I went to a group meeting for adults with HFA the other day. I had never been to one before. I have to say, I was pretty terrified before I went in. It's one thing posting on this forum, but I can never tell if people secretly don't want me around when they get "stuck" with me in real life. I worry about that a lot actually, all the time. It was really nice though. We went around in a circle and introduced ourselves. Some people went on long tangents, but no one seemed to mind. It felt assuring, and judgement free. There was a lot made over my education level, mostly positive. Some people stimmed, which made me feel comfortable, like I didn't feel like I didn't have to hide these parts of myself like I've learned to do over the years. Still, I wasn't quite comfortable enough to behave like I do when I'm at home, so I mostly sat still. I made a couple jokes that were well received. I met other people in similar lines of work as me. We watched a movie and talked about it afterwards. We had nice snacks. Everyone else had dietary restrictions, just like me, so there were many well-labeled options available. In the end, a bunch of people welcomed me, and one person even gave me a big hug at the end.
I liked this group of people. I think I'll go back. It's too bad it's only once a month though.