'Friending' with Autism

From SFGate Blogger Laura Shumaker.

My husband and I went to a graduation party over the weekend, and while he went to get us something to drink, I was greeted by a very friendly man wearing white jeans and a Tommy Bahama shirt who acted like we were long lost friends. I had no idea who he was but played along for a bit (“Hey … you, how’s  the family?”) hoping that eventually a light would go on. Just as he was filling me in on  his shoulder surgery, it hit me. This man was a Facebook friend, one who I hadn’t actually talked to in person since were were chaperones on a kindergarten field trip two decades ago.
The encounter reminded me  of a recent conversation that I have had with Matthew about Facebook. He’d “friended” a guy-I’ll call him Joe-that he knew remotely in middle school. He noticed that Joe lived near him in Santa Cruz. “Do you want to hang out sometime?” Matthew wrote on Joe’s wall. “Yeah, we’ll have to do that one of these days,” Joe replied. Encouraged, Matthew tried to nail down a date, sent way too many messages until Joe defriended him. The incident was one of many disappointing interactions for Matthew on Facebook.

Mom Raises Awareness and Shares Support with Facebook Group

MAYBROOK, N.Y. -- From day one, Shari Heter of Maybrook wanted to reach out to others.
"I felt like I had a story to tell — even though I didn't know the whole story," she says. "But to be shut down and shut down before finally being validated, I was ready to yell from a mountaintop."
About six months or so ago, Facebook became the platform from which Heter's voice — and now more than 200 other voices — is heard.

Special Ed Teacher's Words Spark Outrage

BAINBRIDGE, Ind. -- A special education teacher's Facebook comments have incensed parents and prompted an investigation by the school district.
Amber Russell, a teacher at North Putnam Middle School, posted on Facebook, "I love dumb people. I call it job security," along with "5+1=Freedom from the Hell hole" and "I feel sorry for preachers and teachers. No matter hard they work, there's always an incoming batch of sinners and dumb people."