We just found out last week | Autism PDD

Hi Erika:)

I am new here as well but not new to Autism. My ex husband has undiagnosed Asperger and I have 4 kids with him, 3 on the spectrum. Needless to say the marriage was torture for 10 years and I have been divorced for 5 years.

I do not know the degree of your sons' Autism. My son is doing very well and fully mainstreamed into school. Online is a wealth of information and helped me tremendously through the years. We did try Strattera, it did not work for my son. I have 3 on Adderall XR and it is like night and day.

Good luck to you!

giddy38573.3809490741

Hello Erica,Welcome to the board, you'll find a lot of help here. i have 3 kids Erica 12 seizure disorder,cp with diplegia Carlo 5 pdd-nos,adhd, cp with dilegia, Ryleigh 23mths nt.

My oldest Erica did take Carbitrol, but she was allergic to it. it affects your platlets 1 in 10,000 and she was that one. Carlo has taken Statterra but it didn't help him, so he's on other meds now. take care and hope to hear from you again.mom2carlo

Welcome, Erica. I have a 10 1/2 year old son with Asperger's who has
been taking Strattera for three years with great success. He can swallow
six pills at once, so that's not a problem. He'd be lost without Strattera.
In addition to it's benefits for ADHD, it also works very effectively as an
anti-depressant, and has played a huge roll in keeping DS anxiey disorder
under control. We have had no ill side effects at all.

Erica,

Hi and Welcome!!! I have a 3 year old son Adam with autism. Just wanted to tell you hello and welcome to the board!! Hope to learn more about your kids soon!! Take care,

karrie

Hi Erica... Welcome to the board. I don't have any experience with the meds you mentioned but wanted to pass along a few links that might help you with finding resources for your area. I too am in a small town and know how hard it is to get the help you need.

State Specific Resources Arkansas

hi erica, and welcom. this board is the best. after my son was dx i learned more here than in most books i started to read. they are wonderful and understanding people. my son mason is 3.5 with autism and adhd. there is alot of support here if and when you need it.

welcome Erica, God bless you. You are at a very nice place in this forum and so much info,. I did alot of reading too, after my son was dx'd. thank god I had friends n fam. w/internet n they would always print me new info,or just anything they came across in autism sites n wordings n meanings and what therapy there was.Do your boys receive early intervention speech n OT therapy.? My son who is almost 5 has been taking adderall since jan.04, its been helpful but doesnt take away all symptoms.Hes on other meds. also. any questions this is the place to ask them...CYNDIE..MOM TO CHRISTIAN W/AUTISM/PDD0NOS,ADHD,ODD,OCD,SENSORY INTEGRATION DIS.,EPILEPSY.

The internet is one thing I wished I had when my ds was little. In fact when he was 1st grade I had looked up autism on the net (we had it by then!) as I thought my sister's girl acted like kids my cousin had worked with in California whom I'd visited. Well when I read the characteristics of autism and it matched my son to a "t". I was floored but I had to find it myself. I felt much better after reading all I could. It's part of the grief stages kind of thing, I think. Empowering yourself or feeling a little more in control by having some knowledge.

People at our school didn't know much about it either, but we had a university affiliated program in the area and they were lots of help. The speech gal from the school is now the co-op's (several school districts joining for services) autism specialist. Because of my son, others now have faster help. Early intervention is such a great help. My ds pretty much missed all that.

Welcome Erica I know what you mean about being from a small town and having no info. but trust me you will find alot here!!!!! I didn't know any thing except that my son was dx'd autistic and he needed therapy!!! Until I found this board full of great people with lots of info!! good luck with your boys and everyone is right it is a roller coaster of emotions. But feel free to post even if it is a really bad day because everyone here will make you feel better!!! Or atleast relate to you. Sorry I have no advice for the meds I have been lucky enough not to have to use any on my son YET. Oh by the way my name is Nita and my son is Nick he is 5 and autistic.

Nita

hi, i'm kate. my 4 y.o. takes stattera, for the adhd. it is really hard to get him 2 take it b/c he can't swallow the capsules. i have to open and sprinkle the powder in his mouth. it tastes really nasty. if you can give it in applesauce, or pudding, or sherbert, or chocolate syrup, i heard that really works well, but mine will not take those textures. i give him a little bit, under his toungue, so it kicks in fast and it is not right on his taste buds, and have him take a bit of a ritz cracker. that kinda cleans it out of his mouth, and then wash down with some juice. it takes about 10 minutes each time, but it works best by going slowly. otherwise, he gets too worked up about it and throws up everything. they also say to take it with food, or they will have a belly ache. so about 3 -5 crackers, seem to be heavy enough, that we have not had any problems with the belly ache. it does really help keith to sleep soundly, so we give it to him at night b4 he goes to bed, and it is still a 24 hour pill, so it helps his behavior.

hope this helps. kate

Hi, My name is Erica and my 3yr old twins were just diagnosed last Wednesday. I am looking for someone to talk to that understands. I have a great husband that is very supportive. But my way of coping is learning. So here I am. We live in Arkansas. Dylan and Darrin are the joy of my heart, but I must admit it is hard to raise twins and now God has blessed us with Autism. I say "Blessed Us" because I have to look at it that way. Their Dr. started them on Strattara and Carbitrol, so if any one else has tried these please get back to me. I live in a small town and knowledge is sparce around here. Thanks-Erica

Welcome to the board Erica!!! Unfortunately I do know how the small towns in Arkansas are. I am originally from there. Was born in Stuttgart. The rice and duck capitol of the world, lol. I do not have any experience with the two drugs you are talking about but I am pretty sure someone on the board does.

Tammy

Welcome! I'm new to this forum but have lived with the AS (austistic spectrum) dx for 8 yrs--my son is 10. It's a rollercoaster ride so try to stay balanced as the highs and the lows hit. I struggled a lot with that and I hear others say the same thing. We have tried a lot different meds and some have been helpful--some not. It's dependent on so many things. The people on this board are very knowledgeable and very supportive. There is a lot to learn so don't get too overwhelmed. If I don't stop here I'll babble forever. There is awesome advice here. I'm here--we're here. Coping by learning will serve you well. You go girl for Dylan and Darrin!