Where to find autistic community?

[Anonymous]

Our child is ten and just diagnosed. A key recommendation from the. Euro psych is to get her into community with other autistic kids and people. How to do this? Where to find this? Suggestions?

[Anonymous]

This is a fashionable recommendation based on the concept of “neurodiversity” as an identity. About as useful as the recommendation we got to “put child in sports, but not team sports.” suprise, he LOVES team sports.

What you should focus on is getting her into schools & activities where she can meet people she clicks with. This may in fact mean other kids on the spectrum but not necessarily. Schools sometimes can do a good job setting up lunch bunches of kids they think can form friendships (NT and otherwise).

[Anonymous]

Recommendations such as the one you received in the neuropsych report really rub me the wrong way. It’s like “let’s keep all the autistic people together and away from everyone else.” Inclusion and integration can be really good for people with autism. Our child has done best socially when with NT peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recommendations such as the one you received in the neuropsych report really rub me the wrong way. It’s like “let’s keep all the autistic people together and away from everyone else.” Inclusion and integration can be really good for people with autism. Our child has done best socially when with NT peers.

YES. could not agree more. my kid definitely clicks with quirkier kids but also NT kids.

[Anonymous]

My child is fully verbal and conversational, but can't keep up socially with NT peers (she's a girl, which I think makes it even harder). She's done best in spaces that attract autistic kids who also share a common interest.

[Anonymous]

Board game cafe.

Chess club.

Swimming.

Online "classes" for games like Dungeons and Dragons

[Anonymous]

Where are you? If local go to the XMinds website and attend their events.

[Anonymous]

Scouting welcomes ND kids. (Or at least most packs/troops do.)

My kid certainly found a friend group in the asperger's program at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a fashionable recommendation based on the concept of “neurodiversity” as an identity. About as useful as the recommendation we got to “put child in sports, but not team sports.” suprise, he LOVES team sports.

What you should focus on is getting her into schools & activities where she can meet people she clicks with. This may in fact mean other kids on the spectrum but not necessarily. Schools sometimes can do a good job setting up lunch bunches of kids they think can form friendships (NT and otherwise).

Mine was diagnosed at 7 (now 15) and we didn't get any such recommendation but I wish we had. We wouldn't have spent so much time and energy trying to fit her in to NT groups and activities, and would have saved her from repeated rejection and hurt, leading to her eventually saying "I don't care if I have no friends." Just in the last year or two, we focused on finding her a community of ND kids and she's been much happier. Two places we've found that locally are DC Peers and Vis Arts. DC Peers is specifically for ND kids, and Vis Arts happens to attract them for some reason and our daughter is very artsy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is fully verbal and conversational, but can't keep up socially with NT peers (she's a girl, which I think makes it even harder). She's done best in spaces that attract autistic kids who also share a common interest.

OP here. This describes my child perfectly. Can you share what those places are? My kid is into theater, music, and artistic pursuits. Know anyplace you might recommend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is fully verbal and conversational, but can't keep up socially with NT peers (she's a girl, which I think makes it even harder). She's done best in spaces that attract autistic kids who also share a common interest.

OP here. This describes my child perfectly. Can you share what those places are? My kid is into theater, music, and artistic pursuits. Know anyplace you might recommend?

I’m not that poster but the previous one. My kid is also very into theater, music and art. I recommend Vis Arts, DC Peers and Imagination Stage.

[Anonymous]

SO and I found several friends while surfing various waiting rooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is fully verbal and conversational, but can't keep up socially with NT peers (she's a girl, which I think makes it even harder). She's done best in spaces that attract autistic kids who also share a common interest.

OP here. This describes my child perfectly. Can you share what those places are? My kid is into theater, music, and artistic pursuits. Know anyplace you might recommend?

I’m not that poster but the previous one. My kid is also very into theater, music and art. I recommend Vis Arts, DC Peers and Imagination Stage.

For Imagination Stage did you do regular program or programming specifically for kids on the spectrum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recommendations such as the one you received in the neuropsych report really rub me the wrong way. It’s like “let’s keep all the autistic people together and away from everyone else.” Inclusion and integration can be really good for people with autism. Our child has done best socially when with NT peers.

I disagree. From the neuropsychologists perspective, parents/kids have probably already tried the NT stuff and the social challenges are partially why they are there being evaluated in the first place. IDK how old your kid is but mine is 15, and the NT friends have pretty much disappeared. Getting the ASD dx when he was 14 was kind of a relief because I knew it might be a ticket into new friendship groups for him.

But, I agree that reports could suggest both: ways to form relationships in the ASD community and places that might be inclusive to NT and ND.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is fully verbal and conversational, but can't keep up socially with NT peers (she's a girl, which I think makes it even harder). She's done best in spaces that attract autistic kids who also share a common interest.

Like what? And also - can you please explain how “can’t keep up socially” manifests?