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alura2
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Joined: 3/18/2004
Msg: 26 | |
| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/1/2006 9:03:58 AM | when my son was smaller around 1 1/2 to 3 yrs old he was much worse with his tantrums and meldowns. I think because he didnt have the words to tell me what he was feeling he just went AHHHHHHHHHHH SCREEEAAAMMMM and bashed his head on the floor bit himself or smashed a toy against himself or even odder he would scratch his arms up.
This was the first FIRE ALARM weeooo weoooo what the HELL is wrong with my son?>?? so finnaly we took him to the boundary health unit to test his hearing...( 4 tests later) and thats when i took the autism 12 to 18 months test...he scored very highly for it. Then after that was IT TAKES 2 TO TALK that lasted 6 months and i signed with him as well... ahhhhhhh what a releif it was to communicate with him you have no idea!!!!
it took almost a year and half to friggen get him diagnosed but they put him to top of the list because his teacher called and ****ed.
i think i would have been happier with an autism diagnosis.. on the form its says pdd-nos..it means your funding is higher and you get more help form the government.Im happy dont get wrong that hes not full blown but his tendecies are very alike. Im just sad because it may mean that my son may not get a full time helper in kindergarten this sept. Im terrified he will have such a hard time becasue of his sensory issues...
there is no where for him to escape to quiet if its too much for him...at preschool there are 3 rooms he can go to...sighhhh | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/1/2006 2:34:50 PM | I can so relate to those whose spouses have not taken part in understanding and treating their child's disability. I could go on for hours, but will spare ya'll.
What is really the worst is the visitation, my son comes back so out of control, by the time we make up lost ground it is time to go to see the schmuch again. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/1/2006 7:38:40 PM | I have a 7year old son with high funcitoning autism. His father still does not accept the diagnosis and places extra strain on him. He goes to see his dad everyother weekend and when he comes back he is out of wack and it takes at least a few days to get him back on track. He also suffers from insomnia and can go for weeks on a few hours sleep a night.
SpiderHam - I have had similar issues at 2 seperate malls. One issue was very similar to yours. I carry a kid ID on me with his information and a card that states he has autism. At one mall my son was upset and was being verbally abusive to me, so I decided it was time to leave, quickly before it escalted. On the way out of the mall, an employee began yelling at my son. Saying things such as "how dare you talk to your mother that way you disrespectful little ******" Now, I am trying to walk my son out and he is quickly becoming more upset. I ask her to please leave him alone as he has autism and she is just aggrevating him. She then went on to say I was a horrible mother. This whole time I am trying to get my son out of the store and she just keeps yelling at him. Now he was become enraged and has focused his frustration on her. On the way out he kicked a display and she yelled that she was calling security. They tried to have me pay for the damages and have my son arrested. This was a big name store and I had the manager come down and talk to me after my son calmed down. There was no damage whatso ever and she was enraging my son. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/2/2006 5:55:42 AM | My son's father "accepts" the diagnosis but he still has no idea how to deal with him. My son refuses to visit his father without me there. This makes things awkward for everyone.
Ahhh, the insomnia. I recently read an article on MSNBC.com that the brains of autistic children are never at rest, which in turn causes sleep disturbances.
