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Group activities for my 7 year old

NAS93950
4 months ago

Hi everyone,

My son who is nearly 7 years old has very bad social anxiety. He doesn't have any friends at school. He has one friend who he has known since birth, but she lives half an hour drive away and goes to a different school. We try to meet up when we can, but it's only once a month.

He finds loud, busy places stressful. There is one local museum which he likes and we spend a lot of time there.

I have tried after school clubs and Beavers but he doesn't like them, or want to go. He finds organised activities (like gymnastics or swimming classes) very stressful. 

At home he sticks to me like glue. He rarely plays independently from me and so we spend all our time together. I need a break! He is very emotional at the moment and his moods are up and down. I don't know why. He asks me to play with him and then shrieks at me when I get it wrong. 

Has anyone managed to find an activity that their socially anxious child has attended and enjoyed? Some days we don't leave the house. I am also starting to feel very isolated. I would love to meet other parents and chat whilst our children did an activity, and have a bit of time off. 

Our son is also an only child, which I don't think is helping. 

Thanks for your help

Parents
  • 4 months ago

    Dear NAS93950,

    We are sorry to hear that you are starting to feel isolated. You may be interested in contacting a local National Autistic Society branch. Our branches offer support to local autistic people and their families. If you interesting in checking if there is a local branch near to you, please follow the link below: 

    https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/local-branches 

    Our branches are volunteer-led, and as such every branch and group is different. Some are parent support groups, some provide support and information to autistic adults, while others have office premises and run their own a drop-in service. You will need to check with a branch directly for more information on whether they are able to provide a particular service that you are interested in. 

    Kind Regards,

    Rosie Mod

Reply
  • 4 months ago

    Dear NAS93950,

    We are sorry to hear that you are starting to feel isolated. You may be interested in contacting a local National Autistic Society branch. Our branches offer support to local autistic people and their families. If you interesting in checking if there is a local branch near to you, please follow the link below: 

    https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/local-branches 

    Our branches are volunteer-led, and as such every branch and group is different. Some are parent support groups, some provide support and information to autistic adults, while others have office premises and run their own a drop-in service. You will need to check with a branch directly for more information on whether they are able to provide a particular service that you are interested in. 

    Kind Regards,

    Rosie Mod

Children
  • 4 months ago in reply to Rosie Mod

    Hi, thanks for the info. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any branches near us, but with a bit of searching around I have managed to find a fairly local youth group for neuro diverse kids and their parents so we are going to try this at the weekend.