particular businesses or individuals?

Many of us complain about the lack of decent services available for adults, but also feel there is not much we can do personally to improve 'The System.' Maybe participating on a forum like this would be an accessible way for all of us to make a tangible, positive difference?

The idea is good, but with what I think are a couple of caveats.

Professionals looking to interact with spectrum individuals can already do so simply by registering and posting anywhere on the existing forums. In fact, I honestly think it would be more productive for them not to have a forum specifically for that purpose. I seems to me that if interaction is the purpose, what better way to do that than in forums we're already accepting as "natural environment?"

The directory of services is a very good idea IMO, but a forum isn't really set up to facilitate that very effectively. "Start a new thread," "post replies," doesn't organize the information in an easily searchable format. Also, as you can see in any of the forums we already have, it's far too easy to end up with all kinds of duplicate posts about the same place. Not to mention there is the risk of debate that is bound to arise over whether this place or that, is any good, or a waste of time.

There are ways to set up a system by which users can submit links to web sites, or information about services. I understand the overall WP site runs on phpNuke. I don't know that much about phpNuke, but if it's anything like several other content management systems out there, there may already be either a built in feature that could be used for this purpose, or a plugin that would allow for user submissions. Usually, these systems allow for submissions to either be automatically posted once submitted, or placed into a "hold" area for admins to screen before publishing.

I think something like the above would serve the purpose much better than a forum, because submissions could be categorized by region, and specialty. I do think a feature like that would be an incredibly helpful addition to the site.

As an individual with AS and a professional who holds a registration as a learning disability nurse in the united kingdom I would welcome the development of such a forum. I may potentially be in a position were my role would be to catalogue and document all ASD services within my county of england so I would be intersted in sharing such experiances with other professionals who work in the field on an international platform as a means of establishing communication between services in other parts of the world.