I've often wondered what the teachers say among themselves when they see my son arrive at school with dark circles under his eyes on a pretty much regular basis. I put him to bed at 8:30 - 9:00 at night; he stays up until 11:00 or later in his room with the lights off, talking to himself. His psychologist gave us a scrip for a low dose of Clonidine but my son says they don't help. | |
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alura2
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Joined: 3/18/2004
Msg: 30 | |
| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/2/2006 8:59:40 AM | i dont care if i would have been charged with assualt i would have ****slapped that friggen woman if she got in the way of my son and i during a meltdown. It happens very rarely but more when he was younger. I would have been screaming at her and turend the tables on HER and charged her with verbal assault eheheeh | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/2/2006 11:51:31 PM | | Sunshine, Many teachers who have worked with special children (especially autistic) understand the dark circles under the eyes.. Especially when you come in with the same circles yourself.. Does your psychologist (I'm guessing psychiatrist if they are prescribing meds) specialize in children, especially those with autism or PDD? You could ask your psychologist about other behavioral/sensory reducing techniques that may help with his sleeping... God Bless! | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/3/2006 8:58:48 PM | | I first want to say I am NOT a parent of a child with autism but that I am a professional behaviour therapist that works in the field and has many clients with ASD, PDD, Aspberger's, etc. I have to ask everyone, are your children or did you children receive any ABA therapy? This is what I specialize in. There are many private and public agencies that provide this type of therapy all over North America and Europe. I just haven't really heard anyone on here mention if his/her child is receiving this. This is the ONLY thing out there currently that works effectively for these children and the younger they start, the more likely they are to benefit from it. It's very expensive, but much more effective than any speech pathologist or Occupational therapist could possibly be. I just need to clarify it is NOT a cure, but it able to modify the child's stimming or inappropriate behaviours. I do hope that EVERYONE that has a child with these diagnoses does have them in this therapy. If you do not believe the effectiveness on this, pls google 'Lovass" and you will find out all the info on the studies he started up in the 1970's when he started this type of therapy. Now, it has been obviously modified since it's introduction and there are many branches of it, but I do encourage you to search on line and if you can't afford to get the therapy, research it for yourself, buy books, whatever you can and start this up immediately. Good luck | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/3/2006 11:50:32 PM | 4evermilf... Yes my son has been involved with ABA. I got hooked up into it through the FEAT organization. And they have been great. We use the Lovass approach. He in BC they give parents of children under the age of 6 20K a year that must be used for Therapy type work.
Doesn't go far enough... I ended up spending.. including the Gov Money over 35K this past year. And I run a green team, and try to get new people in as much as possible to allow my son more then anything else the interaction with other people.
As much as I have seen this Therapy help my son with alot of things, I gotta be honest, I seem to see him developing more as result of simply being in Regular School, and interating with the other children.
But that is just my Son, and I know ABA has worked wonders in countless lives, so I fully endorse it. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/4/2006 6:00:44 PM | | I would reccommend FloorTime and Relationship Development Intervention.....lots of information online. I have 2 boys on the spectrum and used Speech and OT mixed with play groups and constant community involvement......and I am thankful my boys are doing extremely well. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/9/2006 3:14:52 PM | ok... got a quick q to ask all of yah...... next wed a behavior consultant will be seeing my son at school in action. There he will ask q and give pointers on how we can do things differently.
He already visited once at my mom in laws and concluded he didnt need much help. WTF??? HES IN HIS COMFY HOME ENVIRONMENT of course hes not gonna act out.
I think once he sees him in action at school im hoping he will change his bloody opinion.
What kind of q should i be asking>> hes in the readiness program for kindergarted now and i want to be ABSOLUTELY clear of my fears...my goals and also i want the behavior guy to not just say hes fine go on his merry way and charge me 500 bucks either...
my sons true colors comes out at school and sometimes at home...theres nothing really there at home to provoke his anger and make him flip out...at school there is alot of things that trigger his blowouts that i want this guy to see.
any ideas would be helpful i want to make a list and prepare for next week when i meet him | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/9/2006 4:04:00 PM | The questions would depend on the problems your child is having. I am sure the school will mention any issues they have regarding that. I would write down your concerns in point form with examples. Remember behavior equates language, and most behaviors are triggered by something or someone in the environment. Perhaps school is very overwhelming for your child due to sensory perceptions, and modifications can be made in the classroom (IE: seat wedges, modified courses, noise, confusion). I found for my children, that negative behavior was about 90% due to something in the environment, the behavior was a direct result...therefore we made sure to examine the whole environment and not just the negative behavior.
Good luck and hope it goes well. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/9/2006 4:58:10 PM | what i noticed mostly at school that upsets him is too much niose. Also changing from one thing to another, if hes really focused on soemthing he doesnt want to be interupted.
It took hom a year to be able to sit still at storytime and circle time. The only way we could get him to do this was to let him hold a flashlight or a plushie. It calmed him down and also it was his reward for sitting still too. Sometimes he would sit in his main teachers lap and just want to be held still.
One other thing is his potty mouth. When he gets really mad he yells out and says stupid...or shut up or idiot i even caught him saying shit once. I do my best to watch what i say around him but heck i slip up we all do without thinking ... in the car in a movie tv ect...
he gets in big trouble and if mom says something bad the always say HUUUHHH MOMMY !!! THAT WAS BAD and i say sorry mommy goofed. oh well...... | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/9/2006 5:52:06 PM | Tinkerbaby. I noticed your living here in Surrey... just as I am. Surrey School Board has started a program about 4 years ago called "Jump Start" It is now being adopted across North America by various School boards.
