AUTASTICS members range in age from 18 to over 70 years old and have conditions including autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Non Verbal learning Disorder and related conditions. AUTASTICS meets 7 or 8 months of the year in a large room generously lent for off-hours use by the Seton Medical Center in Daly City south of San Francisco. Natural light and a sweeping view to the North enter through windows along one wall of the room as members gather around a big table holding refreshments. There are no fees to participate in meetings, though donations to cover expenses are welcome. Every third month or so, the group meets in the San Jose's Municipal Rose Garden in the heart of Silicon Valley fifty miles south of San Francisco.

Attendance at AUTASTICS meetings varies greatly from month to month. Usually the number of participants is between 5 and 20. In Adam's words, the group "tends to be very mutually respectful, non-judgmental, tolerant and accommodating." Participants socialize, talk about challenges and successes in daily life, and generally enjoy the refreshing experience of being with others on the autism spectrum. Two recurring topics of conversation are strategies to find jobs and suitable housing.

One AUTASTICS participant had this to say about the group: "AUTASTICS was a real life-saver for me. In the early nineties, I knew I was on the autism spectrum and craved social contact with other autistic people. However, I didn't have the skills to start such a group myself. I am grateful to Adam for creating such a wonderful place for autistic people to be themselves, to enjoy activities together, and to learn from each other. The AUTASTICS changed my life."

Over the years the AUTASTICS have engaged in many different activities outside the meeting room. Hikes and other outings have been a regular feature, as well as many retreats specially designed for autistic adults. One AUTASTICS member said, "I especially liked the hikes I did with AUTASTICS. With my extreme sensory sensitivities, I found both the quiet of nature and the social presence of others like me on the hikes helped me to see at last that I was not alone."

The AUTASTICS was also instrumental in the creation of AASCEND (see accompanying article), a San Francisco group that is now one of America's oldest nonprofits specifically dedicated to the needs of adults on the autism spectrum. Adam reports that he is particularly happy about the 20 retreats he has organized in various venues in Northern and Southern California, often bringing together autism support groups from across the State. Adam has received the Temple Grandin Award for his pioneering work supporting autistic adults.

For more information and a calendar of events go to AUTASTICS

High in the Sierra Nevada near the Desolation Wilderness, a small group gathers at a mountain cabin over a waterfall, to do nothing. It is another Autsit meditation retreat for adults on the autism spectrum.

 

Many autistic people experience great sensory overload in the course of everyday life. The tick of a clock, the rumble of a television, a neighbor's perfume, the flash and glare of headlights - these and many other sensations can enter the autistic world as pain. In the words of one Autsit participant, "Overstimulation is a huge issue for people on the spectrum, and when you couple that with the daily grind and chaos of the world, you can have a very overwhelming situation. Autsit helps to balance that out."

The Autsit retreats were started in 2011 to bring basic tools of meditation to autism. Meditation, in one of its simpler forms, is just the practice of sitting quietly but attentively, doing nothing in particular. This gives jangled autistic sensations a chance to settle down. The silence at the cabin, filled only with the sound of the waterfall and an occasional bird or the wind, is also free of social stress. Seated side-by-side, participants wordlessly support each other as members of a human circle in a wilderness. In the words of an old song, "Here is what is good, to sit down together with friends."

A typical day at Autsit begins in the cool dawn with several periods of seated meditation alternating with short periods of slow walking meditation. Silence is observed until noon. The range of experience among Autsitters is wide, extending all the way from beginners to people with decades of regular sitting experience. No particular dogma or religion guides the retreat, and no prior experience is necessary. If it's silent and still it's welcome.

 

After sitting, it's time for breakfast! Cooking and meals are an important part of Autsit, not least because preparing meals quietly, as one or two do while others meditate, is a mindfulness practice in itself. One participant commented, "the cooking is an important part of the Autsit retreat because it's a whole communal thing and also we all need food," adding "at Autsit I feel we are more open to cook mindfully and to make good food."

 

The middle of the day is free and, single or together, participants head to a nearby lake for a swim, into the wilderness, onto the nearby cliff ledges for meditation over the waterfall, or off to other activities. During the course of the retreat, each participant is encouraged to give, if they wish, a talk on a spiritual matter that interests them. At Autsit everyone is both a student and a teacher.

 

After dinner and dishes, there is more meditation, followed by tea, s'mores and conversation by the fire or reading - and finally to bed. The last day of the retreat is a day of housecleaning, and the cabin is left shining.

 

The words of the participants (here lightly edited for length) express the Autsit experience best:

 

I think meditation is kind of an autistic thing. How I see it is meditation is a form of being with other people that's autistic. I really like how we did it this year with all the structure but also having time in between to get outdoors.

 

I come to Autsit to be with my fellow Aspie friends, to enrich my spiritual life, and to give away, to share of myself. The discipline of meditation helps to balance the chaotic thoughts and anxiety, like a wild horse being bridled. The wilderness is also a very balancing environment. All the chaos of the world is absent there.

 

I come to Autsit to get the courage to go beyond my limits of what I'm dealing with spiritually. It brings me closer to myself. I'm learning a lot about myself! My mind stops me from doing so much ... forgiving people or forgiving things that happened a long time ago.

 

Meditation helps our daily interactions with other people to be better, to be nicer, kinder.

Straight sitting is very difficult for people who do not sit that much, but the challenge opens everybody up, and whatever else we do together during the retreat is helped by the time we spend on our meditation cushions.

 

I'm really grateful we have this great space for Autsit. It's such a beautiful environment - you can't beat that!

 

Learn more at Autsit