Recommended Support Groups
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Hudson Area Autism Support Group
. We know this one meets and has a really great network of people, but we do not know where! Can you help us find it?
- Autism Spectrum Disorder family support group. They meet the third Tuesday of each month at a church, Cross of Christ, in Coon Rapids.9931 Foley Blvd. This group meets online also. It is a Yahoo site and many of the members are more active on the site than with the actual group meetings. The contact person is Jenny Johnson 763-843-4465. Adults only Please.
- Family To Family Connections. This is a parent run networking group for parents of special need children. It is not specific to Autism. Meetings are held from 6-8pm. They provide a meal and children are welcome. If your child needs one on one care you are encouraged to bring them with suppport. Fridley Community Center, 6085 7th street NE. Contact Lisa Kimlinger at: 763-572-9703
- Family to Family. A group for special needs families,not Autism specific. They meet the fourth Tuesday of each month. Coon Rapids Evangelical Free Church, 2650 128th Avenue N.W.6-8 PM. Children are welcome and a meal is provided. If your child needs one on one care you are asked to provide the support.
- Family to Family. A group for special needs families. Meets every third Tuesday of the month at the White Bear Lake Library. 6:30 This is a newly formed group as of January of 2008.
- RDI Parent support Group. If you are currently working with an RDI© Program Certified Consultant, you are welcome to attend! This group meets the second Monday of the month. Parents determine the pace, topics and treats.(This is not a Crossroads specific group.)
- Spring Lake Park Area Support Group. This group is Autism specific. The location and day have just changed. The new Sping Lake Park District Center. It is on the 3rd or 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30. Help us update this group.
- Minnesota Autism Society. There are several supports listed on this site. Check them out!
- ARC Greater Twin Cities funds and creates support groups and e-support groups. They have an excellent line up of sib- shops. One of the unique aspects of an ARC group is that they provide a meal. They also have child care. If your child needs one on one care they ask that you provide that.
A comment on Support for your family.
At CrossRoads, we have had the pleasure of running a few support groups. We have learned one very important lesson again and again: It is crucial for families with Autistic children, and any other disability or intense lifestyle, to find a peer group and hash it out.
You need to understand the odds stacked against your marriages and life expectancy. Current research finds families with special needs children with a divorce rate of 93%. That means YOU. As a couple you need to expect the worst and PREVENT it. Find a peer group. Find a therapist specifically wired up for people just like you.
Go to church, the Mosque, your Rabbi, a monk, the chiropracter, or jazzercise. Most certainly walk, run, hop, swim, bike, hike, climb, roll, or ski. If you can, do it without your children. Every chance you get.
Do things for yourself as an adult: garden, paint, fish, drag-race, travel, learn Spanish (you and your loved one can have secret conversations, also their swear words sound pretty), camp or sky dive. FIGHT FOR YOUR OWN LIFE.
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