Group Sponsor:
The AUsome Social Group is sponsored by the Autism Society of Greater Madison (ASGM). It is highly recommended that you at least subscribe to the ASGM newsletter (subscription cost is only $5) if you are not a chapter member. Call (608) 213-8519 or e-mail autismmadison@gmail.com . Sometimes the ASGM newsletter contains information pertinent to our group. If you do join the local chapter ($55 for family membership), this automatically gives you the chapter newsletter plus membership in both the state and national Autistic Societies so you will get all those mailings as well. (However, it does not work the other way. If you join just the national Autistic Society, you will not get state and local mailings. This is confusing for a lot of people because everyone gets renewal notices from all three groups. I find it most convenient to join at the local level. Then you can ignore all the other renewal notices.)
Group Purpose:
The AUsome group was organized to provide recreation and social opportunities for young people ages 12 and above who are challenged by sensory/communication disorders such as Autism/Asperger’s/PDD/Tourette’s. However, anyone is welcome to join the activities. I try to set up activities that allow for social interaction between group members and between parents and siblings of the group.
The AUsome Newsletter:
The AUsome Group has a separate newsletter that is sent out every other month, containing details for the next 2 outings. The AUsome newsletter will be sent out at least a week in advance of the next outing. Some things may be planned with short notice if something interesting comes up. If you have an e-mail address, let Nancy Alar know. It would save time and postage if notification could be sent electronically. Nancy will maintain a mailing list of participants, but sometimes notification may be made by phone or along with the ASGM chapter monthly newsletter.
General Activity Plans:
The general plan is to have an activity about once a month that will last from 2 to 4 hours. The target day will be the first Saturday of the month. However, this is subject to schedule conflicts and availability of interesting activities. Activities that we have done include bowling, miniature golf, gymnastics, movies, a talent show, art gallery visit, Discovery Zone, Little Amerika (a local amusement park), swimming, horse back riding, Go Cart driving, farm market, airplane rides, pottery making and a limousine ride. Every November we have “video game night”, each January we attend the 47 th annual Madfest Juggling show and in June we usually reserve the Monona pool for a private swimming party. If you are especially interested in a particular activity or have other suggestions, please let me know.
Logistics:
Some individuals may need to arrange for a support person to accompany them. Please use your best judgment in this area. Transportation will be the responsibility of each individual. However, effort will be made to provide help with transportation by designating central meeting points, etc. Please call me, Nancy Alar, (608) 222-4378 or e-mail me at Ausome@hughes.net if you have transportation problems, and I’ll try to help work out a way for you to get there.
Since these activities are loosely organized social outings, each person participates at their own risk.
Sensory Issues:
Every effort will be made to accommodate sensory issues by limiting cigarette smoke, strong odors, unusual lighting, large crowds and high noise levels where possible. If an activity might involve some of the sensory problems mentioned above, they will be described in the AUsome newsletter. It will not be possible to accommodate everyone’s needs all the time so individuals must decide their tolerance levels for each activity. Please let me know if you have any special requests in this area.
Being Aware of Sensory issues of Group Members
Many AUsome group members have problems with various sensory issues. For example, Matt Ward has a big problem with vacuum cleaner sounds and Jim Mooney has a big problem when he has to listen to other people chewing gum. Other AUsome members may have similar problems with sounds, smells, light patterns, vibrations, etc.
For people on the autism spectrum, problems like this are much more than minor annoyances. Encountering these sensory problems can cause meltdowns and/or an overwhelming need to escape. These are real, physical problems. These are NOT just someone grumbling or being annoying. We all need to be willing to accommodate reasonable requests to help others in the group with their unique sensory issues.
If any group members have sensory problems that they have encountered (or might encounter) during our AUsome activities, please let me know. I will try hard to minimize the problem or at least warn you about when it might occur. Jim Mooney has asked me to remind everyone about his problem with gum chewing. Please enjoy your chewing gum some other time if Jim is present.
There has been at least one occasion when a group member had a compulsive need to make noises that caused a sensory problem for someone else in the group. I recognize that this is an especially tough situation, and I REALLY want to try to accommodate both group members if at all possible. If something like this is happening to you, let me know and I'll try to work out a solution so all can participate.