Autism Support Groups

I hosted a Autism support Group meeting in mid-December. It is held in the building I work in. Even though, I do not have a child with Autism, it is really my goal to be a of support for families as well as students in our school district. We are located in East Texas. There are no support groups nearby. My initial goal was to get it started and let the parents take it over but they don't seem interested in taking it over. As long as they want to show up, I will continue planning them and hosting them though. It does seem like parents really share information there (names of good doctors, each others phone numbers). At the last meeting, one parent talked about feeling a little bit socially isolated. She said that she had even had to stop going to church because of her son. Another parent told her about the church she goes to and how her son fits in. she invited the other parent to her church with her. The parent voiced excitement about going to church again. I think a lot of it has to do with the congregation and how much they know about autism and how the accept a child with autism. It is good for me to see how those parent connections can make a positive difference in someones life.

The kids come to the meetings too and we always have someone who knows about autism (a teacher or counselor) there to watch them. I also have plenty of toys and things on hand. I am just sharing because I really want to know what parents need. If you read this, please share. What would you like to get out of a parent support group meeting?