WING’s First Months
It has been both slow and exciting in the first months of WING. As we have been working to build the webpage, host some events, and form connection and community we have also been honoring our own needs, energy levels, and ensuring we practice what we preach when it comes to trusting ourselves and accommodations. Sometimes I worry that emails are not responded to quickly enough or plans are taking a long time to implement, but then I remind myself that it’s okay and things will happen as they should.
We do want to share what we have done so far, from book clubs to webinars to participating in some exciting events with our community.
Parent Book Club - We just finished up our second round of WING’s book club for parents of neurodivergent young people! We’ve read Low Demand Parenting by Amanda Diekman and Can’t Not Won’t by Eliza Fricker. This group is focused on providing parents with a supportive environment to learn more about neurodiversity-affirming parenting and share our experiences. A new round of book club will launch in Fall 2024, so keep an eye out for the flyer!
Middle School Book Club - WING launched a book club for Autistic middle schoolers! We supported an Autistic high school student in bringing this book club to fruition, and read Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess. This has been a space for young Autistic folks to process and navigate their own life experiences while forming their own ideas and opinions on how the characters in the book move through the world.
DC Peers Neurodiversity Roundtable - Jennifer Glacel, our President and co-founder, participated in a Neurodiversity Roundtable hosted by DC Peers, on the topic of Social Supports. Her words of wisdom, that the job of a parent is “to be a soft place to land” made an impact on attendees.
X-Minds Autism and Bullying Panel Discussion - Jennifer Glacel moderated a discussion of Autistic adults sharing their experiences with bullying in order to help Autistic young people and their parents and caregivers deal with this difficult experience.
Autism 101 Webinars - Last November and December, we held two “Autism 101 - Holiday Edition” webinars to help family members understand Autism and provide real-world tips and strategies to help them support their Autistic loved ones during the holidays. We held another well-attended Autism 101 webinar on Sunday, June 9. Our focus is on helping those who have learned that they or someone they love is Autistic to understand what Autism really is and to dispel harmful myths. We will be hosting Autism 101 events on a quarterly basis so stay tuned for future dates!
We are planning for Fall 2024 events and want to hear what would be helpful for the community. Let us know what you would like to see us host or if you would like to host an event with our support by filling out this form!
Happy Summer!
