by Tom Allwein
Autism Acceptance Month is here again. I have changed it from awareness to acceptance since, by now, most people are aware of autism, and I believe now what society needs to do is accept it. The concept of “you meet one person with autism, you have met one person with autism,” sums up one of the biggest difficulties with autism.
It’s not a homogeneous group. We are all different. We may all have some kind of social challenges, and many of us have sensory issues, but that isn’t enough for us to form a close group. We have narrow sets of interests that are different from person to person. If we are not good at meeting people and or going to events, it can be hard to find people who share our narrow interest or groups related to them. Our lack of friends doesn’t mean that we’re content to be by ourselves at all times; it means it’s hard to find people we can relate to. One final note, since society isn’t made for people with autism, it can be really hard to find where we fit.
The Adams County Adult Autism Support Group is a small group made up of people with autism and those who support them. I started the meeting back in September of 2014. Until the pandemic, the group was relatively large, at around 20 people.. During the pandemic, I had to close it. When the pandemic wound down, I decided that I wanted to start the group again. I enjoyed running it and felt that the participants also enjoyed it.
Though it took a little time, it reopened in December of 2023. The group, now smaller, has a very distinct format. It starts with “Status,” which allows participants to communicate to the group what is on their mind. This is the “support” part of the group. The group can be an open ear for those who have problems they may want to share. Of course, I like to hear about the successes of those in the group as well.
After “Status,” the group participates in an activity or two. Activities can vary from various games, such as a dice version of Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy-like games, a drawing contest, and various trivia-type games, to theme nights. December is Christmas themed, May is Star Wars night, and I had a St. Patrick’s Day theme for March. The group also had played board games and had gone miniature golfing.
The meeting also includes a snack and drink (typically soda or water). Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month and last approximately one hour. For more information, please contact me at Tom2679@comcast.net.
Seeing a need for a local autism support group, Biglerville resident Tom Allwein was inspired to create one. In September 2014, he started the monthly group. Allwein has autism.