Autism and Online Dating

Strategies to help our kids navigate tricky social situations.

Autism, Social Media, and Online Dating

When he was nineteen, our son Jack found an online dating app and connected with who he considered a peer. They agreed to meet in-person, but when Jack arrived, there were to men waiting for him. They asked him to get in their car and drove him to an ATM to take out money.

Thankfully, Jack was unharmed. When his ATM card failed to work, they drove him back to the meeting spot and dropped him off.

This was perhaps the most terrifying experience we’ve had yet. We chose to look at it as an opportunity to help him navigate dating and online safety. Here are a few strategies we developed with him: