New to the board? Introduce YourselfHi Everyone... My name is Britney and I have 2 boys. Jacob who was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD and SPD and Tyler who does not have a dx but we are pretty sure he has autism. His appt is Feb. 1st to get the dx. Jacob does not have a lot of tipical autistic traits but he is very aggressive and violent. He didnt talk until he was 3 and still has a hard time talking. He also does not look you in the eye and is very "out of it" unless hes around familiar people. The docs are also thinking of dx him with an anxiety disorder as well. I hope to get some good advice out of everyone here and I look forward to chatting with you all.
Hello Teresa, and welcome!!! Looking forward to 'seeing' you around the board. Elissa.
 How funny--I haven't read the new intros for a while, and decided to do
some "welcoming" and I learn of another Jasper. That is my son's name (almost 5!) Welcome all! This board has saved my sanity. It's warm, fun, and full of kind and knowledgeable folks! Jump on in!Well, you have great taste in names! 
Welcome to Jeanette and Tina!!!
hi my name is Teresa, My son is 5 and has PDD-NOS,was diagnosed in September of this year,Michael is his name,he also has a half-sister,shes 12 and she has High-Functioning- Aspergers',her name is Amber,I love my kids and will fight the world over for them.They are wonderful to be around,as long as I dont run the sweeper,touch them,and do everything they ask,like right NOW. My daughter loves music,and my son loves action figures,Michael has melt downs and Amber sits quietly in the corner with her IPOD.They are like night and day. Thats all I can say,Parents should speak up for their kids no one else will,they have a voice,they just get flustered trying to find it,and express it. Hi, I'm Valerie, and my son Billy has just turned 4. He has a PDD-NOS dx, and has HUGE issues with auditory hypersensitivity. He's also completely excellent and a joy to be around! Looking forward to learning from all of you. Cheers, Hi Valerie, I am sure that Billy is a pleasure to be around - welcome and we look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers
Welcome jakentysmom, There have been some recent threads discussing some of this. You will find good information here. Hello, My name is Sandra and I am the mother of a beautiful son Avery (5yrs). He was just recently diagnosed with ASD along with ADHD although we have known from pretty early on. I am so glad I have found this site because I definately need to socialize with others that are going through the same things. I am also an Occupational Therapy Assistant working for the Public School System so I know that everyone has to deal with different issues when it comes to dealing with a child with Autism. I am looking forward to getting to know you. Sandra Sorry accidently posted twice Hi, my name is Angie, mom to Chance (almost 4) and Lane (1yr). We knew something was wrong with Chance when he was an infant. Like most of you, I'm sure, the doctors kept telling me they didn't know what was wrong. I decided after being ignored by the doctors, to do my own research. I knew Chance had all the symptoms, so I started some of the alternative treatments myself, and had to eventually leave my job because no daycare could deal with him and watch his diet the way he needed. He got a whole lot better after I lost my job, but this last year we decided to trial gluten and cheese and I thought he did alright with it. We also had the birth of Chance's little brother this last year, and our house with all of his Thomas train stuff burned down. So to say the least he has regressed quite a bit. I have pursued trying to get him looked at and diagnosed, but it will be 6mos before that will happen. In the meantime I'm trying to get him in the special needs preschool. He is really struggling in his current preschool. I'm trying to debate whether to pull the gluten and cheese from his diet. The problem is that he has sensitivities to so many other foods that he becomes so terribly limited, and I keep worrying about him being malnourished. So anyway, I look forward to meeting all of you.
Hi Angie, Welcome to the board! I'm sure you'll find lots here to help you! Hi. My name is Elisabeth. I was diagnosed with Asperger. I hope to find people to speak about related subjects. Elisabeth
Welcome Elisabeth! Hello everyone, My name is Jeanette and my daughter, Angel, is autistic. She is four years old and lives with my parents while I am over in Iraq. My parents are doing a wonderful job with Angel while I am away. Before I left for boot camp 08AUG06, Angel was mute and her play with other children was limited. Now I can hear Angel talking in the background when I call home. She is saying about three to four words in a sentence. She is starting to play with other children but still needs work in that area. She is, however, starting to throw tantrums more and more lately. She is still waking up throughout the night as well. I am so happy I found this website so I can ask questions and learn from others who are experiencing the same issues. I would love to be able to help my parents out as well. I look forward to learning and growing with you all!! Take care, Jeanette Hi my name is Marie and I am the mother of an ASD child (NOT an alcholic - get it lol!),I have a strange sense of humor and am very opinionated (which often gets me in trouble around here!) I have been on this Board for about one month now, but never formally introduced myself. I am a much older parent and had my children very late in life. My gorgeous son is 11 years old and diagnosed with PDD-NOS. My 8 year old daughter is NT. My husband is always referred to here as not-so-dear, instead of dh (or D**k Head in my case lol!) as is the norm. We are still married, and I do love him. Due to his occupation, he is so strict and regimented it is very hard to live with him. "Warning, Violation, violation" is my battle cry. My son is completely non verbal (only makes sounds, does say MAAAAAD),has no communication skills (no PECS, no ACDevice, etc.) but has excelent receptive language. He is not toilet trained. His fine motor skills are pretty shot. However, he is very social, has unbelievably amazing gross motor skills (his having no sense of danger works at an advantage for him)and is also unbelievably "street smart". He scores in the "A+" range when taking the Standardized Tests (kinda like I.Q. test) which are mandatory for Special Ed here. However, in school, he is doing Kindegarten work due to the fact that he truly has NO interest whatsoever in learning anything remotely associated with academics! My daughter is probably the most caring, kind, unselfish (not just me talking - everyone says) child or person you could ever meet. No one understands where she learned it from! She is also extremely intelligent and definitely wise beyond her years. We also have a 92lb. black labrador retriever named Shadow. He is a thief, which of course drives my husband nuts. He is extremely playful. When outside he barks constantly, but really is a chicken when confronted. He's my baby. The dog on my post is my beloved Sally, a doberman, who passed away last year. Although trained to be a vicious watch dog, she was the most gentle, patient creature with my son. Even though he tortured her - one time he pulled her leg out of its socket! She didn't even growl. That's all folks. You've been forwarned! My posts tend to be extremely long, but usually get your heart pumpin' (ask those who've read them) IT'S A MAAAD, MAAAD, MAAAD, MAAAD WORLD!!! especially when your involved with Autism! Well I use to be an active member but have not been on the board in about a year, I decided to come back for some extra support....My name is Kim and I am a divorced single mother of three beautiful children, I have a 16 year old NT son D.J., he is a great kid, makes his mom proud...of course all my kids do....I have a 14 year old daughter Sarah, she is loving and kind, has a diagnosis of MR and a seizure disorder, she can not read or write, is very social and is wonderful..Then the Baby is Emily who by the way is not really a baby, Emily is 11 years old she is diagnosed with autism, MR, and a sound system disorder...she has come a long way....she did not say her first word until she was 4yrs, walked at 22 months, was potty trained 2 months before her 8th birthday...she has come so far and so has her sister Sarah....Emily also has aweful migraines that make her very sick for days at a time, sometimes they last a week..She see's a neurologist for the migraines and takes two meds that help prevent them, but lately they have been bad....we go back to the neurologist next week, Emily is going through puberty and they are attributing the severness of the miagraines as of late on this...the school has suggested getting something from the doctor so she can be put on homebound at school when she is so sick. Due to all of the issues with the girls I now work part time at my church and paint when I can, interior painting of homes and apartments, it all makes finances difficult as you all know...I am going to college and will graduate April 29th with a BS in Behavioral Sciences...and I want to become an advocate within the school district for children with developmental disabilities and there families..Last but not least we have two dogs my dog is Herman, and my daughter Sarah has a miniture wiener dog named Hommie, he was her Christmas gift last year and he has been perfect for her, Sarah is a nurturer by