Does anyone belong to other autism support groups?

Post Reply New Topic

I can't say I've found our local support group very "supportive". Its suppose to be for families of autistics as well as autistic adults. They want adult autistics to join so they can USE them to do presentations where the group ends up making many thousands of dollars off the backs of Aspie adults. But they never do anything with that money to help the adult autistics like sponsoring some kind of occupational therapy or something as none of us have gotten any help.

Actually they do nothing with the money but buy books and to use it to send people to autism conferences. They look at me like I was alien for suggesting as a group we need to socialize, have picnics, etc with the money because autistics and their families tend to get socially isolated for various reasons. We don't even have summer picnics like the other state groups do. They are pathetic!

As for the usual meetings its always the same old thing -parents come in to whine how their life has been RUINED because their child is autistic. They come to complain about their children and about the school system. Occasionally the discussion does go towards the supplement happy curebie topics, but 60% of conversation is about IEP's and demanding free therapy for their children through the school system and 40% is complaining about how bad their children are. I find it all humorous as an adult with Aspergers because over half the moms and dads there appear to be on the spectrum themselves.

Well, since I've received so much feedback and comments, I thought I'd pass this along...

Last year when my son was kicked out of school after about a week, I contacted a local homeschooling group...the founder was very nice and lives in my town...she gave me some great info to get me started. I haven't talked to her much, although her yahoo group still exists and we both belong to that "other" group where everyone is trying to fix their kids...This week she put a message in the group that she had created a blog instead and that she would be updating the blog more frequently...I decided to check it out and sure enough, her complain was almost exactly the same as mine. She stated that she is tired of being accused of not caring for her child because she is not desperate to "fix" him...She homeschools, the child is in music lessons, has been a couple of years, does take speech and occupational therapy, but that's about it...She stated that more than anything she "accepts" her son and she will focus on building his great talents, and assist him as much as possible with those things that might be crucial for him in life "like communicating, speaking, etc..."...but that she feels blessed by this child, not "in disppair" like many others...She said that she was really tired of being told by parents that the diagnosis has ruined their life, parents who continuously fight with the school system, etc...because they want their kids in 40hours of therapy a week, etc...So, I guess I'm not as alone as I though, although definitely in the minority where we live...probably in many places...

With that said, we've planned to meet soon at the botanical garden next to our house to get the kiddos together and start something to have fun, share ideas about therapies, etc...but most of all, accept our kids and look for ways to ensure that society as a whole sees their great talents above all else...

So, thanks to all for your support here as well...I told her about this site and she as excited that there was such a site.

Congratulations on finding someone who is as like minded as you. It's great to have someone you can bounce ideas off of and share the good times and bad times with. I live in an upper middle class area that caters to molding everyone's children into some sort of "super human being." It's hard not to get caught up in all of that, but we managed to break free, and, boy, what a breath of fresh air it has been!

Good luck with your new found friend.

as a mom with as AS son, I found this site second. I joined another one called Aspies for freedom.

http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/

it's similar to this one, but it's good to hear other parents who have ideas. I am proud of my son, and hope that we can find what works for him so that he can learn his strengths and be a successful adult in time.

Hi-
Because ASD in the family can be very isolating, I do think that all parents need some form of support outside the home. For several years, I had a friend who also had a son with autism and she was my rock. We rarely saw each other because the needs of our kids prohibited it, but we spoke every day on the phone and I knew I could always tell her anything and she would understand in a way that my other friends with typical kids would not...So, what I am saying is that if you can't find a support group, reach out to at least one other parent that can be there for you.

Also, out of the need that I have seen in my own family's life, I have created a new social community for families who have a child on the spectrum. You can find it at www.foggyrock.com and I would love to have you all check it out and give me feedback. I want it to be a place to connect, find resources, vent, blog, makes friends, stand up for something and belong. You can create a personal page and share stories and photos as well....video function is on its way.

Good luck!
Shannon