New social club opens for children and adolescents with autism

A new social club for children and adolescents with autism in the South Roscommon area has been officially opened. The Infinity Friends service, based in Thomastown, South Roscommon, is providing a vital service for many local families.

It is also affiliated with Youth Work Midlands and supports 87 families, with capacity for more. The clubhouse, which is safe and secure, has a sensory room, an occupational therapy space, as well as equipment for play.

Co-founder and Ballydangan woman, Hilda Duignan told the Herald that the service was set up by herself and Claire Earley.

“We started a club in September of 2022 for children and young people with autism. We felt that there was nowhere for our children to meet on a social level, where they could just be themselves and in a safe environment,” she said.

She added that for a lot of children with autism, they “can’t really take part in the mainstream clubs”, stressing that those organisations were inclusive and welcoming, but the child needs to fit around what is already existing.

 “So we started a group for 10 children aged between four and eight years of age, and that progressed then as the word got out. We were meeting once a week on a Sunday morning for an hour just for the children to play games, for the parents to get to know each other, and give opportunities to make friends.” Such was its popularity, the waiting list for the club started to grow.

“So we added a second group for teens,” said Hilda. “By January 2023, we had four groups meeting on a Sunday and one group meeting on a Tuesday evening in Monksland Community Centre. We continued to grow, and had people inquiring, and we had to say no.” 

At that point, a committee was established to work towards securing a dedicated premises where more children and young people could be accommodated.

“Last October we signed a lease on what was formerly a preschool in Thomastown, Ballydangan,” Hilda said, and she thanked the building’s owners who could not have been more helpful. “We were able to start clearing our waiting list by having our own dedicated premises where we could operate any day or time of the week,” she said.

“From January 2025, we went from having five groups a week to nine. So we’ve almost doubled our capacity and we still have capacity to do more.”

The official opening was attended by Deputy Claire Kerrane, Cllrs Valerie Duffy and Alan Harney, as well as local business people and members of the local community. It was also attended by Adam Harris from As I Am who cut the ribbon.

“He is a good friend of the club and has been extremely supportive,” said Hilda. “On the Sunday, we had an amazing day where the members were able to bring along their siblings, their grandparents, and there were about 177 people in attendance.” Hilda said that Infinity Friends planned to expand in the future.

“We do have plans to facilitate sibling workshops through Youth Work Midlands where we would be able to bring siblings of children with autism in, and give them a space where they can be as open and honest about how having a sibling with autism and extra needs affects them in their family life,” she said, adding that there were also plans for peer support for parents.