Young Autists Next Door

My house is near an LSS housing unit. Lagen om stöd och service till vissa funktionshindrade, "The Law of Support and Service for Certain Disabled People", mainly caters to the needs of people with autism and the like. In 6½ years on Boat Hill, the young people living there have never caused us any trouble at all.

But I still cringe a little when I recall my phone conversation with the man who runs the municipality's LSS housing units. I called him because I was curious about who the young folks living next door are, what diagnoses they have etc. I made it very clear that I was not afraid of them, I was not hostile to them and I had experienced no trouble with them whatsoever. I just wanted to learn about them, and I didn't feel it appropriate to ask the kids themselves. "Oi, woss wrong with you then?"

This guy immediately went on the defensive and clearly assumed that I was trouble. He explained what the law does, but refused to say anything specific about what sort of disorders will get you an LSS apartment in my municipality. He retreated into surly monosyllables.

But our conversation ended well after I told him I like prog rock and recognised his name. He's the bass player of one of Stockholm's longest-active 70s prog bands.

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As a guess, information about their clients is legally off-limits in the same way that any medical records are.

I do think that perhaps they should be more proactive in informing people living nearby about their activities - an open house or similar might be a very good idea.

I fully understand the need for confidentiality on the individual level, but I was asking generally about what the municipality's LSS housing is for. I learned considerably more from reading the law than from talking to the guy in charge.

Interesting story. I hate it when you go out of your way to illustrate you simply have an inquiry and there is no offense intended and people still take offense or get defensive. I don't like having to preface questions but I find at times it is easier.

Which band?

Ah - a great band!

(OT) I have just read an original Chinese SF novel, The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Recommended.
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Venus is very bright in the evening sky. If you live further south, you will be able to see Mercury in the same region, closer to the horizon. Jupiter is a bit to the left. Apart from this, not much interesting is happening for the naked-eye skywatcher.

By birgerjohansson (not verified) on 03 May 2015 #permalink

Birger - we should now know we need to qualify "naked eye skywatcher", given the evidence that some naked eye skywatchers can see a great deal more than some others.

By John Massey (not verified) on 10 May 2015 #permalink