Unlike some spoken communication, individuals may edit the content of their messages prior to sending the messages. Additionally, many families of individuals with disabilities are running from appointment to appointment. The listserve allows for interaction between participants from a wide geographic region. The reach of this listserve is literally world-wide, and there are particpants from Finland, Spain, Germany, France, Ireland, Great Britain, Finland and Australia. There unique characteristics of individuals with AS which make their educational, vocational and social needs different from individuals with other disabilities, and listserve participants may address issues specific to their family member.
Many professionals are at a loss for effective treatments.
Many have accessed the listserve to gain further information about treatments for the disorder. While there are many aspects of the listserve which merit further scientific investigation, the sense of community created by a listserve has the greatest implications for the importance of this technology. The sense of community created by the listserve is unlike which would be possible via any other medium. The proliferation of listserves points to their importance. There are innumerable listserves which serve a purpose similar to that of the AS listserve yet differ in emphasis and content.