The Program is more for the Educators then it is the Parents.. but there is a parent portion. Your child who has Autism will have a 1-1 worker with him/her all the time in the School. Surrey School Board has mandated that Autism Kids will have 1-1 attention. And they have great SEA's in the schools.
The Jump Start program is one that every Wed I believe for the first 12 weeks of school you will be asked to keep your child home. And then they take the Teacher and SEA and send to a special Autism course. Teach them specifically how to deal with Autistic Children in a class room setting. It's done huge wonders in bringing up awarness in the schools...
One other thing you will be asked to do whats called an IEP (Indvisual Education Plan) usually in Sept. And the whole idea is you sit down with the people in charge of the SEA's and the Teacher.. and even a couple of SEA's and hammer out some goals you want to acheive.
It's your chance to to teach them about your child. Take full advantage of it. And your goals can be anything from Simply gettin him to say to another kid to doing Complex Puzzles..
To your Behavioural Consultant you want to ask questions realted to how you can direct your child to develop the behaviours you want him to have. For instance.. you notice he seems to only sit still when holding something. But he is truely paying attention in Story Time.. or is he fixated on the object he has and thats why he sits still...
You want him to interact as much as possible with the other children. One thing to note as well, one of my fears.. was the rejection of the other children. The thing I learned very quickly is that the other children at that age don't understand the difference. And by putting your child in school you are benefitting both your child by in some ways forcing them to follow suit... But also the other children by allowing them to learn about the disorder.
Thanks for the sharing.. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/9/2006 6:09:58 PM | one of our biggest goals was to have him share more and not feel thratened by other kids around him. he still continues to parallel play and is more comfy around adults.
He used to scream push and bite and throw his arms around his toys but gradually hes growing out of it. he has extra sensory disorder where he becomes fixated on certain objects..i think he pays more attention to the object than the actual song ect. The teacher knows this and allows him to hold something and also hold his fave pillow in order to stay still.
At the child center he tried a ball and a wobbly seat to sit on but didnt like it...he wanted off..we figured he loves light stimili and soft objects...so as a reward to participte hes allowed to hold these.
I will spill my guts out at the meeting....and hopefully it will get results.I think its time i looked up some seminars to go to soon now that im off weekends now.
thanks for you help!! | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/9/2006 6:11:47 PM | I know you mean well 4evermilf but please read this reply from a single parent of an autistic child who has investigated more than one method and has come to a reasoned conclusion based on fact.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) was popular years ago in the "whatever seems to work" era of the new found diagnosis of autism. The basic premise is to program the child to perform in a certain way under certain conditions. The child became "obedient" using a variety of methods, some of which are not acceptable by today's standards. It bases its "measurable scientific results" on criteria that are not based in science. Unfortunately when these children enter the real world and are no longer under controlled conditions the programming breaks down and it is unlikely that they will fare well in developing friendships, having meaningful employment and interacting with their peers in a typical fashion, let alone having some type of long term relationship with a life partner. Many proponents of ABA are not aware that other models exist that can and do have a positive impact on children and, in fact pose the possibility of a cure (yes I know that sounds unrealistic but I believe it’s possible) for what has been thought of as an incurable condition. This may not be for every child and in particular I empathize with those parents of children who deal with a multitude of issues overlapping autism in all its forms. However I encourage every parent to at least visit a website that is on the cutting edge of autism intervention. It was developed and continues to develop on a daily basis with parents input by Dr. Steve Gutstein. It is called Relationship Development Intervention or RDI. The website is called rdiconnect.
