Hi everyone! I haven't posted on wrongplanet in a really long time (over a year ago I think), but recently I had a great idea: What if I started an online workshop to teach social and life skills to autistic people, taught by someone who is autistic.
I attended tons of social skills classes and other things like that, but what bothered me was the fact that nobody who managed these classes actually had any personal experience with autism. For me, that didn't work because I simply wasn't able to learn in the method that they provided. In addition, the people who taught the classes weren't my age, weren't in my situation, and had no experience with autism other than psychological acumen. In short, they were completely ineffective.
But, I was gradually able to learn these skills by trying, over and over again, to make friends. I had a lot of failures, but also a lot of successes. My goal is to impart what I learned through experience to anyone who might be interested.
While I have no credentials (I'm only 16, but I plan to earn a Phd when I go through the educational process), I do have a lot of experience with dealing with social situations. I was very lucky to be diagnosed with Asperger's when I was five, so since then I have been actively working on the challenges that come with autism and several mental illnesses.
My plan is to work on these skills in small groups of 2-3 people over skype. If you don't feel comfortable using anything other than text at first, that's ok! Because I am currently doing partial hospitalization, I am available every day from 3-9 CST, so my schedule is pretty flexible. The workshop will be somewhat free-form, I have a list of topics that you can choose from like electives, or you can suggest your own. The topics I plan to focus on are social skills, dealing with schoolwork, personal identity, and life skills. This isn't therapy, this is a workshop for overcoming challenges that come with autism.
Please PM me or respond to this if you are interested. I would prefer it if you didn't criticize this in public, but rather give constructive suggestions through PM.
Eligible people should be between the ages of 10-25, be currently enrolled in school (other than homeschool), have a skype, be able to speak or use text (in english), have reliable access to internet, and live in mainland USA.
I'm going to stick the guidelines of the group here so that everyone knows what to expect:
1) This is a safe and supportive environment. No transphobia, homophobia, sexism, racism, or other hateful beliefs will be tolerated. Any infringement of this rule will result in a warning. Second infringements result in immediate expulsion.
2) I intend to discuss free-form spirituality (as opposed to structured religion or atheism), so you may wish to reconsider if the idea of doing this workshop if you are opposed to developing personal spirituality and actively using it.
3) Profanity, violence, and other topics that could incite serious emotional difficulty in other people (triggers) should be avoided for both my safety and the safety of others. However, issues such as bullying and mental illness will be brought up. It is up to you whether you can handle the environment given.
4) I respectfully discourage the forming of relationships with other members in the group until the workshop has ended. This is because we need to focus on ourselves and our own skills. Again, it is up to you whether you can handle this.
5) While the workshop is informal, it is expected that you come on time, or otherwise let me know in advance.
6) While I am doing this for free, you should save about $20 to buy supplies (like books or stim objects)
7) Due to the fact that we are challenged by our understanding of boundaries, it is not ok to share emails, phone numbers, full names, IM names, social media names, or addresses.
I am not a professional in any way. If you have concerns regarding your mental health, you need to see a qualified professional. If it turns out that the issues you are facing are out of my domain, or out of the domain of this workshop, then you will need to drop out.
02 Dec 2016, 11:51 am
