Peer Mentors?

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBOTkvM1mJw

Here's an interview with Tony Attwood on females with aspergers. At 4:90, there discussing school-aged girls. He is suggesting getting peer mentors to provide support? There's something about this that rubs me the wrong way? So in other words, you need to assign a friendship? Cause from what I know, friendships either happen or they don't. Has this happen to anybody? From what I gather friendships, one gives to another and the other gives back. Your not providing a real friendship. Its just the NT girl being a peer mentor to the aspie. However I realize in the world full of bullying and teasing, it maybe the best you can do.

I think the ideal situation is where the aspie female finds friends amongst the groups of nerds/ social outcasts so at least she finds some belonging amongst people who are at least kinda like her or have similar interests. This super NT buddy in which you are assigning is likely to have little/nothing in common with her. This NT buddy will likely view her more as a project then a serious friend.

Thoughts anyone?

I agree that, for the most part, I don't see "peer mentoring" as being very beneficial. It would take an incredibly sensitive and understanding NT person to actually "become" a friend, and if that couldn't happen, I wouldn't see the mentoring as working very well.

It would be much better to be truly part of a group of people who accept you as you are. I've seen that be much more helpful for developing social skills than any kind of "mentoring" program. BUT, you take what you can get, I guess -- if mentors are all that's available, it's better than nothing.

When you say friend, do you mean a real friend where both parties benefit from the friendship or a type of mentorship friendship. I've had mother hen type of friendships and often times these girls didn't really "get it". The type of NT females that they would get would be the type that while they are caring and nurturing but can work with the social crowd. That alone is not a very relatable factor because you know how NT teen girls can be. That mentor likely is still into all the stereotypical NT female interests. The fact that the aspie is an outcast and likely has eccentric interests. Wheres the commonality?