Financial support for autism intervention varies in provinces and states and until now there has been a strong lobby group having influence on various government decision-makers whose purpose was to encourage them to only provide financial support for parents using the ABA method of intervention by arguing the “scientific basis” of their findings. Findings by the way never independently proven. Every parent should have the right to decide how their child should be treated based on the best information available and not be pushed into one method by bureaucrats who have little understanding of the real issues. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/9/2006 8:22:15 PM | With my son, I investigated every treatment approach, eliminating the quakery treatments like sacriocranial massage, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, chelation. I am not going to allow my son to be a guinea pig. If the treatment posed no risks, I tried it. I tried the gf/cf diet for over a year, seemed to help in the beginning, but when we went off it there was no discernable difference. We tried secretin with Dr. Jeffrey Bradstreet, he wasn't one of those kids who responded to it. Discrete trials were great, they definitely improved his attention span, and got him ready for school. Sensory therapy was a great help, he is no longer oversensitive to lights, sounds, textures like grass, touching playdough, etc..he still doesn't like sand on him at the beach, but how many people do when they have lotion on - lol. Occupation therapy is a big help too. The use of a trampoline and daily swing time definitely helped, B6 and magnesium helps, epsom salt baths help as well. Since he is very visual, I find he responds more to story boards with written words and pictures. As far as stimming, I try to steer it to something more appropriate, sometimes he tends to perseverate on things, it used to be feet, which is a problem when you live in FL and people wear sandles all the time, and he goes to grab toes...He had a problem with pica, I found that increased zinc (transdermal cream) and liguid iron supplement helps with that. He responds well to positive reinforcement, praise goes much further than a time out does. There is a really great website that has helpful message boards - Lisa Jo Rudy - About.com Autism / Spectrum Disorders Guide
There are so many things I have gone through that I am sure many of you have experienced as well. I know that this post hops and skips through so many things, but when you find others dealing with some of the same issues, you tend to run on and on....
I have to say though, he is the love of my life, I adore him, he adores me, and he is a bit different, but that is what makes life interesting, I have become a much stronger person than I was before him, and he has truly put my priorities in order, and weeded out those whom I do not need in my life from those who have been a source of comfort and support. Those that know him adore him, those that do not take the time, are not worth a second thought. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/10/2006 12:54:53 PM | | Hey everyone, I just found this here on the pof site and i must say i'm really glad there is a place for us parents of autistic kids to share everything with. My question is, I have an almost 5 yr old son who is non-verbal. Does any one have any tips on how i can help him communicate better with us? He's very smart and understands everything you say to him and he tries to respond to us but gets very frustrated because he can't and then i'm sure you all know what happens next... meltdown. I do use the pecs with him but he really wants to talk. Does anyone know any good speech pathlogists they can recommend? | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/10/2006 9:00:34 PM | | I was about to post a response, then checked to see where you live and realize I have no clue how the system works in Canada. For the record though, has he been evaluated for apraxia? There are a lot of tools that can be used for oral stimulation, and for strengthening the tounge etc....it would really depend on the cause of his inability, and a good speech therapist should do an evaluation to let you know what you can try depending on what the issue is. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/11/2006 1:06:04 PM | | Fairlane500: I so agree with you. ABA has its plus sides, that is for sure, but it is only ONE side of the puzzle.Behavior modification is good where it is warranted, but I have found that alot of people analyze everything as a behavior, and not take into account that there is usually more than meets the eye when it comes to children. They are each unique in every way, and a blanket therapy will not work on all it covers. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/11/2006 3:13:25 PM | I can't begin to tell you how glad I am to find this thread! My son is diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (or high functioning autism) and ADHD. He is 6 yrs old, in Kindergarten (well, he was.. he'll be in 1st grade in Sept). He's been on Risperdal since December. It took us such a long time to get through the educational system red tape and get his IEP so they could move him to a smaller, special ed classroom. His teacher feels that his asperger symptoms have been taken care of as a result of moving to the smaller class and says that she is seeing the ADHD now, much moreso than the asperger.
So we're considering weaning him off of risperdal and treating him for the adhd now.
Too bad that it's summer as we really won't know how he'll do in school now, til he goes back. He's so much different at home than he is in school 
Anyway, I'm glad to meet y'all... my name is Peggy btw. | |
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| to sunshine...
Posted: 6/11/2006 3:26:52 PM | my ex hubby is the same way. He accepts our son's diagnosis, and "tries" to follow what the therapist tells us, but good grief, the man lacks common sense lol.
Our custody order grants him visitation every other weekend, but I let him take the boy every weekend so that I can work 12 hour shifts Friday - sunday, that way I can be home with him through the week when he gets home from school.
