Published on 12, July, 2020
My son was diagnosed at 4 he is now 7 and I'm now feeling the struggle. I'm feeling a little down and sad I'd love to get him in to after school and weekend clubs but so worried after my last experience with a narrow minded man. I understand his behaviour and how he acts but I feel others won't and will just judge him as being naughty. What type of activitys would be best its very limited where we live. He does Lego therapy at school and loves it but can't find anything similar to that anywhere x
That is one thing I seriously regret not doing, is joining the air cadets, would have been great for me.
I would try and discus with your son whats available and what he would like to do and get interested in. A lot will depend on the organiser, and the only way is to try it and see.
If you hit problems again, maybe you could discuss things with the organiser and see if he/she can understand and adapt there ways. Also worth discussing with your son what behaviour might be causing the issues, what behaviour is expected. Not to put any pressure on changing his behavior, or put any emphasis that his behaviour is wrong but to expand his understanding of his differences, which given time, will help him cope a bit better with difficult situations.
Random
How about the local cadets ( air, army or sea). I used to be a cadet leader and its really good for autistic kids as it has a routine that is followed every single meeting. There is also great opportunities to mix in controled environments and learn things in small classes.
the plus side is its cheap, provides structured activities and expands horizons. Its easy to know what is expected of you and progress up the ranks. There is no obligation to join the forces at the end and you can go from really young up to 18 2+ nights a week. You need to find out if the local unit has a juniors section to join.
I didnt go until i was an adult but i wish i had done this as a kid.