AS Social

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I was wondering if anyone has every gone to a social event specifically for people with AS, and what it was like.

There is a Halloween social coming up that I am thinking about attending, but I can't help being uneasy because I don't know anyone going or what to expect. Normally I hate parties, especially when I don't know anyone, since I usually sit around bored and don't interact much. But this is for people with AS, HFA, and PDD-NOS who want to improve social skills, so I'm assuming it will be different.

It costs $30, but it's for people my age and I know there's going to be at least a few other girls going. I think I should just go, but I hate going into things not knowing what they're going to be like. If anyone could share any experiences they've had with events like this, I'd appreciate it.

I went to a picnic this summer, hosted by a local Aspie social group. It was a very pleasant evening - although I felt some anxiety for the first 20 minutes or so - simply because I didn't know anybody & everybody else there seemed to know each other. So I just stood out of the way & listened for a while as people were arriving & setting out their food.

After a while, someone said something about not wanting to eat anything that had mayonnaise in it - because they were afraid of food poisoning.

Suddenly - I had information to contribute! "Mayonnaise has too much vinegar in it for the harmful bacteria to grow," I blurted out. "In potato salad, it's the potatoes that are more likely to go bad."

From that point on, it was great. People noticed me, we were talking & I started having fun.

A good conversation starter at an Aspie get together is, "What are your interests?" You are bound to learn all sorts of fascinating information about someone if you lead with that question.

Since this summer, my schedule has prevented me from attending any more functions with that group - although I really want to join in. They are a bunch of interesting & nice people.

i've never heard of such an activity. I know that my main problem/concern is going somewhere where I don't know what the expectations are. I would like to know what the program was like if you do go.

I've been going to monthly Aspie meetings, and afterward most of us go out to dinner. Normally eating and socializing with 10 strangers is an upper level of hell for me, but I love it with this group.

The communication is straightforward and content-oriented. If somebody misunderstands something, or doesn't understand a joke, someone else simply explains it. No games. We even have 'normal' eye content, because there's nothing scary there. There's the possibility that we could all stop talking, and be happily silent, but that hasn't happened yet. And as zeichner pointed out, there are always Special Interests to talk about.

Let us know how the party is.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I did go and I had a good time. There was a dance floor and food along with games. It was a little awkward going and not knowing anyone at first, but the people there introduced me to some people about my age and we hung out, mostly playing board games, and people were open about introducing themselves and joining in. It was a little hard to talk over the music since my voice is very low and quiet, but everyone was really friendly and accepting. It was overall a very enjoyable experience, much less awkward than a regular party. I'd like to go to their future events and would recommend this sort of thing to others.

Excellent news! Maybe this will help others organize and attend AS events. I've never been to one, but one of my social clubs and just about every job I've had was dominated by AS-types.

Hope you went and had fun.

I'd love to find one around here. Actually I've been looking but can only find ones that need Doctor references etc. Which is good but i'd love to find a home brew social type.