SHould I start an Autism Club/Society at School?

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I am thinking for all the Autistic and Aspie kids at my school.

It's a great idea. Just please understand that sometimes a new group gains traction and sometimes it doesn't.

And people who have had experiences, either as members or as leaders, please share some of your experiences.

Not a bad idea, but I think it should be open to NT/unsure people as well. That would help ASD/AS people understand NTs better and vice versa, ideally eliminating some stereotypes and gaining respect for aspies and autistics.

The only issue is if people start making fun of your group and you guys end up getting a bad reputation because of it. Kids are very judgmental, so I wouldn't be surprised. It'd be more acceptable on a college campus compared to a high school, in my opinion.

I agree, because that might also be a good way for Aspies and Auties to make some friends(regardless of neurotype)

My biggest concern is that the group would be a big read target sign for bullies. I can take care of myself but I wouldn't want to subject any of my peers to torment.

That's a reasonable concern, but when you're at the club meetings, what person in their right mind would come to a gathering place FOR the people they pick on? And the sponsor of the club can easily help with any problems if need be

Deleted my last response because I hated the wording.

Clubs, to me, are a bad idea, because they promote exclusion just as much as they promote inclusion. For example, say there was a club for people who loved the colour orange, and they were holding parties with free cake, but you could only join if you liked the colour orange. If you didn't, the club wouldn't let you join in and eat the cake, and you'd feel excluded all because you don't like orange, but want some cake.

Not saying that the AS club you want to start would hold parties with free food, but it just comes across as purposely alienating yourself from the rest of the school by excluding them from your activities. Also, if you wanted to do some kind of social skills thing, it'd be better to get a school counsellor or psychologist on board as they'd know exactly what to do.

I'm not trying to divide anybody, just the opposite.

My biggest concern is that some autistic people wont join. On this site alot of people give the advice not to tell people you have it, and so I'm worried that some autistic students wont join so no one knows they have autism.

Which is another reason to not make it just for autistic students.
But either way, you won't get everyone, perhaps it's worth a shot and there could be enough known autistic students. You should find a way to gauge interest beforehand, though I'm not sure how. And maybe you could find a staff member or two that would help you?

How about an ASD/NT Alliance club? It'll help integrate ASDs into the NT world through acceptance, awareness and normalization.

My son's school has a Gay and Straight Alliance club. Not only is it for gay people but also for those who support this lifestyle.

So here is what me and the teacher sponsors decided:

1. Put out some feelers among the autistic students on whether or not they would attend

2. If it starts, it's invitation only. Only for Autistic Students.

3. After 2 or 3 meetings, members can bring friends not on the spectrum

4. If this works out, membership will be open

That sounds like a good plan. I hope it works out.

i wish my school had something like this

I say if you want one, start one. I just did the same with my schools new debate team

well i wish i could i tried making a club before and it didn't work out plus i don't know any other autistics