Even before my twins were officially diagnosed as being on the spectrum, I knew I wanted to start a support group in my county, simply because there wasn't anything here - no support, no services, barely any knowledge that this group of disorders existed.
The boys were doing Help Me Grow, at home early intervention services, from the time they were about 18 months old, but I'd known since they were six months old that something was off, and I deeply suspected autism. It was still a blow to learn that was indeed what was going on with my precious, beautiful boys.
Their diagnosis solidified my need to begin a support group. Living in a rural area, there aren't many services, though there have been a few attempts at support groups that have petered out over the years.
I mentioned this to a friend whose son had recently been diagnosed, as well. She talked to another friend, who is working on diagnosis for her son. They had already been talking about this, as well.
And so we began, researching how to start, what to do, finding a space. It took us a little while to get started, it was bad timing, trying to start right before the string of holidays at the end of the year, so we decided to start fresh in January.
We met a few times, just the three of us, to go over things. We held our first meeting in March, with no one else in attendance. We'd forgotten to advertise the meeting! I worked at a newspaper, for crying out loud. So I wrote something for our BCMH (Bureau of Children's Medical Handicaps) April newsletter about mothering twins on the spectrum, as well as a press release for the local news outlets for Autism Awareness Month. We got two new moms in April, so it was something, at least.
It feels like such slow work, but now that I'm not working full-time it's easier to do the publicity. We had a record number in attendance at August's meeting (9) and I'm looking forward to September's meeting, because we're having our first speakers, and I'm excited to learn how to use essential oils to help my kids.
Tonight, while the twins and I were out walking, I got a phone call. The neighbor took over walking the twins so that I could take it. It was a dad, wanting to know more about the group, because he has a "special, awesome daughter", and he already uses essential oils, but he's been looking for a support group in our area for some time. It's parents like this that I want to reach out to, because I know what it's like to feel like you're utterly alone in this.
I explained our desire to take ASD in the Darke from a community autism support group to a non-profit organization, bringing in services to our area so that families don't have to drive hours to get the therapies and services they need, the care they deserve. That's not something that's going to happen immediately, obviously, but it's a long-term goal that we have agreed is needed in our area.
We also don't limit the group to just parents of ASD'ers, everyone is welcome, whether they're directly connected to the community or not, because how can we hope to spread awareness and gain acceptance if we, ourselves, cannot let everyone in?
So all this is to say that I'm so excited about the future of this effort, I'm thrilled to be making a difference already, in such a short time, and I can't wait to see where this goes, and how it helps my family, and other families in our area.
If you're from Darke County, or surrounding areas, we'd love to have you! We meet the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Greenville Public Library, 520 Sycamore St., Greenville, Ohio, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the third floor community room. If you need more information, visit facebook.com/asdindarke, email asdinthedarke@gmail.com or check out asdinthedarke.blogspot.com (We haven't actually started updating that blog yet, but we'll get there, I promise!).
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