Autism Support Ayrshire Social Groups
Our Social groups have been developed over several years by National Autistic staff, aiming to help autistic individuals build confidence and gain independence. Our groups aim to reduce social isolation and improve mental, and emotional wellbeing. By attending our social groups, you will be in a safe environment where you can be yourself and meet others with similar interest and life experiences.
At Autism Support Ayrshire we run two social groups, our NAS Café for autistic young adults aged 15 – 24, and our NAS Coffee Club for autistic adults age 25+.
NAS Café

This online group is for autistic young adults age 15–24-year-old, who are looking to connect with like minded people, have fun with interactive games, great conversations, sharing our interests and to be their complete authentic selves. We do not require you to have your camera or microphone on if you are not comfortable, there is a chat box that you can interact with the group if this would be more comfortable.
The group runs once a month online, on the first Tuesday at 6pm and lasts 45 minutes, via Microsoft teams, it is facilitated by NAS staff . Once you join your welcome to take part in the group for 1 and a half years before moving on, with support from our team.
NAS Coffee Club

This is a hybrid social group called Coffee Club, for autistic individuals aged 25+.
The group is a fun and relaxed environment where we talk about our hobbies, interests and what we have been up to. Each session lasts for 45 minutes and helps connection with likeminded people. Each member is welcome to attend the group for 1.5years before moving on.
This group operates in a hybrid format, meaning that there are online and in-person meetings. The sessions rotate with 2 months taking place online using Microsoft Teams and the 3rd session taking place in-person, in Centrestage Kilmarnock, all sessions are facilitated by NAS staff.
All Coffee Club sessions take place on the 3rd Thursday of each month, the online sessions take place at 11.45am till 12.30pm and the in-person sessions are 12pm till 1pm.
For detailed information on how to join either of our social groups, please visit the next tab.
Joining Process:
To join our online social group, we follow a process designed to ensure the best interests and safety of both you and the group.
The process begins with you expressing your interest in the group by contacting us through our sign-up tab. Once we receive your information, we will guide you through the following steps:
- We will contact you and ask you to complete the online application form.
- On completion of form, we will then arrange an online 1 to 1 meeting with yourself using Microsoft Teams. This will be 10 minute chat to get to know each other and answer any questions you may have. During this meeting we will ask you to put your camera on (for 30 seconds) to make sure we can verify yourself. (we will not ask you to turn your camera on again if you do not wish to.)
- We then send you a few forms to complete, to outline the Guidelines of the social group, and digital permissions. These must be completed before joining the group.
After completing these steps, you will be added to the social group and ready to join the next session.
If you would like to join either of our social groups, or have any questions please complete our sign up tab.
sign up – (can we have something along these lines as a sign up tab, that send us an email with the relevant social group heading?)