Adult Autism Group: Starting November 21st 2024 (new start date)

Do you show traits of autism (ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder) in your daily life? Do you experience challenges with neurodiversity in your everyday life?

Join us for a supportive, 4-session group designed specifically for adults looking to learn more about autism and what it means to live as a neurodiverse individual. In this group, we’ll cover the basics of autism as a spectrum disorder, explore the unique ways ASD may shape everyday experiences, and discuss strategies to embrace and thrive within your neurodiverse reality. Together, we’ll dive into topics like self-understanding, navigating social and sensory challenges, and building routines that support your strengths. This group offers a safe space to connect, share insights, and gain practical tools to better understand and celebrate your neurodivergent identity.

Group Outline:

Session 1. Welcome to the Group: What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
– Psychoeducation on the presentation, common symptoms, unique symptoms, and common challenges resulting from the symptoms.
– DSM-5 criteria
– Comorbid conditions
– Psychoeducation on the term spectrum disorder: Different degrees of functioning within different individuals
– Group discussion on unique presentations and challenges

Session 2. Spectrum Disorder
– Digging deeper in the different presentation and functioning withing different individuals.
– Sensory issues.
– Impostor syndrome
– Internalized Ableism
– Road to diagnosis / Story of my diagnosis: Letting go of the past, Acceptance of one’s own different ways of performing and functioning.
– Talk about masking.
– Discussion on accommodations and coping.

Session 3. Autism in Everyday Life
– Awareness and Acceptance: Becoming aware of one’s unique neurodiverse traits in different areas of life. Learning to accept one’s neurodiverse reality.
– Moving away from negative self-narrative (e.g., defective, wrong) toward positive, more merciful narrative (e.g., different).
– Solution-focused techniques in group: “Reconfiguring character traits”
– Recap of masking and discussion on individual masking.
– Road towards unmasking. Increasing the window of tolerance to consider unmasking in certain areas.

Session 4. Autism/Neurodiverse Friendly Reality
– Moving from something that does not work for me toward my own, unique, functional reality.
– Discussion on awareness and acceptance.
– Strategies to recognize social/emotional battery reserve.
– Discussion on stress management and stress recovery.
– Letting go of dysfunctional patterns.
– Learning to honour one’s sensory sensitivities and protect their energy.
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The facilitators for the Adult Autism group are Adja Nixon and Nera Paraman. 

Adja is the lead facilitator and curriculum designer for this group. She is a recent master’s graduate of Counselling Psychology (MACP) at Yorkville University in Canada and a Solution Focused neuropsychiatric coach. She completed an internship at Compass Psychology in 2023, and now works as a therapist through her company Thrive Therapy. You can read more about Adja here.