xalepax wrote:
To say " I'm not officially diagnosed, but I'm fairly certain that I'm on the spectrum." I would consider as natural to say when introducing yourself and your son with a diagnosis. There is high possibility that you will meet other people in the exact same position as you. If you dont tell that then you probably will get the question sooner or later if you are diagnosed yourself or not.
Try to relax and not to plan so much what to say beforehand. Hopefully you will be meeting friendly people who you spontaniously can recognise your own life in when they are talking. Nobody would expect you to state your whole lifestory.
To say "Hi, Im X, this is my son Z, he was diagnosed with AS in year... and we are glad (but nervous?) to be here" could be just enough. You can even say that you are so uncertain of what to say "so I stop here and pass on".
Then you get to hear what others say and the situation will give itself naturally what will happen next and then its easier to approach others you might see you have something in common with. I hope this meeting will be a positive experience for you and your son but dont back off in the last second. You will only dissapoint yourself. The first meeting is spooky but once you are in its easier to attend the next time. Good Luck!
Thanks for the advice. I'll try to not over think every last scenario, and possible conversation. Rehearsing what I'm going to say has been a coping skill I've used for a really long time. While it's useful, it does tend to raise my anxiety level if I focus too much energy on it.
This group is like WP in that it's open to anyone affected by AS/HFA, even family members of people with AS/HFA. From what I've seen on-line mostly NT mothers with AS kids attend the groups. I don't know why, but that makes me a lot more nervous than if it were just for people with AS.
20 May 2009, 10:02 am