They are on the go allllllllllllllllllll weekend it seems and my son is SO exhausted when he gets home on sunday at 5 pm, that he practically falls into bed by 7:30. Mondays are horrible at school because of it, but by Tuesday, he's generally bounced back.
The ex is going to have him ALOT this summer so that I can work. I hope to get another job before school starts in the fall, so that I can work during the week when he's in school, let him go to afterschool care for an hour or two, and be off on the weekends. Then we can go back to every other weekend visits with dad. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/11/2006 6:02:43 PM | Hi Ohiosweetheart,
Don't they have ESE in Ohio, my son has two weeks off, then extended school year, m-th, 8-12:30, then two weeks off and regular school session starts again. Is your son in a Varying Exceptionalities class, or one geared towards the specific needs of kids with Autism or Aspergers? There is a difference, and I would check and see that he is getting all the services he requires. If you have any problems with his IEP, or your are not satisfied that he is getting all the services he needs, Wrightslaw is a good website, deals with all special education issues, laws, and how to appeal and have IEP's modified. I may be wrong, but I have been told that Asperger's is slightly different than autism, and presents differently in diagnosis. Then again, there is no one set criteria that defines autism, that's why it is a spectrum disorder. My friend's son has Aspergers, he can talk but chooses not to, appears indifferent to most people's presence with the exception of his mom. My son has always wanted to talk, but had severe speech apraxia, said his Mom for the first time when he was 3 1/2, the sweetest sound I ever heard. He was very verbal, I just happened to be the translator for all those who didn't understand what I call "Kyle-ese", lol, he is also extremely interested in other people, just doesn't understand proper social interaction all the time, and doesn't understand social cues that would let him know his behaivor is sometimes inappropriate. There are so many differences among the 6 kids in his class, it is interesting to see how one child has strengths with speech, but not social, one has speech but not physically coordinated and also toe walks, etc..
Anyway, I am really glad this site is here, and just wonder if anyone else has had major potty issues, gastro specialist said son is behaivorally witholding stool, which is really difficult to overcome, and he is petrified to sit on the potty, will pee if brought to potty, but otherwise wouldn't occur to him to go pee on his own. Tried books, videos, pecs, storyboards and of course bribery, am I still going to be changing diapers when he is 16, he can program my computer, but won't poop on potty. This is such a confusing disorder! | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/11/2006 8:08:04 PM | juzlookin35
I read your posting about trying your son whats sounds be a whole bevy of therapies. Which is not a bad thing, because I have learned that not 1 single therapy works for all children.
However in wondering how old your child is... and please don't take this as me insulting your intelligence. But how long did you try any given technique before moving onto the next one.
I have my son on the GF/CF diet.. and well it does nothing for the Autism, but does wonders in keeping him calmer, which allows other things to work more effectivly in giving him the ability to concentrate more on what he is doing for longer periods of time.
I noticed a dramatic difference in him within like 2 days of him being on it.. but in order to keep the performace levels I have to keep up with it...
But I know exactly what you mean in the whole he may of come out different.. but he is the love of my life, and in all honesty he has taught me alot about patience.. and understanding.. somehting I didn't have alot of before I'm sorry to admit. | |
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| Autism Parents
Posted: 6/11/2006 8:16:48 PM | juzlookin35
Was just reading your post about the potty training.. Something I just went through with my Son who is 6yrs of age. He understood the whole going to the bathroom thing, but we had to keep him in Pull-Ups to be on the safe side.
Found that the tightness of Pull-Up feels to much like a diaper to him.. As soon as one was put on him.. he would go in it.. And refuse the toilet. Answer came with us in the form of Boxer Shorts...
When he was naked running around the house he had no troubles going to the bathroom. But needed to figure out a method to replicate this in public. So at first I brought like 5 pairs of pants an let him go with Tighty Whiteys... same thing as the Pull-Ups.. he would still go in his Pants..
So I went to the other extreme. Let him go Comando in his pants... No problems.. he needed to go.. he even started telling me.. And actually would hold it. But I though letting him go Comando all the time in his pants wasn't the answer. And it took a couple of days to come to me...
Getting dressed one day myself and was thinking about it.. put on my Boxers.. and presto it hit me... got him some Kid Boxers... And Bingo!!!! He's been fully Potty Trained ever since in everything. Odd accident here and there.. but it's all good.
You might need to maybe reduce the options available to him. | |
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