Hi mom! I also have a 2 year old diagnosed in August. It is hard to deal with the diagnosis, but good for you getting it done and so early! I don't know if you are in touch with Early Intervention, but they will help with speech as well as your private therapies as well. Ours has a special school that they will send my son to once he turns 3.
First things first, you should talk to Disability Support Services in your county so that they can help you with an advocate for your child.
Next, start the Social Security Disability process to help cover what insurances won't. We keep running out and so we have to pay out of pocket. I haven't gotten a response from SSI yet, but its in the works.
Have you gone to the Autism Speaks website and gotten the first 100 days packet? the most important thing in there for me was the paperwork to fill out and give the emergency services if you happen to have a runner.
Now, to get to more of your answers, we don't really have a schedule set up for him, but he plays most of the day and we interject ourselves as much as possible to work on the "engagement" piece so that the other things can be done.
I don't know that play groups or field trips are really all that important at this time. Well, we do like the zoo and children's museum, but other than that, he is just as happy at McDonalds as anywhere else besides the park. Remember this is an age for parallel play to start with, and with Autism they tend not to look or play with others. My son had no use for them at all, he sometimes pays attention to his sister, but that is it.
The best thing I have found is Qigong Massage. (http://www.qsti.org/) This is a method that uses the Chinese energy Meridians, the same ones as acupunture, but you just massage instead. We were fortunate that they study for it is going on in Portland so we get the best part of it with professionals, but, the results we have seen in the last 5 weeks have been AMAZING! He is talking all the time, still don't know most of what he is saying, but the practice part if very important. He is toe walking a lot less, and he is sleeping a lot better. This has actually done more for him in such a short time than his whole last year of speech therapy 2x a week!
I wish I could give you more information.