nature and Hommie was a rescue...She is great with him and he adores her! Thanks for taking the time to read all this! My name is Jen, mom to Jacob (almost 6) and Molly (3). Jacob was recently diagnosed with PPD-NOS, generalized anxiety disorder and mild ADHD. We knew for several years that there were issues but had just recently gotten the diagnoses. He has been going to OT for fine motor delays since Feb. 2007. He has recently started play therapy as well. Looking forward to all there is to learn and discuss on this board. Hi, I'm Dee, mother of 3 children. Soon to be 8 year old son with autism, 4 year old NT daughter and 8 month old NT daughter. It's been one big roller coaster ride with it's ups and downs. Now is more of a down time and I guess I'm just reaching out to talk to someone. No one really understands what we've been through. We have family and friends who CARE but can't really relate to our situation. I'll call my son BB. He is a lovable guy, very big for his age, and as strong as a grown man when his adrenaline gets going. We fought medications for years, until it became clear he could not function without some sort of help. He takes Risperdal for his self aggressive behavior but has recently become extremely hyperactive. We are now trying meds for that. He has ALWAYS had issues with poor sleeping which have only intensified recently. Anyway, I could write a book, so I'll stop there. Welcome everyone to the board..I am Shelley and have a 7 year old daughter asd and a almost 17 year old dd (nt) ...You have found the right place for understanding , answers and a safe place to fall when you need it the most:) I hope everyone learns tons..we have the best resources online or any other message board! The nicest people too:) ...and modest! Post often and dont be shy:) Hello Sandra. A very warm welcome. I am looking forward to get to know you too. Elisabeth Welcome back rachel!!!! It does make you feel sooooo special and different when dealing with our different children...Glad to have you home Hello everyone, I am Jen, 30 year old female from British Columbia, Canada...I have an (almost) 7 year old boy, recently diagnosed with Autism.. He is VERY high functioning, he is such a sweet boy.. I also have a 4 year old daughter, Carmen who is NT.. Here they are! This is one of 2 pictures I have of him showing affection towards his sister, such a great moment captured on film..LOL I am pretty excited I found such an active forum as I have browsed a few and the posts are few and far between.. My son was just diagnosed this past Friday, Jan 4th. Even though I KNEW he was on the spectrum somewhere I was pretty hesitant to make any "friends" with people who are affected by ASD.. Im not very social in person (I think I may be under the spectrum also) and I feel more comfortable over the computer so I think this is going to be great for me.. I'm excited to get to know people! I guess I will see you around the forums! ~Jen Hi Jen. This is a lovely photo of your children. They are very cute. Have a good time here. Elisabeth Thanks Elisabeth
Hi everyone. I've been lurking and posting on the board for a few weeks. Thought I'd do a proper introduction. I'm Lauren, Mom to Jack with Baby #2 on the way in May (another boy :-) ) Jack is in the process of meeting with a Developmental Pediatrician (Early March). He is 28 months now, and has been in ST since 23 months. He has been diagnosed by a ST and a Multi-Disciplinary Clinic as having Dyspraxia of Speech (he is non-verbal at this point). However, he has had some other issues which compelled us to have him evaluated for possible ASD or PDD-NOS (carrying around groups of magnets, blocks, or cars; not pointing as an infant; possible issues with ideation/imaginary play). I have really enjoyed my time on the board thus far, and am learning so much! [QUOTE=gwenaa] . . . . i wanna find people who live close to me and are kinda close to my age(27) that are going through the same thing as me so we can help eachother. Welcome! you are likely to find this need here, but geography and age are irrelavent when it comes to support. Hi all....my name is Kim, and my 12 year old daughter is PDD-NOS. I also have a son, 5, who has congenital heart defects called Tetralogy of Fallot. I've always said that my son's heart defects, while serious and scary, are at times easier to deal with than my daughter's issues...at least with him I know what will happen, what the next steps are, what the expected results will be...and obviously with Melanie that's not the case....I'm a bit frustrated as of late, this last six months has been a struggle. We've gone from being in general ed 90% of the day, to about 10%, the agression has gotten so much worse, I swear every word that comes out of her mouth is an argument- no sense of taking responsibility for her actions, in the hospital a couple times,arrrrgh....so frustrated right now! I had a little hope the last time she was in the hospital (a month ago), and everyone from AEA was involved, helped me through filling out the forms for the mental health waiver (which has a huge waiting list)...and now that nothing has happened...we're just trying to get through each day. Now that I've introduced myself by whining :)....I am very glad to have found this place! And I'm not always so whiney, I swear ;) Welcome 12 is a hard age for anyone. I was expelled 3 times in eighth grade. Please share more of your concerns. No need to apolgize. This board is for sharing, not pretending. Bet it has something to do with that 4 letter word I keep throwing around here: PUB*TWelcome to the board! hello, my name is rachel. i have 3 children ages 9,6 and 2. i have 2 children with autism. my daughter regan (6yrs) was dx 2 years ago and is doing wonderful with ot/st. my son masen (2 yrs) was just dx last week and we began ot, but are on a waiting list for st. i have also just started the process to get him started in the early intervention program. i think that everyday i feel the negative and positive impacts that autism has made to our lives. it is a struggle , not only with my two children with autism, but also for my 9yr old "typical" son. however, i feel like i am a better person for the things our family has gone through. it is impossible to put into words how having 2 children with autism has touched my life. when you have a special needs child or children, you learn to appreciate what is truly important in life. i am thankful for finding this site, because it is nice to talk to other people who know what i'm going through. Hi gang! I have been away from the board for the last 4 months or so... used to be Tonysmom from NC. We moved to DE over Labor Day 2007 and love it here! I look forward to catching up with the old members, and getting to know the new ones. Mary Hi i'm Amanda mother to 4(almost 5) year old brady and 2 year old kyla. I found out on December 18th 07 so less then a month ago that brady was autistic. So now i'm diving in head first to get all the info i can to help my son. and also doing what i can to find out if my daughter also has it or not. i live in canada so i dont know if there are many canadians here or not but i wanna find people who live close to me and are kinda close to my age(27) that are going through the same thing as me so we can help eachother.i guess thats it for now nice to meet you all Amanda [QUOTE=gwenaa]Hi i'm Amanda mother to 4(almost 5) year old brady and 2 year old kyla. I found out on December 18th 07 so less then a month ago that brady was autistic. So now i'm diving in head first to get all the info i can to help my son. and also doing what i can to find out if my daughter also has it or not. i live in canada so i dont know if there are many canadians here or not but i wanna find people who live close to me and are kinda close to my age(27) that are going through the same thing as me so we can help eachother. Hi Amanda. Welcome. This is a good place to find info, learn and meet friends. Yes, there are Canadians here
Hi Ryansdad45 - Welcome to the board!! Glad you found this place, it will be a real help as you go through the normal ups and downs that come with ASDs. Hang in there, and take the time to process it all (even if you feel like your world has been turned upside down). I don't know about conquering it, but over time you definitely learn to work with it - and I've found this is a great spot for lots of help and support!!! Elissa  I'm from Canada, 32 years old, been married for 13 years and have 3 kids. Our son was diagnosed 7 years ago with moderate autism and as moderately intellectually delayed. My husband and I have recently decided to try the GFCF diet, so I hope to find information and support here. Hi.My name is Rodlene..that's ROd+lean....My son Isaiah has not be DX yet but we have taken him to early intervention and was told that there are signs that he is on the spectrum. On 1/31/08 we will take him to the Neuo. to get the offical DX. I am having a really hard time thus far, because I do not know where to start. He has been evaluated by an OT/ST so I am waiting for the days he can go. It seems like everything is on standstill while my soon to be two year old son seems like he is in another world. Ok sorry...My name is Rodlene and I live in Miami,Florida.My son is also an Isaiah!  Hi I am lisa a SAHM to Alexander who is 2years 7m. Alex was diagnosed with oral apraxia 4months ago and now he has been diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum..... I am interested to read other peoples stories and learn from them.
