I am drowning; wife of Aspie, step mom of recently moved in

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I need support...overwhelmed...are there any support groups in the Port St. Lucie area of Florida?

If not, an online support session?...

I am so overwhelmed, I am recently, blowing up LIKE my Aspies...my kids, 1- ADHD, and posssibly Bipoalr are now afraid of ME! my new frustrations..this is markedly new since my Aspie Stepson moved in, 9 months ago, and now that my hus (aspie) is being held by his ex, to "do better with their son, or I'll take him bck HERE", since he's aspie, himself he is overwhelmed CONSTANTLY....the stress level in my household has skyrocketed in the last 9 months...it is better for my stepson, as we understand him better, and are more helpful, and less "dictatorial', than his Mom, but, the result is, all five of us are "stting on a powder keg, giving out sparks"

Any help is appreciated
Di

Well, I dont know of any support groups in your area. I do know that this website is full of nice people, but I believe the question that needs to be asked is what exactly do you hope to get from a support group?

Are you simply looking for hollow commiserations, or are you looking for practical advice? If it is the former, then I am afraid I can't do much to help. If it is the latter then I am able and willing to give advice, but more information about what the problem is would be useful.

Based on what you have said thus far, your primary problem is a result of everybody being stressed out. Have you tried doing things in order to relive the stress? Does your son have any games that he enjoys, if so can you do anything to make sure he gets more time playing those games. Do you have anything you enjoy? Perhaps you would like to go out and see a movie with your friends. Many times the best way to reduce the stress you are under as a family is simply to stop doing all the unnecessary things that clog up your life, and spend more time doing what you enjoy.

I agree with Tracker but think you might need help more from some other professional, if you can afford it. However some support groups also have recreational things going, so it is worth investigating.

Here is a list of some in Florida

http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/suppFL.html

Support Groups: Florida
Boca Raton Brevard Fort Lauderdale Jacksonville Miami-Dade
Orlando West Palm Beach


Boca Raton
Families Living with Asperger's
Support group for family members of individuals with Asperger's Syndrome

Contact:

Charles Dukes at (561) 297-2023 ext.2

Support for Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome
This support group is intended for individuals diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome 18 years and older.

Contact:

Charles Dukes (561) 297-2023 ext. 2



Brevard Asperger Support Group

Contact:

Irene Mazloom at (407)823-2176

Brevard County
BFOCASD Brevard Families of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders
This a support group for families, educators and therapists of children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders or similar disabilities.

Contact: Cari Wheat 321-727-1028 for more information.


Fort Lauderdale
Families Living with Asperger's
Support group for family members of individuals with Asperger's Syndrome

Contact:

Brian Roselione, UM-CARD - Nova Satellite at (904)262-7147 or e-mail to [email protected]



Jacksonville
L.A.S.S.O. -Living with Asperger Syndrome Support Organization
This group is open to families of individuals with Asperger Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, PDD-NOS, Semantic Pragmatic Disorder, and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and professionals who work with them. This group cannot accommodate the children.

Meeting Date and Time:
Meetings are held the first Thursday of the month from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Location:
Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church
Room D-1
4001 Hendricks Avenue
Jacksonville, Florida

Contact:
Rhona Silver at 904-743-5168 or e-mail to: [email protected]



Miami-Dade

Families Living with Asperger's

Support group for family members of individuals with Asperger's Syndrome

Contact:

UM-CARD at (800) 9-AUTISM ext. 2 or e-mail Diane Adreon at [email protected]



Orlando

Orlando Asperger Family Support

Contact:

Irene Mazloom at 407 737-2566

Adults with Asperger Support Group (Orlando Area)

Contact:

Terri Daly at 407 737-2566 or e-mail to [email protected]



West Palm Beach

Families Living with Asperger's

Contact:

Ann Levene, UM-CARD- Palm Beach Branch Office at 561-712-5250 e-mail to: [email protected]

Back to Local Support List

I tried checking for AS groups at Meetup.com but unfortunately there isn't much choice in your area on meetup.

Lake Worth, FL
http://www.meetup.com/adults-with-high- ... ng-autism/

Fort Lauderdale
http://www.meetup.com/FTLAspergers/

Thank you for the links sent, and I will follow up on them.

"Hollow commiserations"? that's harsh....no, in looking for a support group, I was looking for 'support'. When I read a comment like that, my first reaction is to "unfavorite" this site, and then even more so when the next comment agrees with the 1st one.

And yes, I will make an appointment to see our Marriage Counselor.....but really was looking to MEET other women in similar family living situations.

We only have a few friends, as my husband does not much like to socialize, and we have our hands full at home with keeping the three teens to task at their schooling.....my husband works over 60 hrs. per week, whereas I work part time, so I do most of the communications with the teachers. Their school failure is a big component in the stress in this household at the current time.

We are transplants from the North, and in THIS area of Fl, anyway, it seems difficult to make friends; I don't know why that's the case, but neighbors do not know neighbors, etc. (I've heard this comment from others, in this area; so it's not just my impression).

Up North, I belonged to a church, but my hus is not interested in attending church, nor are my children, who are all in High School and probably old enough to make that personal choice.

Additionally, the few friends we DO have do not understand Asperger's, BiPolar OR ADHD, and the complexities of living with all three! So, it was my hope to find a support group, to meet people that DO understand.

http://asdrelationships.freeforums.org/

An online one, for both Autistics and NTs to support and advise one another about neurodiverse relationships.

Thanks anyway Di5...

I just agreed with Tracker to a degree, from being involved in the local support group here briefly, I discovered that sometimes people expect a bit much, from volunteer run support groups.

Tracker is saying are you looking for people to say "there, there" and give you fake reassurance rather than practical advice. lol.

That what makes WP so good is the diversity of people here.

Myself - I always post the support groups when anyone asks the question, because there may be other people who are interested, for other reasons altogether, in knowing there is a support group nearby. Just knowing there's other people around going through similar, even if you don't join is nice to know.

OASIS has an extensive list on their site, especially for the US and Canada.
NAS in the UK

Sometimes I have come across newly diagnosed "families" say one child been diagnosed Asperger. They don't know how to find support, and they freak out when I say, ooh you must contact the Autism association in your state, country. Sometimes they are horrified. Oh but but my child has Asperger not Autism they say.

lol

It takes time to learn the social side of ASD and the politics is what I wanted to say.

Best of luck with it all.