Autistic Social Life
Finding, making and keeping friends is often a difficult task for Autistic people. It is made all the harder by a lack of public understanding and the existence of stigma. We at the London Autism Group Charity want that to change. We will be embarking on several projects to help educate the public and professionals alike, in shedding the negative stereotypes about Autism and helping others to see it as just another difference in a very diverse world.
Thanks to the power of social media, autistic voices are able to directly influence and enter the public consciousness. In contradiction to the thinking of the past, that viewed autistic people as embracing solitude, there is now copious evidence that most Autistic people desire friends. They may however lack the tools and support to make this happen. London Autism Group Charity recognises that friendship is an important ingredient in advancing a healthy lifestyle and good mental health. To that end, we seek to create ways to make this dream a reality, and to help make isolation and loneliness a thing of the past.
Social Scene
You can use our interactive Map of London Autism Services to find Social Groups near you and across the city. There is also a section that highlights activities, hobbies and places that may be of special interest.
There are groups for young people and adults. Some focus on doing shared activities together, while others have more face to face socialising.
Adult Social Groups may be run by organisations or by Autistic people themselves. There are several of the latter type that are meetup groups. There are discussion groups, special interest groups and groups that meet informally in pubs.
Below is a list of Social Groups. You can find more details and links to their online contact details on our Map of London Autism Services.
Social Groups at Youth Clubs
Autistic Inclusive Meets(AIM) Autistic Community Group for Adults, children and carers
Barking/Dagenham -Ab Phab Youth Club
Barnet Unitas, Youth Zone
Berkshire Youth Phab Club
Billericay Essex, Brighter Opportunities through Supported Play
Brent Resources for Autism Saturday Club
Bromley- CASPA Bromley and Downham Youth Club
Bromley- CASPA Duke Youth Centre
Bromley -CASPA Orpington
Bromley & Downham Buzz Phab Club
Chalfont St Peter Youth Centre
Croydon- Knots Arts Youth Club
Enfield Advisory Service for Autism
Epsom and Ewell Phab youth club
Challengers -Guildford Playscheme
Hammersmith -Action on Disability
Haringey -Markfield Project and Parent Partnership Scheme
High Wycombe The Spectrum Club East Side Youth Centre, The Highcrest Academy
Hounslow Phab club Hounslow Youth Centre
Islington -The Zone Youth Project
Medway Autism Group and Information Centre (MAGIC)
Muswell Hill Youth Project social club
Newham Resources for Autism Shipman Youth Centre Saturday Club
Oxted Surrey Aspergers Social Group for over 18´s
Richmond- Knots Arts Youth Club
Southwark -Salmon Youth Centre
Surrey NAS Autism Resource Centre
Sutton- Knots Arts Girls Group
Tower Hamlets -NAS Inclusion Service
Westminster -Caxton Youth Organisation
Westminster Society For People With Learning Disabilities
Sport -Enfield NAS Youth Club
Sports- High Wycomb Horizon Sports Club
Sport -Laburnum Boat Club/ Swimming
Sport - Wandsworth Youth Centre. Community Club.
Table Tennis -Croydon Phab youth club Eldon
Martial Arts -Haringey Bruce Grove Youth Centre
Dance/Arts- Southwark Brockwell Lido Whippersnappers
Dance/Drama -Southwark Dulwich Whippersnappers
Social Groups for Autistic Adults
Asperger London Area Group -ALAG
Autistic Inclusive Meets(AIM) Autistic Community Group for Adults, children and carers
Informal Meetups for Autistic Adults
London Adults with mild Autism Spectrum Disorder Meetup Group
London Adult ADHD Support Group
Neurodivergent Professional Group
SEE Autistic Women: London & South East England Support and Social Group
Barnet -Aspergers Social Group Mencap
Bexley -Bridging the Gap South East
Bexley- Choice Support Advice and Adult Autistic Social Club
Brent- Asian People's Disability Alliance (APDA)
Bromley Beckenham & Penge Gateway Club
Bromley Lunch Club
The Camden Society
Chalfont St Peter Youth Centre
Chelmsford, Essex. InterAct
Chelmsford, Essex. Mencap
Croydon- Mencap
Croydon- Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy
Enfield NAS Adult Social Group
Enfield Mencap
Essex- Uniting Friends
Greenwich Mencap -Activities for Learning Disabilities and ADHD support group ‘Greenlights’
Haringey Mencap
Haringey -Markfield Project and Parent Partnership Scheme
Kingston -FAST MINDS Adult ADHD support Group
Lambeth Mencap Healthy living and wellbeing group
Maidenhead- Autistic Adult Social Group
Merton Parents Carer Forums
Merton Mencap Talk Autism
Rayleigh -Supporting Carers and Families Together, (SCAFT)
Reading- Aut-Haslemere Support Group
Redbridge Carers Support Service (RCSS)
Redbridge Mencap
Redhill -Autism All-Stars
Richmond- Ruils Disability Action & Advice Centre
Sidcup- Ken Boyce Centre Choice Support
Slough- Autistic adults social group Hidden Pearls
Southend Mencap
Sutton Mencap
A2ndVoice - Tooting
Tower Hamlets- Carers Centre
Tower Hamlets SEND Parents Forum
Wandsworth- Autism Voice