I am new to this whole thing...I think I may be in denial, too. I have a 21 month old son named Holden. He has always had trouble sleeping through the night- sometimes up every 15 min. We started him on Prevacid and by about 18 mos he started sleeping better. We started noticing that he is covering his ears a lot. He had quite a history of ear infections and got tubes- no infections after getting the tubes. He is an EXTREMELY picky eater- he will touch the food and if he does not like the feel of it, he will not eat it. He sometimes circles his toys, and his language is a lot of babble, but there are about twelve words that he uses ( all of them not perfect, but we know what he means). He stands on tip toe sometimes. We know that he fits the criteria for sensory integration disorder, as he has tactile and auditory issues, but here is where I have the problem: He is social, he makes good eye contact, he plays with toys appropriately ( he makes vrroom noises for cars and knows that people go in the cars, tries feeding a baby doll, etc.) he initiates conversation with us, he looks at things when we point. He is agile and active and enjoys playing with other children in imaginative play. Is it possible that he is just mildly autistic, or am I setting myself up for more heartbreak in believing this? Does anyone have a similar story?
Welcome ... I have a very similar situation with my daughter. She is "on the spectrum" but quite mild - just a speech delay and some unusual puzzle solving and sorting abilities very young. I was in denial - but as long as she gets services/assistance with her speech (at 2 she has approx 20 words). I don't care what they call it. We saw a Pedicatric Neurologist which was about the best thing to happen - she gave a full account of what to expect over the next year and how to immerse my daughter in more activities to stimulate speech. I read the intros and some other areas on the board ... but don't really post. I might start as my daughter progresses - b/c you don't see many follow ups from the mild side of the spectrum. I hope to hear/see your story soon! Hi everyone...My name is Melody and I am a 24 year old single stay at home Mommy to my little 15 month old little man Landyn. We live WAY up in the STICKS in NORTHERN MINNESOTA...where it is currently -15(yes thats 15 BELOW ZERO)...and in a windchill advisory...DANG ITS COLD HERE.... I have just recentlly began thinking about Autism/PDD after his hearing tests confirmed he DOES have good hearing in one ear...but he has all the signs and stuff....I would love to know anything and everything on this...i have been surfing the web since Monday and looking at everything possible...but im sure ive missed things....Like the diets....GFCF...it kinda confuses me...I have ordered a couple books...like Could it be Autism?, the jenny mccarthy one and another one dealing wiht how kids feel..Hope EVERYONE stays WARMHello to all, I am Mike, Mike I am...........do you like green eggs and ham? Anyway, I am the 39 year old father to our wonderful almost 17 year old autistic son Carter. I am new to this forum but not new to autism. We live in Northern California. Look forward to chatting with all of you.HI PHILMIKIPS /MIKE, Welcome to the board! I know I'm going to like you already. Starting out with a joke - I joke around alot on here too. You got to laugh, or else you'd be crying, right? Please make sure to post some Topics - we need to hear from parents with older children - a minority here (and everywhere these days, I guess). Hi Mike...I'm new here also. I will be interested to hear your perspective on getting through the teen years...we are just beginning...[QUOTE=andthensome] Welcome ... I have a very similar situation with my daughter. She is "on the spectrum" but quite mild - just a speech delay and some unusual puzzle solving and sorting abilities very young. I was in denial - but as long as she gets services/assistance with her speech (at 2 she has approx 20 words). I don't care what they call it. We saw a Pedicatric Neurologist which was about the best thing to happen - she gave a full account of what to expect over the next year and how to immerse my daughter in more activities to stimulate speech. I read the intros and some other areas on the board ... but don't really post. I might start as my daughter progresses - b/c you don't see many follow ups from the mild side of the spectrum. I hope to hear/see your story soon! [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Lisa_n_alex][QUOTE=andthensome]Welcome ... I have a very similar situation with my daughter. She is "on the spectrum" but quite mild - just a speech delay and some unusual puzzle solving and sorting abilities very young. I was in denial - but as long as she gets services/assistance with her speech (at 2 she has approx 20 words). I don't care what they call it. We saw a Pedicatric Neurologist which was about the best thing to happen - she gave a full account of what to expect over the next year and how to immerse my daughter in more activities to stimulate speech. I read the intros and some other areas on the board ... but don't really post. I might start as my daughter progresses - b/c you don't see many follow ups from the mild side of the spectrum. I hope to hear/see your story soon!
Hi It sounds just like my story.....Alex was diagnosed with Verbal Apraxia recently and then we were told to go and see a neurologist. The neuro announced last week that Alex was on the autistic spectrum but very mild.. how did your neuro come to this diagnoses with your daughter,did she carry out any tests at all? Did she base her diagnosis on just observing and talking to you to get some kind of case history? I would like to hear your experiences. thanks Hello My name's Kasey and my son will be three in a few days. He has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS. He's been getting Speech therapy since August and has made tremendous strides in language development. He will be starting preschool the day he turns three and will continue to receive speech therapy. He is also set to get an OT evaluation for some sensory issues. I just finished a Master's degree in Child Psychology and I had my suspicions that my son was on the spectrum since he was 18 months old. I was in denial and let any bit of progress deter me from getting him evaluated. As a result, I am a big proponent of "just in case" evaluations. Currently, I work full-time, but I plan to switch to working part-time with children on the spectrum in the near future. I know how hard it can be to get the courage and support to get a child evaluated and I hope to be able to help others get through it. I also look forward to learning more about others' experiences to help me get the right supports for my son. Hello everyone, I was referred here by a friend and I am thankful for that. Thanks MissNippy! Well I am a mother of three children. A girl 11 and boy 8 neither with any problems. My youngest is 5 and was diagnosed on Dec 31 with ASD. As you can see I am very new to this. I am lucky because in my school district their are county schools that specialize in special needs children. Through them I was able to get my son in preschool because he is years behind for kindergarten. He is getting speech therapy and we are doing PT at home. I am still trying to get this all worked out but it is hard. Right now I think my biggest fear is he will not be ready for kindergarten. Bad news is he has to attend next year regardless of whether he is ready or not. The plus side is the school system has special needs and regular students in the same classroom. This I like a lot. My son can memorize movies and commercials very easy. He is easily frustrated and throws temper tantrums a lot. I can only get him to eat cereal, chicken nuggets, cheese, pancakes, and a variety of drinks. He chews on his clothes, blankets, towels all the time and when they get wet he gets upset and has to change. Over the past year we were able to make him keep his shoes on when not at home. He does not ask for things or tell us how he is feeling. He mimics the emotional responses of his siblings but does not show any himself. There are so many other things to numerous to write. I know there is a long journey ahead for me and my children. I am glad there is support out their like this. I look forward to the conversation and advice. Howdy, I am the dad of a 7 year old son diagnosed with Autism, ADD, OCD, ODD, and some other acronyms. Looking forward to sharing ideas on how to help my son, and how to just get through the day sometimes.Lots of new parents! Welcome and start threads to ask questions. Try search too for lots of good stuff. This is a friendly place. I am a HFA mom of a successful autistic adult son and less affected daughter. (also successful of course) I am planning on autistic grand children some day. Hi everyone,
We just joined and are glad to have found this message board. Our amazing 6 year old son Ian was diagnosed with PDD-NOS in November '07. Since it's mild, we had no idea that he was on the spectrum. This news came as a great shock to us. We've already had the school start the evaluation process for the IEP, and have had numerous other evaluations done. Our son is now receiving ST once a week and just had his OT evaluation done. Looks like he also has SPD. We have learned so much over the past 3 months and will continue to do everything possible to get our son all the help he needs to be successful and happy in life. This is just the beginning of a long journey, but we will find our way through all the twists and turns that lay ahead. It's nice to have a place to come to for extra support and we look forward to being a part of this community.
