Echidnas is a social skills group for teenagers and young adults with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism. We began in 2001 with the desire to connect with families with similar challenges and to solve the problem of “I just want a friend for my son.” Or daughter.
The original goal was for teens to meet periodically to work on specific social skills and then practice them in various settings. Eventually, as Echidnas grew, a young adult group was created to work on those social skills specific to post high-school kids. Moderators were hired to work with the groups to allow freedom of expression – no parents to interfere.
Currently we meet every two weeks in Richardson, TX. The Teen Group and The Young Adult Group meet separately, and the parents of each group meet at the same time to organize events and to support each other.