Support Groups?

[Sylar]

I don't know if this is the right section to ask this in, but do any aspies here attend support group meetings, or even better, does anybody have experience working at one in some capacity?

The reason I'm asking is because I've had enough of sitting around miserable at the thought of my dreams never coming true and have decided to start action to make them happen. Which is why I'm now starting on a comedy screenplay to send to the BBC. I've had one completed script that I've been sitting on for over a year, but anyone who knows the BBC knows they have a PC, safe style at the moment and that script is the complete opposite.

My new idea is a family friendly, feel good comedy about a bunch of people on the autistic spectrum who all attend a support group. The only problem is I've only ever been to one support meeting and that was for anxiety, not an aspie group. I've tried to work off that experience for now but it's not ideal.

I guess my questions are:

• What are the people like? Would a group of people with asperger's all be too similar or do you see a wide variety of personality types to be interesting on tv?
• What do you talk about? Does each meeting have a particular focus or are they all just whatever people want to share?
• Is there a particular structure to the meetings or are they generally free flowing?
• If you've had any experience working at a group, what goes into setting one up and trying to make people comfortable enough to open up? Do you need any formal training?

I'd be willing to post the brief character descriptions I have if anyone wants to hear them or thinks it'll be useful to answer the questions. Like I said they are all anxiety sufferers with one aspie at the moment but I'd like to change that. And of course anyone who just wants to post a little bit about themselves so I can see how different we all are and what we have in common is welcome to do so as that'd be a big help.

 

[Sylar]

So here are the characters:

Dylan Doherty - A 17 year old college student with social anxiety and Asperger's.

Andrew Payne - Early 20s with separation anxiety disorder. Friendly and talkative, rambles a lot when nervous.

Roman Jabłoński - 30s. A Polish builder with insecurities about his masculinity that started after he got breast cancer.

Lauren Sinclair - 19-21 year old single mother of three with generalised anxiety disorder.

Maddison Williamson - 17 year old who shares a class with Dylan. Has no disorder but goes to the meetings to learn for a childhood friend with social anxiety and agorophobia.

Lily Wells - 30s. The leader at the meetings who is also insecure about her skills, especially compared to her co-workers.

The setting is either a small charity in their own rented building or an independent organisation in a community centre or something similar. They will be lacking in funding so potential episodes could also see them trying to raise money to continue to help people. The show will be about all these strangers with difficulties forming friendships with each other as they start to take bigger steps into the outside world.