Rule-breaking by neuro-divergent members

[~ True Legend ~]

Just out of curiosity, how would you handle rule-breaking by neuro-divergent members if you were a forum admin?
Comprehension issues, hyperactivity/anxiety, not knowing what's appropriate, not understanding instructions given by the moderation team, list goes on...

I find that many will jump to banning rather than taking the time to discuss issues.
But of course there's only so many time and patience the staff can have for "problem members".

Obviously this may be a touchy subject for some, understandably!

 

[~ True Legend ~]

This may be of interest to @We are Borg and @*SD*

 

[We are Borg]

We warn a lot as admins if you look at the discussion here you will see that many get warning on warning but in the end they hang themselves. As for people that has disabilities it will go the same way but in the end if they do not listen they go in timeout.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

We warn a lot as admins if you look at the discussion here you will see that many get warning on warning but in the end they hang themselves. As for people that has disabilities it will go the same way but in the end if they do not listen they go in timeout.

Thanks for the reply

I mean what if neuro-divergent members don't understand that what they're saying is rude, how it's rude, things like that etc etc?
I mean they may be processing the information differently because they don't know how to dress up information appropriately.

 

[*SD*]

I'm not entirely sure what neuro-divergency is, seems like perhaps a collective term for various types of mental conditions.

Not every instance of rule breaking will be treated the same, some situations will be given more leeway than others - it very much depends on what exactly is going on. Context is important and considerations such as the seriousness of the rule breaking, whether the member(s) involved are frequently problematic and so on. We're all capable of technically falling foul of a rule on occasion, I've had the odd warning or two over the years my self.

Permanent bans are fairly rare, not unheard of but rare and are generally (not exclusively) reserved for spammers and scammers. Provided you aren't doing that you're probably ok. If you go wild we just take it one step at a time, I doubt you have too much to worry about.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

I'm not entirely sure what neuro-divergency is, seems like perhaps a collective term for various types of mental conditions.

Neurological functioning. Dyspraxia, ASD, ADHD, Dyslexia, etc included.

Not every instance of rule breaking will be treated the same, some situations will be given more leeway than others - it very much depends on what exactly is going on. Context is important and considerations such as the seriousness of the rule breaking, whether the member(s) involved are frequently problematic and so on. We're all capable of technically falling foul of a rule on occasion, I've had the odd warning or two over the years my self.

That's great to hear

Permanent bans are fairly rare, not unheard of but rare and are generally (not exclusively) reserved for spammers and scammers.

And trolls completely messing up your forum? hehe

 

[*SD*]

Trolls don't last long, my admins nose is fairly well tuned having done it in various venues for many years, as is Borg's.
What constitutes trolling depends on how you define it and people can differ on that.

 

[Mythtaken]

Just out of curiosity, how would you handle rule-breaking by neuro-divergent member

I find this interesting. Speaking as a neuro-divergent person (autistic) I have to wonder if this is an issue of neuro-divergence, or just bad behaviour. One of the things i like most about forums (both as a member and an admin) is it gives me the time I need to process what's been said and to formulate my response effectively. Edit: It took me over an hour to write this response.

Neuro-typical members are more than capable of letting their emotions control their responses in a forum, so there should be no surprise that neuro-divergents sometimes do too. A key difference is that the second group can play the "I didn't understand the rule" card.

My forum is about building things, not mental health or disabilities. As far as I know, I'm the only neuro-divergent one there. Regardless, my rules would apply equally to all. I expect everyone to think before they type and to respond with respect for other members. While I encourage debate when it's warranted and appreciate passionate discourse, I do not accept personal attacks of any sort.

The bottom line is this: There is no excuse for anyone on a forum to behave in a way that is contrary to the basic rules of respectful discourse. Anyone who cannot adhere to that standard is unlikely to provide useful contributions to the forum and needs to step away or be removed. Neuro-divergent people are not allowed to act that way in the real world, so they should have no problem taking the time to think and plan their posts before committing them to a forum.

 

[We are Borg]

As i wrote we as admins or moderators give people lots of leeway but in the end we can only allow so much. But even for neuro-divergent persons they need rules if not they will think there allowed to do anything they want. That said we give lots of room here if you read the posts and we do not ban straight out we first give warnings then timeout etc. The only people we ban are the ones spamming.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

The only people we ban are the ones spamming.

And trolls hehe

Neuro-typical members are more than capable of letting their emotions control their responses in a forum, so there should be no surprise that neuro-divergents sometimes do too. A key difference is that the second group can play the "I didn't understand the rule" card.

Inability to understand rules isn't an excuse, as friendly warnings are usually initially given as @We are Borg points out. It's the member's responsibility to clarify the point if they don't understand. There's only so much the staff can do otherwise.

There could possibly be a challenge in understanding social cues, misinterpretations of what's said by someone, sensitivity and when a joke is taken too far. This could be misconstrued as trolling.

 

[Mythtaken]

There could possibly be a challenge in understanding social cues, misinterpretations of what's said by someone, sensitivity and when a joke is taken too far. This could be misconstrued as trolling.

I agree with this. I've been guilty of it on many occasions (so I've been told); but only in live social situations.

The benefit of forum discussions (at least to people with ASD) is there are no non verbal queues to miss or misinterpret. Those pesky subtleties like jokes and sarcasm are often replaced with simple emojis. There's no pressure online. You don't have to try to make or maintain eye contact. You have all the time in the world to process what's been said before responding.

If anything, neuro-divergent individuals are better behaved online than off, in my opinion.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

The benefit of forum discussions (at least to people with ASD) is there are no non verbal queues to miss or misinterpret. Those pesky subtleties like jokes and sarcasm are often replaced with simple emojis.

I think it's still possible to misinterpret phrases though. Sometimes time doesn't help, but things need to be stated in a certain way for neuro-divergent ppl to really get it.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

If anything, neuro-divergent individuals are better behaved online than off, in my opinion.

Oh yes, definitely. Still though, I know ppl who can take a joke too far without realising or getting the hint online!
Or they take a joke literally and are perceived to be trolling.

It depends on personality too. Some ppl mock themselves and their playful self-deprecating personality can be perceived as trolling. It's annoying, as I know it's just their defence mechanism. Ignorance can be perceived as trolling.

I think it all depends on the ppl you surround yourself with too - some are judgemental and jump to conclusions quickly, while others are open-minded. I think all human relationships need to be a 2-way street. While being civil is an expectation, I think everyone also needs to be open to differences.

 

[Mythtaken]

I think it all depends on the ppl you surround yourself with too - some are judgemental and jump to conclusions quickly, while others are open-minded. I think all human relationships need to be a 2-way street. While being civil is an expectation, I think everyone also needs to be open to differences.

I agree. I've seen many instances of miscommunication and hurt feelings resulting from members who aren't native language speakers. Certain turns of phrase or local word usage can be problematic, as can jokes.

Whenever a forum caters to individuals who are neuro-divergent or non-native speakers, members should be made aware of the possibility of misunderstandings and communication issues. It's not going to stop those who deliberately break rules or disrupt the forum, but it will help mitigate some unintentional issues. Even so, it's just a forum in the end. There's no need to respond to anything emotionally. I encourage my members to walk away from the computer for a while if they are upset. When they come back, they can respond calmly, or choose to not respond at all. It mostly works.