Welcome. The Autismlist promotes communication and autonomy for autistics. We are the oldest and largest active autism list on the net. Our expertise is in Facilitated Communication (FC). The Autismlist is the first spin off of the St John's Autism List which in turn was the first major autism discussion group on the internet. Since our arrival at yahoogroups in '98 many other "spin offs" have formed here but we are the only ones to retain the general and open discussion format. Active members represent all interest groups in autism as well as the general public. The level of expertise and experience gathered here is impressive and should provide those looking for information and direction a valuable resource. I have thirty years of experience in direct care and am a FC advocate.