Peace,
Nicki & Craig I am a newbie, I have one son who was dx with ASD and SID/SPD. We have had our battles with everyone. I have been told by many people in my community that I would be a great parent advocate for the community I live in. I think that if you sit back and do nothing for your child, then that is child abuse. Children can't fight for there right, parent have too. It just gets under my skin when I see these children who have parents who don't take the time to learn what is wrong with there child. I just wonder sometimes if I ask every parent who has a child on an IEP what is wrong with there child how many would know?? Well that is my take on things, and if I can help I will try, I am very new to the school system, but have learned that they will get you if they can. Angelezeyze1228,Welcome to the board! (I mean that). I can already see that you and I will probably butt heads often. That's okay, it what makes this board interesting. Always remember here - when disagreements arise, they are not meant to be taken personally. I may disagree with something you say, and through other responses or second thoughts change my mind, and vice versa. So ... I debated whether or not to respond to your post in PDD-NOS Topic (I think that was the title). I didn't understand where you were coming from and thought your way of thinking didn't make sense. I decided it truly was only my opinion, and let it go. Now in the above post, I feel the same way. However when you bring other parents into it, I have to disagree. QUOTE "I think that if you sit back and do nothing for your child, then that is child abuse. ... It just gets under my skin when I see these children who have parents who don't take the time to learn what is wrong with there child. I just wonder sometimes if I ask every parent who has a child on an IEP what is wrong with there child how many would know??"QUOTE Please remember not all parents are as strong as you are. Many cannot afford to have advocates fighting for them, and even if they could, may not be able to navigate the system to find one. I really don't believe that they sit back and do nothing out of choice. There are parents who aren't capable of understanding what is wrong (the term "wrong" isn't "right" with me, but I know what you meant) with child. ASD is a very complicated dx, even for those of us who are college educated. Imagine if you didn't have a decent education, maybe even couldn't read, or yourself were learning disabled, how hard it would be to understand ASD? There are many parents in U.S. for whom English is a second language. In certain cultures ASD isn't considered a "severe"(for lack of better term) disability and would just let their child progress naturally, which would be the way to go where they come from. Many may have other family problems, or illness and just can't devote the time to their child. You and I are so unbelievably lucky that we do not fall into any of the above categories (I think). I have much misery and problems going on in my life aside from my son's DX , as do many others. There are many times when I cannot devote the attention he needs, must miss IEP meetings, etc. But I would hope no one would see me as being abusive. The only true definition of abuse to me are the parents that purposefully neglect, physically harm or mentally torture their children. Yes, my posts are always horribly long as you will come to see. I am often a controversial poster. Whenever someone calls me on something I've written I see it as a learning experience, and go from there. I am not trying to put you down in any way, nor am I saying what I have written above is the only way that is right. It is just my opinion, and you are entitled to yours. I know you are saying "What a b*tch" - oh well, to be expected (lol!) Peace Out! I do understand where you are coming from, but where I am coming from is my husband family has many disabilities, every niece and nephew of my husbands has a delay of some type. Example is my husband’s sister has two children which one has mild delays and the other has severe delays. She has ask many times to help her figure out what she needs to help her child, I have giving it to her on a silver platter and she does nothing. The only reason she ask in the first place is my mother-inlaw gets on her case pushing her children aside. After I do all I can, due to confidentiality I can’t make the appointments and sign the forms, she don’t try because now that she has “tried” her mom gets off her back. You got my point, this is what I consider child abuse, but again that is my opinion. Just so you may can see my picture more clear, I was 16 yr old when I gave birth to Noah, a teen mom, and my husband (Noah’s dad) was 18 yr old, we were young but we made it. We both graduated high school and I have graduated college too, Nursing. When Noah was 1 ½ yr old when his dad was sent to Iraq for 15 months, Noah was three when he returned. In that time period Noah was Dx from a private company, CDSA, as ASD, from there we were referred to TEACCH and was put on a waiting list. Two years later after two years of ST, OT, and PT and being enrolled in development day center, we got the invitation to get the official dx. We when on an day journey to get all the little test completed so at the end of the day all the staff that interacted with Noah sat down with me and my husband to discuss the finding, they said Noah fell under PDD-NOS, but because of the early intervention that is why Noah had progressed so far, so they stated that they thought that PDD-NOS would fail Noah in the long run, so they made the decision to Dx Autism. In NC school system they don’t recognize PDD-NOS, but they do autism on the IEP. Hope you understand me. Since then we came along with more dx like OCD, and SID/SPD. We attend sensory therapy outside of school once a week, and so on. Ok my biggest point is how many 16 yr old moms take the time to deal with there child, I know there are that few like me, but most time grandparents end up raising the child. So being said I was that mom that was in shock when I heard the first dx, thinking why me I am 17 yr old, and why my child. Now I look back and I am grateful that I have this special gift in my life, but do think that the reason some children overcome things is because of the parents. Point again is if a dr. walks in the rooms or wherever and says you child has a special need, I think it is 100% the parents responsibility to see that the child gets the care needed, not the dr., and I see so many child failed upon because a parents says “well I have to work and ect…” excuses. As a parent do a little homework when you find out, do some research or get on forum and talk to parents with gifted children. And libraries are free and provide internet access. There is no excuse to fail your child, I work full time, when to school full time and had a husband in Iraq when I discovered something was going on with Noah. But this is all my opinion. Sorry (truly) for using the word wrong, I was having a brain fart and couldn’t think of a better word, but how bout “when something is going on with there child” My husbands name is Anthony Last of all, I wasn’t offended by you response at all, I would love to have you opinion, not to butt heads, but as a guide to help me learn, I am young and I don’t know everything, I just try to help the best I can, but what I think is best may not be best. I see that you gift is older than mine, so teach me!! I have a long road ahead of me. Thank you!!
Welcome Nicki & Craig, and all the other recent newbies!
