Starting up new Asperger's Support group - Any suggestions??

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Hi All,
I'm barely a week old at this site and this whole AS thing is still sinking in. Anyways, I want to start a support group in the Salt Lake City area and am wondering if there are already formats and literature for this purpose. For that matter, are there any existing support groups and how would I find them? I've participated in Alcoholics Anonymous for quite some time (although currently don't) and have started up numerous 12 step meetings in the past. It would be very helpful if anyone who has participated in face to face support groups make suggestions on what works and what doesn't.
Thanks,
Philski

Off the top of my head, it might be useful to decide whether AS is something to cure or strengthen. I was horrified at first, but now I respect it. All the best with your group!

Claradoon is right. The reference to 12 step groups as you use it is a non-sequitor! That won't "help". But what I don't understand is that the basic AS symptoms are generally GOOD. I hate the lack of social skills, and originally I was too trusting, etc...

Had I known about AS a lot of the problems would have been avoided, and a lot of the good things would have been accentuated! I was ANGRY to find out that Europe knew about AS for 60 years! Had I been in Europe, I might have been diagnosed with AS and my life would have been better. NOT because of any treatment, etc... but because my expectations would have been tweaked! I kept trying to do things that AS frustrated, and didn't do things because people told me about things based on NT experience.

SO, is AS REALLY the problem? GRANTED there are comorbids, etc... and some people mistreat AS people. The environments could be better, but you can't really fix that with a group anyway.

Steve

Believe me, Philski, I understand what you mean about wanting a support group. When I got sober they had sponsors and meetings and you got better and you were loved unconditionally because they usually only had to put up with you a couple hours a week. I felt supported and it really eased my mind about my 'disease' and I found hope for this dire situation I had found my self in ( alcoholism)

But Alcoholism IS a disease: AS is not.

So, I agree. it's not like Asperger's gets worse because now you know about it. And if AS 'gets better' it might be just because we aren't lead around by the nose by it because we understand more and more the nature pf AS. Self Mastery is my goal, but perhaps it is not yours.

I wish you well with your support group, I go to one every month and it is interesting.
Merle

______________________________



ASPIES UNITE!
( oh, yeah, like we are gonna all hold hands!)

Thanks for responses. However, I don't think I made myself clear in the goals of this group. It would have nothing to do with a 12 step program except for bringing together a group of people with a similar challenge. I understand this isn't a disease or something else to be 'cured' from. My goal is simply to learn more effective ways of loving, understanding, and accepting myself in healthier ways.
A private post mentioned a local autism chapter that would be helpful. Also it was brought up the terror many with AS would have by even considering attending a group meeting. I remember the terror I felt by attending my first alanon and AA meetings. The pain of living with alcoholism back then was greater than the fear I felt in getting help. Same with this. I came here because the pain of living without understanding, support, and self acceptance was greater than my fear of doing what it takes to address this pain.
Anyways, I won't know if this can make a difference in my life and others unless I try. I think understanding is half the battle. Now that I understand my brain works differently than others, I won't have expectations of being an NT. That is huge for me.
Thanks again for ideas and comments...
Philski

I know there is one here in Tampa that CARD helped put together. I'm not sure what they do. There is one in the Chicago area I believe that Jerry Newport helped coordinate. I'm not sure if that is just social gathering or what. What might be helpful to Aspies is to have a Communications major come in and give an exaggerated class on non-verbal communication emphasizing eyes, face and body to help the member begin to learn by physical characteristics what is going on with an NT person. The visual is worth a 1,000 words with us and Communications majors are great at this. You should post at your local university to see if you can get a senior or grad student to volunteer. You could try to get someone in from Toastmasters to work on speaking skills. Practice interviewing skills with each other or small talk. You are never going to "get it" per se, but you will get better the more you practice. Talk about ways to work around certain meltdown factors. How can you avoid those things?


This might be great. They used to do this back when we had deportment in schools. Practice men socializing with women (if you are all males, don't worry about it because back in the days boys practiced with boys and girls with girls). Make it a game where they have to "catch" each other making mistakes, but don't let it get vicious.

See if you can get someone to volunteer who dances (a retiree might be good) and have them teach you all ballroom dancing. It's great for coordination and you have to be social when you do that (plus you must touch). It will also give all of your members confidence in social settings if they can dance.

Do things on holidays. Many of us are alone and need someone to be with on the holidays. Start your own traditions.


How's that? Of course I would never come to one of those meetings because I am done when I leave work, but there are many social Aspies on here that need an outlet. Good luck.

I set up a social group for people with Asperger’s in 2002 in Ireland. We have about 10-12 members who turn up every second Sunday, about 100 people have come to meetings over the years. It’s a social group, and being just a social group it is a support group too.

I agree that AS is not something that needs curing, but it can make people very lonely and isolated. Most people who go to the meetings just want to socialise, we go to a quite bar. Running the group is easy, it’s just a few friends meeting up. That may seem simple, but it can be astrophysics for some who have never met people in a social situation before. Meetings have a tendency to self-organise, just get enough people together and you will have a social group.

Also, to prevent meetings from falling into a boring routine I ask members if they are getting bored and ask them if they want to do something different, I found that members rarely complain when they are bored, they just leave. So we go to a restaurant for a meal instead of the bar every few weeks, it keeps meetings fresh.

As for support aspect, we have social skills class running in parallel to social group and it’s in its second year. It is on a Monday evening. I also have lots of books, CDs and videos on AS/autism that I lend to people.

We call our group a Club and not a support group. Its more to socialize and we end up talking about the usual nerdy topics that interest many Aspies and not really talk about having Autism or Aspergers. We've talked about going on field trips this summer. I think they idea should be the best way to "support" adult Aspies is to provide an accepting social outlet. That is a way to meet other people that won't make fun of them and provide them something to look forward to if they have no other comfortable outlets.

Yeah, the social outlet is best, and that is what I am looking for.

Steve

We called ourself a support group when we first set up, that was not popular.

We are now the Knights of the Aspie Table.

LOL Go forth Knights! That's pretty funny... Thanks for the ideas. I agree that listing this as a club for socializing for Aspies will likely get good results.
Maybe we can do a National thing for Aspies at a tropical resort or something. Phoenix would be a relatively warm place in the winter. Any scuba divers out there? This has been my passion for the last two years. Such an awesome peaceful world down at 40 feet with all the fishies.
Cheers,
Philski