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3quin0x273
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03 Jul 2024, 12:43 pm

Hi I'm new here. I have been told by some MH support workers that I should go to lots of autism support groups to make new friends who have something in common with me.I mean I would say I'm definitely anxious about attending one of these but I am still prepared to go. Has anyone else been to any? Because I'm really unsure what to expect.



Mountain Goat
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03 Jul 2024, 1:17 pm

I think I went to a sort of meeting before I knew I was on the spectrum where several people meet and one just talks..



Last edited by Mountain Goat on 03 Jul 2024, 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

3quin0x273
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03 Jul 2024, 1:28 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:
I think I went to a sort of meeting before I knew I was on the spectrum where several people meet and one just talks.
ok, I hope some more interesting things go on because I get bored so easily :lol:



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03 Jul 2024, 1:45 pm

You can make it interesting by asking about trains or something like that that interests you?



3quin0x273
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03 Jul 2024, 2:30 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:
You can make it interesting by asking about trains or something like that that interests you?

I guess so. by the way in your group did people discuss their special interests or was it just discussions around what autism is?



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05 Jul 2024, 10:53 pm

The only autism group I've been to was many years ago. There was a large attendance (over 50 people; this was in New York) and it was a speaker/lecture format in which someone gave a presentation and then audience members could ask questions. There might have been opportunity to socialize afterward but I don't know because I left right away. The way I felt about it was that the people there were more autistic than I am and I felt out of place.



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11 Jul 2024, 1:09 pm

They're all abelist to me. I would like to find a general Young Womens Group though.


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Mountain Goat
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11 Jul 2024, 2:44 pm

3quin0x273 wrote:
Mountain Goat wrote:
You can make it interesting by asking about trains or something like that that interests you?

I guess so. by the way in your group did people discuss their special interests or was it just discussions around what autism is?


I am not too sure as the road was partly flooded (Was a sudden downpour so 1cm of rain on the roads) and the driver in the front went so slow all the way in that I ended up being 10 minutes late.
(He was doing 20mph all the way in when one was allowed 50mph for a number of miles and was driving in the middle of the road due to the streams of water in the edge).

The meeting had just a few people turn up and they spent most of the time talking to a man so I sort of found general chat a bit difficult to join in with, but the gathering went ok apart from me putting my foot in it and getting embarissed.



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05 Aug 2024, 3:26 pm

3quin0x273 wrote:
Hi I'm new here. I have been told by some MH support workers that I should go to lots of autism support groups to make new friends who have something in common with me.I mean I would say I'm definitely anxious about attending one of these but I am still prepared to go. Has anyone else been to any? Because I'm really unsure what to expect.

Different groups can be very different from each other. There is no one-size-fits-all answer as to what to expect. I would suggest that you try a bunch of different groups and then stick around with whichever one(s) you like best.


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05 Aug 2024, 7:08 pm

I went to an autistic group once but didn't find anyone with common interests.
I'm not into gaming or D&D, sorry.
It was actually pretty awful.
It makes more sense to join a group focused on an interest you have, rather than a group of autistic people, unless you want to talk about autistic issues.


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05 Aug 2024, 7:42 pm

I never joined one.
But for the sake of mental health, depends on the utility or need.

If you want understanding, feel less alone, grieve whatever social woes, go to any autistic lead groups.
See if the sentiments and attitudes matches yours, same struggles and needs, similar circumstances and experiences.

If you want friends, go to an interest based groups regardless being an ND space but that would be better.
Preferably somewhere not toxic/sweaty/strict/elitist/predatory...


You can join one or two and both separately, join one and join another later...
And I'm not sure how frequent gaining both happens.


I have some doubts in autism groups facilitated by NTs.
Accounts tells me it's usually for kiddie types of socialization, which tend to be overall mismatching (the autistics you will meet might not be as communicative nor may match your developmental level/expected methods of socializing), awkward, or basically all-or-nothing depending on the dominant obsessions.

Unless, well, you're a desperate enough teenager and ended up talking to the NT adults there instead.


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