Friday, April 9, 2010

Social groups

I've called to arrange our membership of the Asperger's social group.
Woot!
This is the first Spectrum-specific social group my son will have attended since he was in prep.
He's joined many community groups like lawn bowls, dancing, etc, but that was more a concerted effort to get him to observe and copy socially acceptable behaviour from neurotypical people both young and old.

Back to the old monkey see, monkey do, others modelling the behaviours that are accepted in the community.
But he's getting older now and, at 13, he's well aware of what behaviours are expected in different situations.
Oh, he's not au fait with all social skills and niceties by any stretch of the imagination but he's not about to have a monstrous meltdown in the middle of the entree or trash a shop, if you get my meaning.
Plus, after meeting up with other parents at the World Autism Awareness Day march in Melbourne I'd forgotten the simple pleasure of relaxing around people who knew where your head is at, who didn't pull faces or judged your child if he lost his shit in public.
And I noticed that my son was sooooooooooooo relaxed himself, a big cheesy grin plastered on his face as he gawped around him, constantly rubber necking this way and that at all the kids similar in age.
Then I realised how long it had been since he's been a part of an Autistic-specific group and how he probably wouldn't remember or know the sensation of belonging, of not being the odd man out for a change.
So, I've phoned to arrange membership for my son to attend social group meetings, to meet others on the Spectrum which will probably give him reassurance and support, without vocalising it, about his own place in this world and how he fits in.

2 comments:

Valerie Foley said...

This makes me smile in that same cheesy grin way...

Can't wait to hear how it goes, on an ongoing basis.

:)

Ro said...

Thanks, Valerie, we're getting excited ourselves :)