ND Women Atlanta

Welcome to the ND Women Atlanta Meetup, a group for women with late ASD diagnosis as an adult or combo AuDHD or CPTSD. If you are looking to connect with other ND women to explore our shared experience or make new friends, drop by and say hi! The group leader noticed a need in the community for support to women who are late diagnosed, who have spent their whole lives wondering why they were different, sought help that didn't satisfy, and only recently are suspecting or discovering the real reason why. This is a safe and supportive space for us to come together, make new friends, and engage in activities that bring us joy.

(Scroll down to Q&A below for more info).

Let's learn from each other, and create authentic connections in a relaxed and inclusive environment. The group is run by only one person, a non-medical-professional, and is open to people with a variety of beliefs and preferences. Come join us!

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Other ND Conditions:
If you want a group catered to women diagnosed as children, or with types of ND, ASD, or conditions that require more support, I think you should either contact me so you can help expand the group and you can help lead new events, or you can do like I did and create a group yourself! Being a group organizer takes work but it's also rewarding!

Q&A

QUESTION:
Why is the group described for CPTSD, ADHD, and late-diagnosis ASD instead of all levels (1,2,3) or diagnosis as a child?

ANSWER:
The short answer is that is because the group leader is more knowledgeable of those conditions and has the resources to address them. More details below.

1. THE OVERVIEW...
We wish for everyone to feel accepted! However, the reality of meeting in an unpredictable environment like a public restaurant with only one group leader with limited experience and bandwidth means that everyone needs to judge for themselves whether they will enjoy the event, connect with the other members, and have enough support (or skills?) to attend. The group leader noticed a need in the community - support to women who are late diagnosed ASD, ADHD, AuDHD, or CPTSD, who have spent their whole lives wondering why they were different, sought help that didn't satisfy. They are only recently suspecting or discovering the reason why and the treatment available.

2. THE ALGORITHM...
The Meetup app is designed to bring people together who share something in common. Too much difference among event attendees works against the existence of the group. For example, if attendees at an event don't relate to the other attendees, then they may either give a lower star rating, won't attend, won't return, or simply drop out of the group. Meetup.com's algorithm will analyze this data, and digitally bury the group so that the events won't be shown to anyone at all online. Less people attend and so the organizer eventually closes the group. So the attendee behavior actually sustains the group. You have to decide for yourself if you want to attend and will enjoy the group. And despite these efforts at a niche group - To show as an example that people are weird no matter what you do: I run another unrelated group. I had a member who attended 5 or 10 times over an 18 month period and gave a 3star rating each time - but he kept coming back for more!! He's the only one out of over 50 members who gave a rating lower than 4.5. So despite best efforts there is always variety of human responses.

3. RESOURCES & SUPPORT...
Other groups provide support for people with ND who require higher support or care, and they may have more resources to provide it. Resources or characteristics that other groups have that this group does not currently have:
- meeting online only - or in a private meeting room where the sound, light, and activity is controlled for sensory purposes
- organizers and hosts experienced with ND of different levels, symptoms, and care
- organizers who are medical professionals or counselors
- organizers and hosts with 10+ years of experience running Meetup or community groups
- multiple group organizers to share the responsibilities of managing the group itself
- multiple event hosts to share management of each event
- organizers with more time and bandwidth to commit to the group
- charging a larger fee that more than covers the Meetup fees, which are $350+ per year, so they may compensate the hosts and speakers, or have more funds to provide incentives to offer more support
- may have a timer to limit how long each person speaks
- may have a larger community with more consistent membership that can pool resources

Note: The "ASD levels 1-2-3" designation is apparently inaccurate and controversial although widely recognized and part of the DSM-5. The terms low/high support needs and high-functioning is similar in that they are still used but not fully accepted by the ND community although they help the NT community begin to wrap their brain around conditions they don't see everyday. ND people have different abilities and capabilities to function in our (capitalist, male-dominated, western, digital, high-income/developed, industrialized, etc) society and so language is used to describe so that needs of ND people and the NT people around them are both met, which is required on both accounts.