Support Group – Parents and Carers

Three regular meetings are held for parents, grandparents and carers of individuals with AS.  You are welcome to come regularly, to any of the groups, or just whenever you have something to discuss.

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.


Thursday Evenings (includes Partners)

This coffee evening allows you to meet others in a similar situation, and to have your story heard.  Note the AS Adults meet concurrently in a separate room.  Meetings are held at 7:30pm on the third Thursday of even months (February, April, June, August and October) at the Nerve Centre, 54 Railway Rd, Blackburn.  Parking is available off Solwood Lane.

During odd months (March, May, July, September and November) parents and partners are very welcome to attend the Adult Group meeting.  There are usually quite a few members who do attend these meetings, finding them very valuable to gain an insight into the issues facing their AS loved ones.

Please note the recent permanent change of venue to The Nerve Centre.  We are no longer using the Box Hill Library.

 

Friday Mornings

Held from 10am to 1pm on the first Friday of every month except January, this coffee morning combines occassional short presentations from professionals with round table discussion about issues of concern. 

We have been having great success over the past year with guest speakers giving informal talks to our group of approximately 20-30 regulars.  So far we've had a speech pathologist, a counsellor, a psychologist, a biomedical expert, an anti-discrimination advocate, a social skills/drama teacher, a number of researchers and a community support worker present to us.  We are always on the lookout for others working / researching in the ASD field.   

If the first Friday of the month falls within school holidays, meetings are moved forwards to the first Friday of the school term.

We meet at the Nerve Centre, 54 Railway Rd, Blackburn.  Parking is available off Solwood Lane.

This group also has a confidential email list.  We send a BCC email once or twice a month to the list, to confirm arrangements for future meetings, and provide follow up information after meetings.  You can opt out at any time, and your privacy is assured. Please email friday@assnvic.org.au if you would like to be added to the list.

If you are interested in joining our group, please come along for a session or two, to see if it suits your needs.

Friday Group Dates for 2012 are:

  • Feb - 3rd
  • Mar - 2nd
  • Apr - miss due to Easter
  • May - 4th
  • Jun - 1st
  • Jun - 29th instead of July due to school holidays
  • Aug - 3rd
  • Sep - 7th
  • Oct - 12th
  • Nov - 2nd
  • Dec - 7th

 

Northern Suburbs Group

A new group has just formed to support parents and carers living in the northern metropolitan region.  As with the other groups, the focus is on meeting others in similar situation to yourself, and gaining information and advice.  Please check the ASSN Events page for details of time and venue.  Thank you Lisa for offering to facilitate this much needed group.