Does anyone have a parent support group rec for ASD? Located in VA

[Anonymous]

Hello! I am located in VA and my two children were diagnosed with autism over the past month. Both were very late diagnoses (one is elementary, one is middle school), although not for lack of trying on my part. I am also a single mom.

I feel isolated, scared, depressed and sad. I don’t know how I’m going to help them be okay. I would love if anyone could recommend a specific parent group - I think I need some way to connect with others in the same situation so I feel less isolated, especially because I don’t have a spouse to go through this with.

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Sending hugs to you. Dr Dan Shapiro has amazing parent education/support programs, some of which are free or pay what you can.
I’ve taken multiple courses with him & the support and sense of community from other parents helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sending hugs to you. Dr Dan Shapiro has amazing parent education/support programs, some of which are free or pay what you can.
I’ve taken multiple courses with him & the support and sense of community from other parents helped.

Not Op, what is the link? If I search it correctly, is that group in Montgomery county? I have a ES age asd kid.

[Anonymous]

https://poac-nova.org/events/

[Anonymous]

Starobin Counseling runs a virtual monthly parent support group called Parents Together: Support for Raising Autistic People. They are based in Olney, MD but i know some of the therapists are licensed in Virginia, too.

There are two different parent support groups which depend on children’s ages — I have attended the one for parents of older autistic teens several times and have found the group compassionate and supportive plus have gotten lots of good recommendations.

https://starobincounseling.com/services/#groups

Hugs to you OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sending hugs to you. Dr Dan Shapiro has amazing parent education/support programs, some of which are free or pay what you can.
I’ve taken multiple courses with him & the support and sense of community from other parents helped.

Not Op, what is the link? If I search it correctly, is that group in Montgomery county? I have a ES age asd kid.

https://www.parentchildjourney.com/
Most of the programs offered by Dr Dan are on zoom. He has a weekly free Monday lunch zoom meeting with different topics covered each week. If you search Dr Dan here in forum, you will see his name come up often.

The 10 week parent journey zoom class was the most impactful for my husband and I. There would be course material to view or read during the week on your own time and then a synchronous zoom meeting with dr Dan and other parent participants. It was really worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

https://www.ontheharddays.com/

[Anonymous]

I'm the previous poster who recommended Dr. Dan. I just opened email to see that this Monday's free zoom meeting is about being a single parent.

Here's the description:
June 2, 2025

Going It Alone

Join us for an open and supportive conversation on the realities of single parenting—whether you're truly solo or functionally single. This discussion group is a space to share experiences, explore the unique challenges of raising kids on your own (emotionally, logistically, or both), and connect with others who understand the weight of doing it all. Whether you're navigating this journey without a co-parent or managing most of the parenting alone, you're not alone here. Let’s talk, listen, and lift each other up.

And here is the link to sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwKFIpb7CnnDy-DhQQXAmqq8kqrMLtT4ajtFquXHVYTUphTg/viewform