Columbia mom - If its any consolation, My ds walked, talked at a very early age. My daughter was very delayed in these areas. She is NT and He has autism, so my point is, try not to worry yet - there is plenty of time. Every kid develops at their own pace. Welcome to both of you!! I'm sure you will love being here. We are all here for support and to help with info as best we can. Amanda, I really like your spunk and I just wanted to say how lucky your son is to have you as his advocate. You are very young but it sounds like you have it together for yourself and family. I have a son about your age (21?) and am one of the older parents here and I hope we can all learn from each other. Welcome, Merry I think most important thing I have learned as the parent of a child with a disability is not to judge other parents or care givers, because most of the time we are all doing the very best we can. I know I've made mistakes, it's part of being a parent, and while in hindsight the things we "should" have done may be crystal clear, things are always as cut and dried as they may appear to others. welcome to the board...it's been very helpful for me to see the different opinions, options, etc. available here and I hope it will be helpful for you also. Hi all.I am new too. I search for "autism forum" and found this. My 1 Y 9 M boy known to have a pdd-NOS a month ago. i am still a confuse mom. I am not an english speaker so will still need to learn a lot in this forum. :)
mattewsmom(sherri) Hi - thanks to those who have welcomed me but I was just wondering if there is a glossary of the abbreviations used here (NT, etc.) - I am new to this and to chat rooms in general (I grew up right on the line between an Internet and non-Internet generation) so please excuse my ignorance! I am looking forward to getting lots of good info and support here - thanks again! ColumbiamomLady sixxer
Welcome Home Cant say enuf about this site it has been a blessing for me... MOMDay Welcome to our home.....we are always here for u...... Hi my name is Sue,my daughter Emily is 12yrs old and was diagnosed with pdd-nos in december,i just found this web site today and I,m so thankful ,although emilys problems are mild ,mainly its hard for her to make friends,she is starting puberty and is very emotional,I,m never really sure if its the pdd or her hormones,I know she feels isolated sometimes,but finds it hard to talk about things that are bothering her,I;m always alert for any changes ,she spends a lot of time playing alone,but she is such a sweet kid and anyone should be proud to call her a friend,she loves animals and reads alot ,even though they told me she is also dyslexic,but has compensated very well for this.Any tips on anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated,ThanksI'm the father of three boys, ages 4.5 3.5 and 1, with a baby due in August. We have custody of our 4.5 nephew Alex who was diagnosed in early 2007. I'm a work at home dad who was born with cerebal palsy and water on the brain. Have my associates degree in business. I'm a busty work at home dad in New Jersey. I'm self employed and enjoy Porsches and offshore fishing. Was born in New York moved to Joisey in 1990. Hello, my name is Becka and I am in my final year of a psychology degree. I am currently doing my dissertation and would be very grateful if anyone would be willing to help me. I am trying to prove that some autistic children are equal if not more advanced in their development of basic maths skills, compared to non autistic children. I am asking children of around 5 and 10 if they would complete a short age appropriate maths tests that takes about 5 minutes. If you are a parent of a child that fits this criteria and you are happy for me to send you more information about it, and possibly letting your child complete a test please contact me on: becka_psy3@hotmail.co.uk . Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.  Hi, my name is Mandy. I'm so completely new to all of this and just trying to do my research to figure some of it out. Maybe some of you can help me. My son Landon just turned 3 yrs old. I have probably always felt like something was off, but over the past six months we couldn't explain it away anymore. Landon is very loving and affectionate (mostly with me), and he does occasionally play with his sisters (6yrs, and 1yr.)he seems interested in other children but acts as though he doesn't understand what to do. His speech is delayed, he is obsessed with cars and lining them up (and if his little sister touches one he has fits) my dad owns a carwash and Landon has literally sat in his stroller for hours watching the cars get washed (he still screams when I make him come back inside) he twirles his hair a good majority of the day (and anyone elses) he dosen't understand how to answer a lot of questions like... his name, or age, whether he is a boy or girl. I have often said its like the light is off, but other times to other questions he answers as if there isn't any problem. I never realized walking on his tip toes was a sign or many of the others I've named. I mean we have all heard or watched a show about the classic symptoms of autism but he can make eye contact and hug, most of the time no one would realize that he has any problems. We go for testing to find out for sure in a couple of days, but his ped. feels is is high-functioning autism. What is the difference between the autism spectrum and pdd, are they the same thing? any info on what to expect during the diagnois process would be helpful. Thanks!Hi I am new to this board. My name is Kathy and my husband and I have 2 sons. I have homeschooled both my boys for many years. My oldest son is gifted and has no disabilities. He is off to public high school this fall. My youngest son is 10 and he was born with spina bifida and hydrocephlus. When he was 9 he was diagnoised with high-functioning autism. He also has a host of other diagnoises--he deals with anxiety disorder. I'm glad to have found this site. I have to run now. Thanks Kathy Hi I too am new to this board. I responded to a couple of posts but realize I never introduced myself. My name is Terry and my wonderful husband and I have two great kids, Richard who is 7 and Katie who is 2.5. The last year and a half has been incredibly trying for our family as Richard has had a host of health problems mostly related to his kidneys and respiratory system. He's had many surgical procedures and just when we felt he was out of the woods, Katie was diagnosed PDD-NOS. She is a beautiful happy little girl who I thought only suffered with language and sensory issues. When she was diagnosed last month my world collapsed. In my dark moments I am angry with God and wonder how he could do this to me. I have watched my son on death's door and my daughter happy in her own world. Then there are moments when the sun shines on me and I feel truly blessed to have these beautiful children no matter what their limitations may be. I am grateful to have found this site as I read more and more about other parents who struggle with the same difficulties. Thank you for allowing me to join your club. Hi my name is Denise I have a question for you guys I have been reading about medications given for pre term labor I was given Magnisium sulfate for 18 days with my daughter and she has always had developmental delays and I was wondering if anyone out there has a child with problems that just had magnisium through an IV Iam really concerned this my have caused the problems or has anyone heard of this medication causing this kind of problem in childrenHi everyone, My 2.5 year old daughter Anna was just diagnosed autistic today. I have suspected this for a few months now, so I am not surprised, but still heartbroken. I have been lurking here for a couple of weeks as part of my "crash course" in autism. There are some amazing posters here and I look forward to getting to know you. Anna's twin sister Lauren is also speech delayed (though not to such a great extent as Anna, who is presently nonverbal) and their speech therapist has recommended I have her evaluated as well due to a number of specific language and social deficits. We're waiting for that evaluation now. Welcome to all recently dx newbies we are here for you.... [QUOTE=denise62]Hi my name is Denise I have a question for you guys I have been reading about medications given for pre term labor I was given Magnisium sulfate for 18 days with my daughter and she has always had developmental delays and I was wondering if anyone out there has a child with problems that just had magnisium through an IV Iam really concerned this my have caused the problems or has anyone heard of this medication causing this kind of problem in children[/QUOTE]
Good Question~! I had Mag too. Anyone know about research on this? Hi Denise, I had not heard of any connections to magnesium and delayed development, but I have wondered what the effect of those medicines that stop labor would have on the baby (long term) I was also on magnesium for differing amounts of time with all three of my children, I was also on long term breathin to stop contractions. The side effects of the medicines are so horrible and strong it does lead you to wonder what kind of damage was being done to our babies. Please keep me up to date on any more info on the subject. We go today to have the first step in diagnoising our 3yr old with possible autism , and my 6yr old daughter has ADHD and depression, the youngest is only 1 and seems to be doing well, but I was on the labor stopping medications the longest with her. HELLO EVERYBODY!My name is Tamar, Happy to find this new forum and to share knowledge. I have a nephew, 14 years old with autism, he lives in a special hostel in Israel together with 16 other members of all ages. When i last visited, i spent some time with him and saw how he changed within two hours that we had spent together during the first visit to see him.I felt wonderful and very fulfilled afterwards. Of course the same happened the next few times i saw him within my visit in Israel. A very good friend of mine has twins, a boy and girl they are 5.5 yrs. old, the girl is autistic and i do not know what level because i understand that it has many within this spectrum. She is a delight, very different from my nephew communication wise. I would very much like to know where i can learn more on how i can work with these kids and what do i need to do so. I heard of a course called ABA, and for some reason i cannot find one in south Florida (i live in Davie). can some one tell me where to start, what to look into ?? I do not have a degree, i finished school in Israel (born and raised there)I'm not sure what kind of background i need, but i know that this is something very special and important and i would love to know that i can do something for these special kids. Thank you so much, Tamar Hello -
