Autism Gaming Community in DC?

Submitted by CsaCharlie t3_11s26kj in washingtondc

I'm typing on behalf of my brother, he's a 23 year old male with autism that had a pretty rough go of it since the pandemic began. He maybe has like 1 intermittent friend and it pains me to see him so lonely. He loves making board games and especially loves playing Mario Party on the switch.

Is there a community or meetup for someone like him in DC? For reference he lives in the Takoma Park area. Any help would be appreciated, thanks for reading.

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Old_Distribution_235 t1_jcbf2fk wrote

Try reaching out directly to Labyrinth Games on the Hill: https://www.labyrinthdc.com/

They might be aware of groups or other resources that could help. Plus it's an amazing store!

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CsaCharlie OP t1_jcbhppf wrote

Thank you so much for responding, that really means a lot. I've been to the Labyrinth many times and even took him to a game night but never thought to inquire into a video game meetup. I'll get on that asap.

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Old_Distribution_235 t1_jcbmypc wrote

No problem! You can also check with Child's Play in Chevy Chase DC - they might also have some resources.

Finally, reach out to Dr. Edward Spector - he's a Rockville-based psychologist with a TON of experience with ASD and video games, and I'm sure he'll have some resources to share:

https://www.spectortherapy.com/wp/

EDIT: fixed link

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AndreTippettPoint t1_jcbumon wrote

It's a schlep from Takoma Park, but it is indeed a great store and they seem to love hosting gaming events.

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danimalroar t1_jcc7grh wrote

AuDHD boardgamer here. There are several meetups in the area that do boardgames. They don't focus expressly on neurodivergent participants, but several of us attend.

There's also an online boardgaming site called board game arena where you can find all sorts of people and games.

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CsaCharlie OP t1_jcdcmsl wrote

I'll definitely check this out, thank you so much.

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Thaumatovalva t1_jccru6n wrote

If he’s in Takoma Park, he might also be interested in Game Kastle in College Park (near Ikea). They are a welcoming community that do a whole bunch of games (card, board, miniature, rpg).

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ursulawinchester t1_jcf94ts wrote

Hey hey I’m in Takoma Park! Not a gamer though. My thought is libraries, and it looks like there are some meetups (this is the first one I found, there might be more). There’s also, or at least pre-pandemic there were, board game meetups at Tastee Diner in downtown Silver Spring. I don’t know how recent this info is here. Hope this helps!

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Maybe_me1234 t1_jcgr5oj wrote

DC Peers has meet-ups and support groups for adults with autism. I'm pretty sure they have game nights sometimes. I would check out their website.

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