Sidney’s Social Dinner group

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For Ronan Soussa, eating out for dinner can be challenging.

"Well, there are a few difficult experiences," he said, after ordering a chicken schnitzel and chips — no salad, no sauce and strictly no garnish.

But at Sydney's first dinner for autistic adults, the 20-year-old fits right in.

The adult peer support evening was founded by Steve Drakoulis, chief executive and founder of the Autism Community Network.

It's the first event of its kind in Sydney and brings together a group of adults with autism to eat, drink and play games.

For the dinner, the adults arrive with their carer to a room underneath the general bistro area at Riverwood's Club Rivers RSL.

While the excitement and sheer number of attendees do not make for a particularly quiet space, the room is removed from the noisy raffles and large bar area upstairs.

It is controlled, and the staff have been trained in how best to accommodate the group.

"By coming here, ordering their own meals, making their own way here and home — these are skills that everybody expects you to have," Mr Drakoulis said.

And for those attending the event, the opportunity to mingle with other adults with autism means they get to hang out with other people on the spectrum.

"I love coming to an event like this, because I have more in common with people here," George Drakoulis said.