I need support!  My name is Barb and I'm happy to finally have answers! My son was dx 1 mo ago at 16 with as. I wish I knew earlier in his life, but I can't change the past. I lost the instruction manual to my children. Now, we have the knowledge to pass on to our (hopefully not too near future) grandchildren! We're 98% sure that his dad has it, too. hello all! my names lea, i live in washington state, and i have two kids, jake's 5 and autistic, and rain's 4 and diabetic. my son was just dx last year. as many have said, it does change everything in your life from that day forward. it's nice to finally find a place to chat about it. Hi,My name is Lynn and I have a 10 year old Autistic son Jamie, a 13 year old daughter, a 15 year old stepson and have been married to Tom for just over 3 years. He treats my kids like his own, and to add to the mix we have 5 dogs of varying size and age. Life can be pretty stressful at times but as parents of ASD kids know, we just keep going and focus on the good days. I have phases of dealing with day to day and then I go into a phase where I go searching for all the information I can find, usually when we are faced with a new challenge with Jamies autism. Hi, I'm Ashley, and I'm from Canada. I'm fourteen years old (15 in the spring), but mature for me age. I am now doing my high school courses online, and have taken autism teaching classes so I can work with these amazing kids during the day. These kids are just so precious as you all know. The smiles on their faces just make it all worth while. I find this almost funny because when I was preg with my 1st child an Autistic boy of 16yrs attacked me, that freaked me out I was afraid of kids with disabilities. Not now Im starting to understand why and he didnt mean to hurt me. The diagnosis for my son isn't finished. I noticed something wrong when he was 1 he had constant ear, throat, and yeast infections. I took him to the Dr almost weekly telling them he cant hear me. By 2-3yrs old the Dr. said Im not doing my job he should be potty trained,and talking. So I said again he cant hear me, I had to cry and complain for a referral to a ENT specialist. He had 3 sets of ear tubes in the next year. There was still no progress, a teacher at my sons school saw Hayden when I was dropping 10yr old off looked at Hayden and said he should start coming here and they started assessing him. Again even with the teachers behind me, they wouldnt refer me, so I cried and yelled. By 4yrs I finally got him to a developemental ped who said it was just mild Dyspraxia,even after I told him of the obsession. That Dr did nothing for me, so at age 5 I stopped going to him. I have a new family Dr now who saw Autism right away, mabey ADHD too. He refered me to a new ped whos ordering tests and listens to me! Also put in an urgent request for a developemental clinic. As I wait on the blood tests a package came that Dr dumb did send in a referal to a developemental clinic. I havent heard from his office in almost 2yrs. I have been depressed about the progress for my son since he was 2,on boxing day of this year I took him to the childrens hospital crying, he doesnt want to eat anymore, he doesnt sleep good still(hes been on the couch for almost 1yr)his obsession leads to tantrums almost all day. They said you should be taking anti-depressents cause your son may be that one to slip through the cracks! He may never get a diagnosis! I said thanks for your help (not) I have to have patience for the Dr.s as well as my son. This quote of Evan Almighty got to me. When you ask God for patience he doesnt give you patience but the oppurtunity to be patient. Im not asking anymore! Jennyren Welcome------ it will be okay you can make it we are here for you.... Hello, My name is Tanya and my 4.5 y.o. son Finn has been diagnosed with autistic disorder. He is an adorable little guy with a lot of personality and spunk. Finn loves to sing, dance, assemble puzzles and play with blocks and trains. Our favorite show is the Hoobs and the reason for my login name. Finn has attended special education preschool for a year and we are going to attempt to learn and apply ABA therapy in our home. We are considering homeschooling. I would love to meet and learn from any parents with a positive experience with ABA in the home. Hi! I am Stormy C. I have a son who is Asberger's Syndrome with ADHD. My husband and I are both professionals in the field of education for exceptional children also. My husband is well published for his research in the field of Autism. Our son is a joy. Even though we have to carefully plan things so that he is prepared for them, he is an absolute joy! We love him so much. He is also really smart and has overcome many obstacles, including learning to speak. He still sounds like he's from eastern Europe, but that's okay. Its so much better than when we didn't understand him at all. We also have a daughter who is pure joy to us as well. She has no disabilities but gets into trouble easy. Fortunately, our son's autism makes him follow rules to the letter so he looks out for his sister. I am very happy with my family and I hope I can be of some help to people in this forum. Because my husband is a professional in the field, please allow me to remain anonymous. I hope I can be of help. Hello :) I have posted a few times, but never introduced myself, I am a SAHM to ds, who is 25 months. He was dx'd with ASD ( PDD NOS) at 19 months of age. He is doing really well with all his therapies so far, he has had too many positives to list recently :) I am very hopeful that he will be high functioning when he is older and able to live a full life. I am currently pregnant with #2, due in January, another boy. Hello everyone. My name is Amy, and my daughter Laura is almost 4 years old. I've been searching for more information regarding PDD and found this site. Laura hasn't been diagnosed yet - her pediatrician told me that she feels she definitely has a PDD, and has almost all the symptoms of autism. Laura will be going to UVA (University of Virginia) in February for a full evaluation. I wish they could have scheduled it sooner, as I want to get whatever help for Laura that she needs. She's already in speech therapy, and her preschool has requested an evaluation for her from the School Board. I'm so new to this, so I'll probably have lots of questions for everyone here. Thanks! Amy Hello, my name is Elissa. I am a mother of a child with Asperger's Syndrome. I am new to this forum and I really look forward to gaining some advice and strategies from other people as well as sharing my own. Regards, Elissa.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I own Transcendent Yoga Center in Piscataway NJ. ASD has effected me deeply, I have a close family member that has Autism and there were no programs when he was growing up that helped parents and children deal with the issues of ASD from increased levels of anxiety to disorentation and tactile sensitivity. I am very aware of the economic hardship on families that have children with special needs, and I make my programs affordable for all and never charge extra for Therapeutic Yoga. If anyone has any questions about how to incorporate yoga into their child's life, or is a teacher looking for ideas for special needs children, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a wonderful day. Cheryl Hi All, my name is Ecki and I'm in Sullivan County, New York. I have 2 kids on the specturm. My oldest Laurie is 6 and is gifted with PDD-NOS. My youngest Kayla is 3 and she has Down syndrome and was additionally dx'd with autism in April. Hoping to find some good answers to some questions! Hi Ecki, Hopefully you will find some of the answers that you are searching for. If I can share any ideas or information, I would be more than happy to. Look forward to hearing from you, Elissa Hi Everyone! It is me again. I did not realize I had made a typing mistake on my name so I started over. I happened to be looking for info about PDD qhen I found this website./ I am a single parent with a 6 year old boy who has been diagnosed on and off with PDD. I am at the moment fighting with the school staff being that they want to dump my son to another school becuase of behavioral issues. I am by no means going to let anyone mess up my kids future so here I am ready for another fight. It is ridiculous the way some schools avoid dealing with challenging kids.Hi Everyone! I happened to be looking for info about PDD qhen I found this website./ I am a single parent with a 6 year old boy who has been diagnosed on and off with PDD. I am at the moment fighting with the school staff being that they want to dump my son to another school becuase of behavioral issues. I am by no means going to let anyone mess up my kids future so ehre I am ready for another fight.TO MOMMYOFONE HI ,I AM ALSO A SINGLE PARENT OF A 10 YEAR OLD WITH AUTISM AND TOTALLY UNDERSTAND YOUR "ANOTHER FIGHT" SITUATION.IT SEEMS I AM ALWAYS FIGHTING SCHOOL BOARDS FOR THAT WITCH JOEY IS LEGALY INTIDELED TO.HE IS AT A CHARTER SCHOOL FOR AUTISM AND THREE DAYS AGO I WAS TOLD NO MORE TRANSPORTATION WILL BE OFFERED.AS I AM DISABLED AND DON'T DRIVE THIS IS A PROBLEM.THEY SAY SINCE WE ARE BOTH DISABLED WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND SOME PROGRAM TO HELP US WITH TRANSPORTATION.THE BATTLE NEVER STOPS.IT COMES DOWN TO OTHER PEOPLE (ADMINISTRATIONS) CHOOSING BOTTOM LINE AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH OVER SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDRENS BEST INTEREST.GOOD LUCK TO YOU! I AM TRYING TO FIND MY SON AN ADVOCATE THAT WE CAN AFFORD.I KNOW AT THIS POINT THERE WILL ALL WAYS BE ANOTHER FIGHT AROUND THE BEND.I ACCEPT IT AND STRIVE TO BECOME A BETTER FIGHTER FOR MY SON. GOD BLESS MICHAEL To Michael, Mommyofone or anyone else currently going through this school stuff, In Maine, the Autism Society of Maine will provide you with an advocate free of charge. I know they have a program for training people to be what is called an Information Specialist but they also have access to professional advocates. Try the Autism Society in your state for more information. Good luck! It shouldn't be so hard to get what our children need. It should be a cooperative effort on the part of the school and parents for the child but it always seems to become an "us against the school system" fight. Someday maybe things will change. Until then we as parents MUST try to work with the schools and when we can't then we have to fight.
