Support Group - AS Adults
From the Facilitator:
We are a diverse mixed group with ages ranging from late teens to 60s. Our monthly meetings and social events provide a great opportunity for us to meet others with similar life experiences, where we have a lot more understanding of each other than we usually find outside of this group. Most members have been professionally diagnosed with AS, while a few are self-diagnosed.
You are very welcome to attend one or two meetings before joining ASSN. There is no need to register, just come along and see if our group is what you're after.
We usually get 25-50 people at the monthly meetings. If the attendance exceeds 30 or so, the group is split to allow for greater participation by attendees.
The meetings consist of an informal evening discussion format. We meet on the third Thursday of every month, except for January and December, at THE NERVE CENTRE, 54 Railway Road, Blackburn. Parking is available via Solwood Lane (Melways: Map 48 A9).
On even numbered months (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug and Oct) we also hold a group meeting for parents / carers / partners of AS people, in a separate room - we occasionally have a joint meeting after the tea break.
The doors open at about 7.30 pm although if you are a little late it is not a problem. I usually arrive just before 8.00 and the meeting proper starts then. The meeting ends around 10 - 10.30 pm although there is no fixed closing time and people have been known to stay considerably later.
The evening typically starts with everybody introducing themselves in turn (we usually have a couple of new people each time) and giving a bit of detail on some nominated topic, which may be "what is one of your interests" or "tell us about something exciting you have done since our last meeting". We then discuss issues or topics members would like group help in addressing. I have some topics in case the group does not suggest any.
Tea break is around 9.15-9.30 pm where we have some refreshments and a bit of social time outside of the meeting structure. If we re-assemble later (usually we don't) the discussion is very much directed by the group. However, if I am made aware of some item in particular during the tea break, I will raise that. We also discuss the upcoming social events and the forward programme. Occasionally we invite the parents / carers / partners group to join us for some exchange of information between the two groups.
Occasional social events have included: afternoon tea at a local cafe, BBQs and picnics, ten pin bowling sessions, lunch at Molly Blooms Hotel in Port Melbourne, and excursions to ScienceWorks and the Melbourne Museum.
For upcoming dates see the calendar of events