Hi all. My son, HFA, is 28. He has a job as a cashier, and got a drivers license last year. He lives on his own in a apartment. With all of this independence that he has achieved, his next goal is to have a relationship. He has had several very successful “virtual” relationships, and then when they finally meet in person, it always ends with “I think we will just be friends.” I don’t think that his being on the Spectrum is known until the in-person meeting, which always leads to heartbreak for him. Our family will be moving to the Dallas area in a few months, and he will be coming in June, when his lease is up. Is there a forum or dating app somewhere specifically for individuals who are looking for a romantic relationship? Appreciative of any feedback.
What finally worked for me (this was before online dating- will be married 22 years this June) was to actually use my autism to be very direct and upfront about what I want, from the very first. I used an introduction service called Together of Oregon, which was very much like some of the more serious dating apps, the ones where you fill out a personality compatibility quiz instead of merely swiping pictures. I was specifically looking for marriage, I didn't know about my HFA at the time or I would have put it in there- and I was specifically looking for somebody interested in exploring the history of religion with me (my family has a tradition of converting our spouses to Roman Catholicism). I brought all of that up on the first date, and married the sixth girl I was introduced to.I do believe there now is something similar specifically for autistics; it would be well worth looking into.