Teen Asperger's Support Group: A Good Idea?

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My mother and I have been considering it. I have mixed feelings about it; on the negative side, I once joined a group for socially-challenged kids a few years ago, and it was a disaster. I think only one of the girls had some form of Asperger's, and it seemed severe enough to seem more like full-blown autism. As for the other girls, well...they were severe ADHD kids, if anything. As a more reserved and quiet girl, being forced to participate in an hour of partially-unstructured socialization being surrounded by hyperactive girls once a week was torturous, to say the least. No offense at all meant to individuals with ADHD--I'm just very easily annoyed, I guess. Another thing that makes me hesitant about joining another group is the fear that it'll be either too large, too unstructured, or consisting only of females. I confess all these other reasons save for the first seem to be throwbacks to my first reason of reluctance, but I guess that first group just left a horrible impression on me. :/ So overall, I think I'm afraid of the group I join turning out to be like the last.

As for positive areas, there are a few things I'd look forward to if I joined a support group. First, if it included both genders, I'd be thrilled. As I go to an all-girls school and don't get out much (nor feel the need to), pretty much the only guys I see are my dad and a few male teachers. So, I'm pretty...guy-deprived ^^; Any chance to meet some boys and develop friendships with them--maybe even a relationship with one--is dearly coveted nowadays. Another reason joining a group might be good for me is the obvious chance to meet teens like me--may or may not be diagnosed with Asperger's, but still reserved, a bit hard to get to know, maybe not so socially accepted. Chances are they might also have some of the same interests I have, so that only makes the idea more exciting! Lastly, perhaps being in a group could help me function better in life. Now, I was just diagnosed with Asperger's roughly a year ago, but I'm quite high-functioning and if I told someone I had Asperger's, they'd most likely be surprised (or ask, "What's that?" ). Even then, I'm still quite withdrawn--until you get to know me. A cliche, I know, but it applies to me well. But still, high school is a bit rough--I'm not an "outcast", but I'm not really "popular", either. Maybe a little support/help from a group could aid me, who knows?

Thoughts/advice, anyone? Or is there any teen in a support group that could share their experience with me to maybe help me make the decision to join one (or not)?

You can always try once.

IMO, the best thing to do is just start a group for people on the spectrum to go to and chat, make friends, etc. I have one such group near me and its great

I've been thinking about trying to convince my therapist to start a group for people like me, yeah. Most of the clinic she works at's groups are for ADHD kids so I really don't have many options there.

While I can certainly advocate for the benefits of associating with fellow Aspergers individuals, attempts to force it in my past have been outright disastrous for me as well. The best method of finding fellowship, I've discovered, involves joining up with education-based groups. Study coalitions, bands of enthusiasts, any group that is dedicated to some sort of art, history, or science study tends to draw analytical minds with ease. And often among those, I've found, are plenty of Aspergers compatriots who likely have experiences to share. My school's Latin club and Rocketry team were both places in which I discovered many like-minded individuals, and I enjoyed the company of these people greatly.