More on Leading the Horse

One of the parents in the AANE email threads has written that her young adult son had attended an AANE group meeting, but did not really “like to be around people with AS, who are obviously different.” This is really one of my concerns with getting my son to attend an activity or support group. Nonverbal Learning Disorder is not technically on the autism spectrum, and – without that label – NLD seems less threatening, less of a “disorder.”

Yet some of the behaviors and quirks are very similar. Given that one of my main concerns is my son’s struggle with social relationships, I believe there would be some value to meeting other young adults facing the same difficulties, even though he doesn’t recognize any such difficulties in himself. Moreover, he usually seems comfortable with the social connections he does have – whether through peers (virtual through Facebook, the Ultimate team, etc.) or through relatives and other adults.

I’m hoping that the horse will take a drink some time this summer; he really might like it.