Autism planned community

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This is a prevalent commonality with people on the spectrum: we are generally numbed when it comes to dealing with people. However when it comes to dealing with other people on the spectrum we're usually shocked by the first few interactions that someone can relate to us. These commonalities are what increase the potential for a real human connection.

I wouldn't conceive of a community that tries too hard to force social interactions, but a typical co-op where people are living individually. It would make sense there would be a shared office space for those who work remote. Odds would be high people would forge friendships and feel less alone in the world.

Last edited by adromedanblackhole on 24 Nov 2020, 12:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

A co-op is essentially a condominium complex where the members are joint owners in the entity. People who live in co-ops have their own individual space. There is often a common area but not always. I would imagine a common office space since many people are now afforded the opportunity to work remotely.

The whole point of working remotely is to avoid common areas. As far as I can tell, the only difference between a personal home office and a professional home office is the pay.

Hahahaha!

An autistic friendly community. The word "Community" scares me as I am the type of person who needs to live outside of a community and only come in when I need to if that makes sense? So while an autism friendly community which I may find more accepting, would I want to live there? Uhmmm. I don't know because I need my own space for "Me" time.

When I go for a walk, and in the distance I see another coming towards me my first feeling is to hide and come out when they have passed. I have taken different routes to avoid other people, not because I don't like them, but because... I don't know. I have always been like this. School to me where I had to be with many of my own age... Uhmmm.

I heard of someone visiting a friend in a small town in Vermont. He noticed that everyone crossed the street to avoid a certain man. He was always given a wide berth. The friend was then pestered to reveal what sin had caused such a reaction, and finally relented: "He dipped into his principal." (drew money out of his savings account)

I’m not self-supporting so i wouldn’t be allowed. I don’t know if I’d want to anyway. Some autistic people can be really frustrating to talk to. I mean there are some autistic people who. I just can’t stand. I think a lot of people seem to idealize the autistic community. I’m not like that at all. Just because we are autistic doesn’t
Mean we are going to get along. Some people also seem to think that there’s this weird autistic form of communication but I think the communication problems would still be there regardless. Also I don’t really agree with the idea of disallowing people from communities. I think neurotypicals should be welcomed in the autistic community with open arms if we aren’t accepting of other people we can’t expect others to accept us.

Sounds interesting. I think there would be a lot of problems with doing something like that though like, higher housing costs, limited work options, there would have to be some level of support and intervention so there would have to be extra costs for that. It sounds expensive.

I doubt that it would work. People won't necessarily become friends just because they are all autistic. You could end up with loud sensory-seeking people living next door to sensory-sensitive people, which would cause friction. You'd have to vet people's symptoms and hope they are telling the truth.

And "self-supporting" autistic people won't necessarily have their jobs/income long-term. I would be concerned about people becoming unable to pay rent, dues, property taxes, etc. in the long-term.

I think the best way to do this would be for a group of autistic people to meet and interact with other autistic people over a period of time, and then those that get along and have developed trust and familiarity with one another could form a group and decide to co-house. In other words, friends first, co-housing second.

Exactly

I think all being in the same building would be too much. I like control of the noises in my environment.

However, with respect to a loose-knit community, the following studies might be of interest:

"Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective"

"Neurotype-Matching, but Not Being Autistic, Influences Self and Observer Ratings of Interpersonal Rapport"

Many co-work spaces have reopened following social distancing guidelines. It's true that remote work may have started as a means of keeping people apart, it is likely to have permanently reshaped the global work environment and will be a constant well past the end of this pandemic.

Last edited by adromedanblackhole on 24 Nov 2020, 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It's never a good idea to set out on any endeavor and expect 100% results. The expectation would not be for everyone to become friends, but the likeliness for forging connections increases when similarities increase and physical distance decreases. I would think back to a college dorm experience. I did not like the vast majority of the people I lived with, that is a bit of an understatement. They were loud, disruptive, criminally uninteresting - some of the most basic people I've ever encountered. But I was still able to pick out 1-3 people who became real friends because the selection was so high. Out of maybe 500 people there were 1-3 who were okay. So imagine if the pool of people are primarily people more fundamentally like yourself. Will you make friends with every single person? Unlikely. But odds are good you will make friends.

A critical difference between a co-op and other forms of co-housing: a co-op is essentially a condominium whose ownership is shared by its members. Co-ops typically are more affordable and are allowed to be selective and exclusive with who they admit for new members. Unlike co-housing, members have their own individual spaces and are not required to participate in a communal sharing of labor for upkeep of the space etc. Think of a co-op like a more affordable condominium which can have very strict and very exclusive rules for new membership.

Last edited by adromedanblackhole on 24 Nov 2020, 6:43 pm, edited 3 times in total.

It would be no different than any other apartment or condominium complex aside from an admissions process.

Each person would have their own unit. In terms of sound control it would be no different than any other apartment living situation except for it would more likely have a more comprehensive set of rules regarding noise regulation given sensitivity to sound is a commonality amongst most individuals on the spectrum.

This is kind of the point. Maybe an un-community would be a wry way of more effectively communicating the idea. A co-op is not the kind of community living that most people think of with co-housing: it's essentially a themed apartment complex that is usually more affordable. Members have their own individual spaces. They are not required to participate in a communal distribution of labor, it's more a means for people to be choosy about who they live in a close proximity to. The likeliness for forging meaningful connections increase when similarities increase and physical distance decreases. Without trying, people living in a co-op of this nature would likely form friendships or find the quiet solace away from the world that they seek in an environment where this is generally well understood. What I've found though, I generally like the company of people on the spectrum and feel much more comfortable being social when the social fabric is woven together by a collective experience of AS. These things can't be forced, they just naturally unfold. An AS co-op would merely increase the odds of this unfolding.

In many ways, it is a good thing, right?