• Replies 4 replies
  • Subscribers 65 subscribers
  • Views 849 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

"friends"

Emu1973

Hello All

My 5 year old son has AS and I am home schooling him - his siblings (who are old enough) go to mainstream schools. He is doing well. The one and only thing he would like is a "friend". Now I know that a friend to a child with AS is different to say my 3 year old NT child who has loads of friends. But he can be social and i think regular contact with another child similar to him would really be good for him - any ideas at all as to how to meet other family's with AS kids?

Thanks!

Emma 

  • Hi Emu1973 - just another thought.  We've got a few Autism specific groups in our area and one of them has a youth group on a Saturday afternoon.  You might find something like that near you.  Hope you find something that suits.

    GG :-)

  • Thanks Gingergnome - we are talking about a football club on a saturday morning and i think he'd enjoy that - I think I am going to go and watch a few different ones and see if we can find one that'll suit him.  I know that most children can be very loving and kind and I agree with you - its great to see that :-) a friend told me about her son's friend who obviously is on the spectrum and their group all make allowences, kindly correct his inapporapriate comments or actions with explainations and totally accept him for who he is - she was a very proud mum, and rightly so :-)

    Thanks Dunk - no i didnt have any preconceptions about anyones answers, thats why i asked.  I'm interested in different points of view. The reasons I am particularly thinking a regular meet up with another AS child as boys his age, and some girls, totally "fry" his brain and he gets cross and upset around them, very quickly - Now thats not true about all children, or even about him every time  - just i feel that to go looking for someone he can relate to would be good for him. thats all. doesnt matter if that child has AS or not TBH. And I'd also love to meet up with another mum in my situation for mutual support.

    Your boys first teacher sounds fab, I hope things have continued as well through school. 

  • I'm not sure I would go "looking" for an AS friend in particular. I would go for the widest spectrum of folks you can and try to avoid any preconceptions. "As" children often enjoy the company of adults who they feel comfortable and "equal" to. That could be a really special friend. True they need some piers but do they need to be friends or aquaintances.

    We were lucky with our lad in that when he started school there was a small group of kids that all struggled in some way. The teachers formed an informal social club around the group and encouraged them to support each other (as did the rest of the class). The guys he clicked with wern't the people with similar problems but someone he was friends with and could laugh with. During those years his teacher was one of his best friends and it was a real two way friendship.

    I'm sure thats not what you wanted to hear but friendship with AS is about being with people you are comfortable with and having some form of mutual understanding. 

    Dunk

  • My boys go to swimming lessons and have met other children with AS there.  Both boys also go to Boys' Brigade ... it's worked well as the leaders have experience with children with autism and have worked hard with my boys.  They've both got "NT" friends there and it's lovely watching how patient and kind other children are with them.

    I don't know if that helps but just a couple of suggestions :-)  It's hard knowing what's best sometimes.