Autism Society of Minnesota

I'm seeing so many negative reviews. Keep in mind that this is a non profit and funding ebbs and flows. They are desperately in need of funding so they can hire people to do things like answer the phone, buy larger quantities of supplies, etc. Consider making a monetary donation or volunteer. This is NOT a for profit business and your cutting comments aren't helpful. How about calling and asking how YOU, your family or friends can help.

1.) Post-pandemic, they've moved their support groups from all virtual for a long time (understandable), to hybrid (understandable and it worked), then back to all virtual for the indefinite future (what?) They are horribly regulated groups at this point and they don't serve the social function for the MN Autism community that they used to, which is unfortunate. There's been some other groups popping up, luckily, though I can't say they are super well-managed at this point and don't necessarily have the infrastructure, money, or resources AUSM historically has (and definitely presently has, but I wonder how that's being leveraged right now). 2.) They are inconsistent with which political or religious topics they allow people to talk about. They say, at the beginning of every support group, that it's not allowed, but I'm sorry, they very much do allow it. And it goes beyond just Autistic people venting about things in their lives when it's their turn to talk (understandable) -- they allow others to pontificate their opinions on solutions to hot button topics, then halt others when someone says something the moderator disagrees with (it's a wide problem but there's one moderator in particular who does it the most, who, as I know this person means well and I'm not about doxxing, I'll withhold their name, but they know who they are). 3.) I'd also posit that there needs to be some cultural sensitivity training done at AUSM. Autistic people are not just white Christians. At one point they had a special Christian group -- which would be fine, if there were special groups for other religions (and you can't argue the LGBTQ+ group justifies the existence of a Christian group when there's plenty of Queer Christians). I'm not about the erasure of religious/cultural representation at AUSM, and see the value of specialty demographic groups, but if there's ONLY a women's group and an LGBTQ+ group at this point (I'm Queer and Trans), there's other voices being left out and I sort of fail to see their value if it's reinforcing exclusionism for an already marginalized general demographic, creating highly specific social opportunities for a minority within a minority when it'd be better for the entire minority contingent to just come together in the common interest of Autism. Just my take. 4.) Staff are clearly not well supported, and most of the board comprises of "autism moms," who may not necessarily have Autism but have a loved one who does. This should be led by Autistics.

They had a quiet room at anime detour and it really helped me.

I used to go here for therapy for several years, and they were great and receptive to calls and emails, too. I'm not sure what has happened over the past few years in particular, but they no longer answer the majority of calls and when they do, they don't connect you with the person that can help, nor do they answer emails anymore, either. It's been extremely difficult to set anything up with them anymore and I wish I knew why. Most of the therapists are great. But the lack of communication when you're trying to set anything up is quite terrible.

I had a terrible experience at a different provider prior to being seen here. I was gaslit and told that it was my fault that I was struggling and that there was nothing actually wrong with me. I told Autism Society of Minnesota about this and they were so kind and understanding. They had a long waiting list, so I had to wait months to be seen, but they did everything they could to get me on the list and communicate with me effectively. Dr. Barbara Luskin was so amazing. She really validated my experiences and was SUPER thorough in her evaluation. The provider at the previous practice barely took 10 minutes with me before blaming me for my struggles - it was the complete opposite with Dr. Luskin. She talked with me for over an HOUR asking me about my entire life, details of my child hood, etc... As someone who has felt weird and out of place my whole life, getting answers from someone who was thorough, professional, and validating felt like the biggest weight lifted from my shoulders. After the initial evaluation, she had me come in with my partner and we were both able to talk about it and how to incorporate my diagnosis into our relationship. We were BOTH given resources for books, support groups, etc... I loved that she included him in the process too as this has an effect on his life as well. I can't say enough good things about AUSM or Dr. Luskin. They have a long waitlist, but it's worth it. Promise.

I went in to look at the items that they have available in the shop, because the online shop says that they have additional items available in person. I also wanted to check colors and sizes of some the items. Edit : May 24th - they had another event this last weekend May 21st-22nd, and they packed up the whole shop again. STOP IT! Leave like 2 or 3 of the items you have in stock on display in your office. Or set the shop back up the day that the event is over, it shouldn't take you a week and a half to "unpack" the shop. I'm trying to support myself and my kid's mental illnesses! It turns out that in the last week of April the shop traveled to an event, and they still had all of the items packed up from said event. So i couldn't see anything or buy anything. Which is still weird to me, but maybe they don't get too many folks walking in to only look at the shop. I should have called before i drove over there, and i think you should too. Because it they don't have an item in stock they'll have to order it anyway. Whether or not the shop is packed up for travel. I was able to speak with the receptionist and one other person, and they were both friendly and informative. Oh, the office on the main floor (101) seems like a sensory light area to keep folks calm. The shop is in through the east door and up the stairs on the right. There is no wheelchair access to the upper area through the east door. I did not look at the west door to see if wheel chairs could get into the shop floor (102). But the east exterior door said that wheel chair access is from the west door. There are events with AuSM throughout the summer, that I will look into. There are restrooms up the stairs on the right, then down the hallway on the left.