My daughter is 5 years old, she was diagnosed with speech delays at age 2 and PDD-NOS at age 4. She was born full term, but jaundiced, with most development on track, except for speech. She also was kind of a "loner" kid, played by herself, lined up the toys, didn't follow me around the house. She did show signs of hyperlexia at a young age, once she could articulate words. No speech before 2, she started intensive speech therapy at 2 1/2 and made strides about every 6 months or so. At age 4 her new pediatrician spotted signs of PDD and referred her the the behavioral specialist. As a new mom, I couldn't see all the signs, although I knew she was different from other kids. Now she is in the regular class at school, with speech and fine motor therapy included. She still has meltdowns when the schedule deviates, prefers to sleep on the floor or in her camping tent and it is strange watching her try to play soccer, as she tends to stand and look in the opposite direction when she isn't spinning I have had great experiences with our health care provider and the local school district. Great site! Hi all, I'm Sally mom to 3 boys. Ben 12, Jacob 11 (pdd-nos and a multitude of other dx's but we are going with the working dx of Austism) and Max 4. I have been married for 17 yrs. I am a SAHM and a choreographer/manager of a volunteer dance troupe. We knew there was something different with Jacob from birth, actually before birth, he would push against anything that came in contact with my tummy and was generally irritable! He was colicky for 4 months, yes count them 4 long months!! He is only 15 months younger than Ben and Ben is a go, go, go kid. So I used to joke that Jacob was shy and lived in Ben's shadow! Anyhow, fast forward to Preschool, that is when the real troubles started! He refused to participate in the circle activities and would yell at the top of his lungs when they played instruments "because he couldn't hear his own drum!" I pulled him from the preschool when the teacher was being totally unreasonable and wouldn't make allowances for him during circle time (I guess I knew at this point but hadn't done any of the investigation) We ended up getting him tested for Autism when he was 4 but he didn't fall within the spectrum. He was dx's with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Sigh, problems continued, Grade one, he ran away from school, threw chairs pushed desks, hit the principal... you name it, it happened. 2002-2003 was a hell year for us! A great thing was that Max was born in the november when Jacob was in grade 1. Of course this was a big change for Jacob. Then my mom was dx'd with inflammatory breast cancer (a very aggressive and deadly form - she has battled it and won btw!!) in the January and then in March Max got very sick, he had a blood infection! he ended up in hospital, with them thinking he had Meningitis! So picture this, I'm stood there in hospital with my baby who is about to have a spinal tap and my mother calls from home (just having chemo) and says the school called to say Jacob has run away and they can't find him!!!! Oh I so thought my world was going to cave in!! After a zillion tests and mega doses of antibiotics and a week in hosp, Max got better!! Yeah! Jacob ended up going off the deep end, hence many trips to docs and specialists at Children's Hosp. He went through the many different depts, with many different dx's. Everything under the sun. We had a working dx of Early Childhood onset Bipolar and that stuck for a couple of years. Of course that didn't generate any special needs hours at school, sigh. The school was awesome and bent over backward to support him. After a few major meltdowns and trips to the emergency psych at childrens and many, many meetings with docs etc, he was placed in a 6 week inpatient program where they were still working with the bp dx but it was evident there was something else. They got him in a good frame of mind and taught us lots of behavioural plans to use at home. These worked for a while but then he ended back in hosp. They readmitted him to the program and this time they tested him for Autism! The psychologist said that if he had got him at the beginning of his admission he would have tested way more on the spectrum but by the time he tested him, Jacob was calm and comfortable in the environment. Finally a dx that made sense. The doc in charge of psych dept kicked butt and got us Autism funding and also at home respite help! Basically said that this was a case of keeping a child out of the foster system as he could not be at home without us having help. We have 2 other kids and would not be able to manage him. Voila, help at home and letters to take to school for support. Last year was the first successful year he has had! He actually went to school!!! yeah, and stayed there!!! His SEA's rocked, and he blossomed! He is at middle school this year and I'm having to practically start all over again teaching them about him. But at least I have the back up of his psychiatrist and social workers etc. So here I am, this is me and my family! I have looked for an autism support board for a long time and someone found this and sent me the link! I am on a parenting bipolar kids board but he so doesn't fit there. I have made some close friends on that board so I stay but you guys definately get "it" more. If you read this, thanks, if you didn't I understand as it went on forever lol! There is lots and lots more but as you know our lives are jam packed full of such events and lots of fun, fun!!!!!! Glad to meet you all, Sally Welcome to the board, it is truely a great place for understanding and knowledgeable people and you seem like you will fit right in and have alot to add. It sounds like you had a rough few years with your boys and family, sounds like you all came out on top I had a similar situation with Michael, I knew there was something wrong early on, and my pregnancy was a nightmare really. Sent him to preschool and the same thing happend as what you stated, He didin't participate in activities, spent most times rattling supply cabinet and trying to push tables and chairs around. The teacher was unequipped to handle him. So, at 3.5 he was evaluated and dx with pdd and immediately placed in special classes . anyway, Welcome again hope to chat with you soon. carol
Hi Carol, Thanks for the welcome and nice to meet you! And bless you for reading my novel! lol, I looked back and rolled my eyes at how long it is. When I get on a roll there is no stopping me! lol My name is Melissa and I live in West Michigan with my husband and 4 kids. Matthew is 13 and has had the ADHD dx since he was 4. At one time they thought he was PDD-NOS but we don't use that label at school. In Michigan its OHI...otherwise Health Impaired. He has always been borderline OCD but at this time no meds to treat it. School is a constant struggle. He had his tonsils out just before school started and it has helped a great deal with his sleeping. He is on half the dosage of Adderal compared to last year. Overall...I think he is doing terrific just that having ADHD and a bit of OCD makes for a difficult time with a teenager. lol Our Jesse is 11 and by the age of 2 he was dx with Autism. He had the classic signs...rocking and banging of his feet into the walls and floor, sensory issues, no eye contact, non verbal, tantrums..oh my LORD the screaming we went thru lol...Toilet problems until age 4 when he decided on his own to potty train himself. When he was dx the Ped never gave me hope that he would get better...gave me no direction. I had to fight for a full blown Hearing Eval to make sure he could hear. I went thru that mourning period...at that time I was also going thru a Twin Miscarriage..so I was a mess. I had to pull myself together and then I got angry and then the thirst to learn everything set it. I got him into the Early On program and we got home therapy that included Speech and we went to a center for Special Needs and had a