There's a theater group in Loudoun - a place to be

https://volunteer.loudouncares.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=60782

Just a quick plug for the improv classes at Round House Theatre in addition to the mainstream programs at both Round House and Imagination Stage.

My ND child has met a lot of like-minded kids in every sense of the word, and I swear that improv has been more helpful than years of social skills classes.

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.

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Ditto for my kid. Spaces with NT kids (even very kind and patient ones) aren't very comfortable for her.

Anonymous wrote:

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?

We did regular programming. My kid did classes and camps there from age 6 on. They have an accessibility liaison person who will talk to you about what kind of support your kid needs and they try to provide it. My kids needs varied from year to year and from program to program. Sometimes they had an extra person in there to help with any kid who needed extra help, sometimes it was just breaks. She did a musical theater production camp for many years and there were inclusion staff who helped kids who had support needs. They would spent some 1:1 time with my kid at lunch or when she got overwhelmed. It was pretty great until my kid hit a mental health crisis in her teens that they couldn’t really handle (but honestly, neither could anyone else).

Here on DCUM, lol

Anonymous wrote:

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.

this raises the question of the value of “neuropsych” recommendations at all. ours were completely useless and not tailored to our child *at all.* This despite the fact that the testing actually did paint a picture of what he is like as an individual. I think each recommendation needs to include the individualized basis for each one, and be very careful not to appear to be predicting something that they have no basis to predict.

Anonymous wrote:Board game cafe.

Chess club.

Swimming.

Online "classes" for games like Dungeons and Dragons

Any board game cafe in montgomery county for kids?

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.

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

Can't keep up means that when girls were chatting/building their friendships through conversation, my kid was on the fringes, not engaging. She couldn't process the moving conversation and come up with an appropriate/relevant way to participate in the conversation. So no one noticed her or included her and she couldn't make friends. It wasn't as much of an issue when little when kids just ran around the playground, but that's not how NT girls socialize past 8 years old or so.

But she has no problem talking about her special interests, so that's where she has been able to make friends. And I of course don't know for certain, but I suspect many/most of the other kids are also ND.

That's my kid. Since early ES, was fine playing one to one. As soon as a third (or more) kid was involved, mine couldn't follow the conversation fast enough and over time was no longer included in the conversation.

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.

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

Can't keep up means that when girls were chatting/building their friendships through conversation, my kid was on the fringes, not engaging. She couldn't process the moving conversation and come up with an appropriate/relevant way to participate in the conversation. So no one noticed her or included her and she couldn't make friends. It wasn't as much of an issue when little when kids just ran around the playground, but that's not how NT girls socialize past 8 years old or so.

But she has no problem talking about her special interests, so that's where she has been able to make friends. And I of course don't know for certain, but I suspect many/most of the other kids are also ND.