Local Autism Society

Re: Local Autism Society

• lite-bright member

  August 2012

  I wouldn't say we're "in" ours, but we do attend occasional events. It's nice to meet families in the same boat, talk about therapy options/experiences, and generally be in an environment where my kid's quirks are more or less understood. 

  That said, some of the events haven't been a good fit. We went to the monthly pizza dinner at a restaurant that serves gluten-free pizza awhile back, and it was mostly a) teens and parents, and b) almost all the teens also had Down Syndrome as a co-morbid. I was the only parent of a young child on the spectrum. The crowd slants that way b/c one of the directors has a child with both autism and Down, so she knows that little section of the ASD community very well. Which is great for them, but I felt like our experiences were very different and I didn't get much out of it. 

  The annual picnic has been a better fit b/c there's a wide range of ages and abilities, and there's more fun activities planned for the little kids. But I've met more parents and kids -- on the spectrum, with other SNs, or typical -- through DD1's preschool. 

  
  
  DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010

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• pastalady member

  August 2012

  When I was getting nowhere with a diagnosis for DD, I drove us to the Autism Center in our city. I met a fabulous woman who is the director. She got my DH diagnosed and set up all my appointments for DD. I am still waiting on the formal diagnosis for DD (I am in Canada - takes a long time). She put me on all the wait lists for things like OC, respire care, etc. I get invited to different groups through the center but am waiting until we have the diagnosis. 

  There are groups for different age groups, support groups for parents, social things for the kids, so much stuff. Parents can create their own meetings about any topic. Last week I got an email about gluten-free cooking info session. 

  DH goes to a monthly support group and conducts their choir for younger kids.

  I am so glad I went there. Once DD is officially diagnosed we will join some play groups, etc. Also, mine has a great library.  

   

  [IMG]http://i50.tinypic.com/30xit04.jpg[/IMG]
  Olivia Kate is almost 4!
  Diagnosed with autism this year and doing great!

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