Do you go to a support group?

[blessed.mommy]

I'm curious...Do you attend a support group for parents of special needs children?

There is one here for parent's of Autistic children, we're thinking about going. I need to find resources for not only our 3 year old, but us too. We are in desperate need of a reliable babysitter who knows how to care for Autistic children. We've gone out less than a handful of times in the past 3 years and are due for a date! It would also be really nice to make friends with some people who's child(ren) are like our son. 

[BeautyforAshes]

We live in a small town, so there aren't as many resources here as in larger areas.  I found out about a local group through our pediatrician, and when I finally felt I was able to talk about my daughter's condition without crying (it took a while), I decided to go.  Unfortunately, the "group" just turned out to be comprised of the leaders of the group, and then perhaps 2 other families (including us) who would show up to meetings.  Eventually I found out that the group had been much larger, but had been dwindling due to conflict with the leaders of the group.  We tried it for a while, but I didn't really find it worthwhile, so we quit.  There is another group about 1 hr 45 min away which sounds great, but I can't really see driving that far for meetings right now.  I would definitely encourage you to at least try it out to see if it works for you.

[The artist]

I've meet another mom who's DS, though a few years older, has the same diagnosis. It's been terrific to be able to watch how someone else deals with AS issues, and to share stories! Even if you don't have support groups per say, I highly recommend seeking out other parents to bounce ideas off of! (Just like we've all come to this forum to share and find answers). Not to mention it's been a very long time since we've had a playdate with someone who "gets it" and I don't have to explain, apologize, leave early, or have to listen to the mother of the typical kid say "Oh, well I think you just need to ....". (Which is infuriating BTW)!!!

[~cassie]

There is nothing in the way of support groups here unless you have a child with autism. Just not a big enough area. I wish there was something but there is only 2 children total that have implants. We do talk to the other parent when speech overlaps but it is rare.

[Eyelet]

Yes, DH and I attend a monthly support group through ASA. 

If there's a group near you, I can't recommend it enough. I feel it's extremely important to connect with other parents going through the same things and it's been an invaluable pool of resources. 

If there isn't a group near you, the second best is to join an online one... yahoo has a ton of autism support groups (many are even centered around specific geographic areas) that I've also found very helpful.

[Rik-E]

I wish!   My son does not have an official diagnoses yet so we don't 'qualify' for any resources or support groups locally.

[GAMZu]

We have a group that meets every month or two. There are three consecutive meetings (three nights one after another) of meetings for Autistic spectrum, Down syndrome and multiple disabilities. I go to the multiple disabilities one. My daughter doesn't have a diagnosis, same as several other families there.

It's nice, but I don't *absolutely love* it. There are louder members that don't really let the quieter members talk. The mentality there is that you should send the kid away to camp, a respite program for the weekend, etc. One mother there doesn't feel like leaving her daughter to strangers all the time. Her 5 year old gets physically ill if she is separated from her mother. The other mothers all tell her that it's so important to take a break... she really should send her out. And I feel bad, so I try to support her. I think she is totally correct about that. But every time I pipe up, the loud members are louder than me and no one hears. So it's mixed for me. I do gain strength from the meetings and glean info... enjoy a night out. I'd say you should try to go, and if it turns out not so well, you don't have to commit.