Featured support group: Weekend Adult Support Group

Now on Zoom only. Please see our CALENDAR for more details

Our Weekend Adult support Group is usually scheduled for the third Saturday of each month, located at the NYU in the East Village

Modeled after the 1970’s style Rap Sessions, our support groups are small with no more than 15 people and informal which is meant to be a relaxed comfortable judgment free atmosphere. Most of the support groups are facilitated by AFSS Executive director, Stephen Katz.

Each group lasts two hours and starts with a theme.  In the past, themes have included community, relationships and dating and getting out of a rut. For example, we discussed what it means to be part of a community and what an ideal community would be like. Other examples have included "Breaking the mold," changing things up and keeping it fresh. 

.How do we get out of a rut, do something different and make our lives more full and interesting, developing healthy relationships, friendship, romantic and business. We then let the conversation evolve during the session, allowing members to relate their own personal stories to the group.

We usually go out to eat after each group session, offering additional opportunity to socialize and continue our group discussion.

Featured video: Educating a neurodiverse world by Brian R. C. Kinghorn, M.Phil, TEDx Teachers College, Published on July 23 2014

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. What kind of world would we have if we all realized what kind of mind we had and began appreciating it? What if we did the same for others? In this talk, Brian Kinghorn champions the cause of Neurodiversity, arguing that there is not just one “standard-issue” brain. 

Featured book: Asperger's and the Public Consciousness by Dr. Irma Jacqueline Ozer (Ph.D.J.D.) © 2009

Irmi, who has Asperger's Syndrome, has spent her legal and literary career vindicating the rights of the disabled.  A member of the Aspie community since 2006, She has been active in AFSS since its inception. She is dedicated to the success of our organization.

Please click on the link bellow to read this book for FREE:

Featured other support group: Spectrum Services

 303 5th Avenue #1003, New York, NY 10016, (212) 686-3535, 

 http://www.spectrumservicesnyc.com/

Adult Sibling Group, A Free support group for siblings of individuals with or suspected of having Asperger Syndrome or related conditions.

Family Support Group. A free support group for family members or relationship partners of individuals with or suspected of having Asperger Syndrome or related conditions.

Adult Support Group. A Free support group for individuals with or suspected of having Asperger Syndrome or related conditions.

About our logo

The AFSS logo is a graphic representation of an Infrared image of the Helix Nebula, taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope, 2007 credit NASA JPL and K. Su University of Arizona.

By: Wikipedia

The Helix Nebula, also known as The Helix, NGC 7293, is a large planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae.[5] The estimated distance is about 215 parsecs (700 light-years). It is similar in appearance to the Cat's Eye Nebula and the Ring Nebula, whose size, age, and physical characteristics are similar to the Dumbbell Nebula, varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle.[6] The Helix Nebula has sometimes been referred to as the "Eye of God" in pop culture,[7] as well as the "Eye of Sauron".[8][9]

General information

The Helix Nebula is an example of a planetary nebula, or 'planetary' formed at the end of a star's evolution. Gases from the star in the surrounding space appear, from our vantage point, as if we are looking down a helix structure. The remnant central stellar core, known as a planetary nebula nucleus or PNN, is destined to become a white dwarf star. The observed glow of the central star is so energetic that it causes the previously expelled gases to brightly fluoresce.

The Helix Nebula in the constellation of Aquarius lies about 700 light-years away, spanning about 0.8 parsecs (2.5 light-years). Recent images by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Helix Nebula are a composite of newly released images from the ACS instrument and the wide-angle images from the Mosaic Camera on the WIYN 0.9-metre telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory.

Currently, the age is estimated to be 7004106000000000000♠10600+2300
−1200 years, based solely upon a measured expansion rate of 31 km·s−1.

The connection to AFSS is that people on the spectrum tend to have an intense curiosity for things that are scientific in nature and see our world and beyond to the universe differently  

ALL CULTURAL AND RECREATIONAL EVENTS ARE ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Featured social group: Warm weather picnics

This group usually meets the first Sunday of each month. During the warmer months, We have picnics, located on a terrace that is a public space in my apartment building in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. We ask each member to bring their own lunch as well as something to share

Featured Resource: JCC (Jewish Community Center) Manhattan

334 amsterdam ave at 76th st, new york, ny 10023, 646.505.4444, http://www.jccmanhattan.org/special-needs/adult-programs/adaptations/

ADAPTATIONS

Adaptations is a community of adults in their 20s and 30s with developmental and/or learning disabilities and a high level of independence. We are a place for individuals of all backgrounds to socialize, learn, grow, and deepen their connections to one another and the community. Through our programs and partnerships, Adaptations provides multiple pathways to fostering independence, expressing creativity, and experiencing the richness of community.

CONNECTIONS

Connections is a social and recreational community of individuals in their 20s with intellectual, developmental, and/or physical disabilities. Through social, cultural, and educational opportunities at JCC Manhattan and offsite, Connections fosters independence while encouraging participants to make and deepen friendships with one another. Individuals in Connections have the ability to be travel trained between the JCC and home and utilize the program as a complement to their vocational and volunteer experiences.

40+

An exciting experience for adults in their 40s, 50s, and 60s with learning or developmental disabilities, the 40+ meet-up group provides a variety of social experiences including dining out, dating tips, cooking, trips, and more. Together we create an environment which offers support, resources, and the richness of community.