'It's very good': Orillia mom launches children's autism playgroup

When Erica Duffy discovered there was no playgroup for autistic children in Orillia, she started one.

Willow, her three-year-old daughter, has severe autism. Duffy was looking for her to meet other autistic children and to form a parent support group.

“I thought, ‘Why don’t I make something that is just autistic kids where parents can sit down and take a breather?’” she said.

Duffy said she understands how important it is to integrate autistic children with non-autistic children, but at the same time, she said it’s important for autistic children to see and spend time with other children like themselves.

The Autism Playgroup meets every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. David’s Anglican-Lutheran Church at 133 James St. E. It started in July. Six families are coming to the free drop-in group, but there is room for 10.

“It’s very good for Willow, it’s very good for the other kiddos and it’s really good for us parents because we get to connect with each other,” Duffy said.

Parents can ask one another how they navigate the day-to-day challenges of raising an autistic child, she added.

Through the group, children are expanding their learning from the other parents and other children. For example, Duffy had been trying to teach Willow how to pour water from a container but didn’t have success. At the group, another mother showed Willow and she got it. Now she pours water every time she takes a bath.

A boy who had never interacted with strangers or played with a ball started playing with Willow’s grandfather, kicking a ball back and forth for the first time.

“It was huge for me to see Willow pour and for the boy’s mother to see him kick a ball. I was emotional and she was emotional. It’s these little things maybe other parents take for granted, but for us, those milestones are huge,” Duffy said.

Willow, who is non-verbal, has made her first friend through the group. She and another three-year-old girl sit side by side while they each engage in their own play.

Duffy made up a colouring station, but none of the children went to it for the first two weeks. During the third week, Willow and the other girl sat down and coloured for the first time.

“My daughter is thriving. She loves to go on Thursday. She knows where we are going, so that’s huge for me,” she said.

In early 2025, Duffy will be expanding the group to two mornings a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at the church.

Toys from the group have been purchased by Duffy. She welcomes donations of toys that involve sensory play such as blocks, bean bags, balls, toys that light up or make sounds, and toy houses with characters and cars. The church supplies the room free of charge and often supplies the fresh fruit, packaged snacks and juice and water.

Duffy is looking for a gym mat and a crash mat so they can teach rolling and jumping. 

“A parachute would be a dream,” she said. 

More information, including how to make a donation, is available by emailing Duffy at [email protected] or calling the church at 705-325-1421. The playgroup has an account at the church.