playgroup 2 times a week that involved all therapies. This was not just for Autism though...back then the ABA therapy was not something I had heard of or offered to us. We did a lot of floor time with Jesse just playing in his world and slowly he let us in. At 2 1/2 yrs he said his first word: D'Donald Yep...my kid couldn't say Mommy or Daddy or tell us he wanted his bottle or blankie but he knew what the Golden Arches were and he knew the right word. lol The first few times we did as he asked...but when we didn't the tantrums would set in. We lived thru the dirty looks at the store and many time I would be honest and say "THANK GOD your children AREN'T Autistic! That usually brought on the compassion instead of judgement. He started PPI (I think they call it ECDD Now)...and the school when he was 4 refused his label of Autism. They felt he was showing progress and it would do more harm than good to label him Autistic. They kept his Speech label but refused OT. We moved 2 mos later and the new school adopted the IEP in place but amend to give him OT. The new school was really great about listening to my concerns and suggestions. They gave him a quiet place to go in the cloak room so Jesse could settle down they also gave him a Sit n Spin to help him feel grounded. They were great. We moved yet again (age 8) and they again adopted the same IEP just set new goals. He wasn't due for a MET (this is when the whole team comes together to reassess and test to make sure the label is appropriate) until he was 10. At that time he was losing his Speech Label and using the OHI (for his ADD) just didn't sit right with the School social worker. She called me and asked if anyone had suggested Autism with Jesse. I told her to dig DEEP into his school records and if it wasn't there I could bring her my copies. They did a full assessment and I did one with the Psych and we all agreed on the same label/dx Jesse indeed is a High Functioning Autistic/Aspergers. He is a little professor..can give you facts and is very artistic. He can't spell very well and his reading is still in the 3rd grade level even though he is in 5th grade. He excels in Math and Science and his verbal skills are 4 yrs older than his classmates. Not bad for the kid who was nonverbal and the Ped told me back then he would probably NEVER learn to talk. He is 1/2 day main stream and the other in a Resource room. Our school is looking towards Inclusion which I am in full support of for those kids who are ready for it like Jesse.Gosh this post is getting long. This is what I get for having 4 kids. lol Now to Gabriel, the Psych has him at PDD-NOS/ADHD and the school uses the OHI label. We are looking into the Autism Label for him this Spring when we redo his MET. I didn't see the signs of Autism the way I did with Jesse because Jesse had the classic signs then he outgrew them ... so we thought. What he truly did was learn to adapt but the Autism was always there for those skilled enough to look past the rest. Gabe has many signs also, but I think I was denial. It was hard enough having 1 child with it...then to have another it breaks my heart. He has had sensory issues, walked on tip toes until age 3, struggled with potty training until age 4, still doesn't eat well and many weeks on end the only thing he ate was PB and J. He is skin and bones and I get the same speech..he will eat when he is hungry. ugh He surprised me since going back to school...his eating picked up and he managed to gain 7 lbs in one month. That was a celebration for him. Our biggest struggle with Gabe is he is very obstinate ... very defiante. He used to run off...we have had the State Police bring him home a couple of times. He is slowly outgrowing those things but I just think there is a piece of the puzzle missing with him. The good thing is our school district is great about working with me and they have trusted my instincts when it came to the kids and their issues.As for my daughter Emma, well she is struggling. She was born 6 wks early and spent 10 days in the NICU. She is very tall but emotionally she is behind some. She is repeating Kindergarten and has improved but we think she has some Visual perception issues possibly Dyslexia. I was asked to help interview and hire a new Spec. Ed teacher for our Lower Elementary and the teacher I liked and we hired specializes in Dyslexia and identifying children before 3rd grade. Schools refuse to even think about it until that age. She has done a lot with Visual Therapy and I am looking forward to her assessing Emma soon. If you are still reading my long intro...God bless you. I know I didn't mention a lot of details..I truly tried to keep it simple. lol I told you all about the kids and nothing about me. My husband and I have been married almost 14 yrs and I have been a SAHM pretty much the whole time...who can work when your kids need so much attention. I am actually getting ready to go back to school to be an Office Admin looking into Medical. I can't afford to go to 2 or 4 yr degree. My hope is to get a better paying job and then go back to school and go into Social Work specializing in Special Needs. I was asked by our school to represent the district on the County level at the Parent Advisory Committee. I also suggested to our Special Ed. Supervisor that we form a Parent Org for the Special Needs parents in our district. We hope to get that going in the next 2 mos. Our goal is get better participation at IEPs and Conferences, provide support like translators and Parent Advocates to help families bridge that gap. We have a huge immigrant population and most of the kids in the Spec. Ed program are there because of the Speech barrier. We are also working on creating a Resource area on the grounds for parents to check out information like books, learning tools etc for the family. So that's my story. Nice to be here and I look forward to getting to know other parents in my situation. HI to both of you!!!!! I am new also - but I love it already!!!
Michelle Hi, My name is Claire, I am 28 and a single mother of two boys. My oldest is 10 an has Asperger's, OCD, and ADD I am staying positive about the cancer, as I am young and I have kicked bigger a$$es in my short life but I am so scared about how it will affect my babies. I have worked so hard to force them out of their comfort zones and become wise about there world, but have seen them go thru a lot and want to protect them from more pain. We have been fortunete that I have a decent job, and insurance, but as I am sure most of you know autism/add/odc treatment can make you need to take a second mortgage. I just bought us our first house, and broke the bank to give them the best school and a safe neighborhood. For the first time my son is finally smiling more about life and getting "almost" good grades (as a mother of an autisic child, this is a feat) I am scared to bring him back down. I am tired, physically, mentally and emotionally. I guess I hope that the message board will help me feel connected to other parents, to know that I am not alone in my struggles and can grasp other sucess stories for hope. All roadblocks aside we are truley a happy and loving family, and autism I think has made me a better parent...I definetly don't take anything for granted. It will be nice to know that others live in this world with me, because single parenting of an autistic child can feel lonely. Nice to meet everyone, look forward to reading your stories. Claire,
First off, want to tell you you will not be alone in this whole battle of life! you now have us!! To me- you sound like one hell of a mom!!! That is awesome at your age to give them a house and all that you have done!!!!!! Your son sounds like a brave young man and looks after you!!!!!
If you ever need anything or just want to scream- you can always find me on myspace my myspace is www.myspace.com/draimanwoman I will pm you my numbers in a bit!! Keep your head up mammas!!! You are not alone!! Michelel AS ALWAYS YOU ALL INSPIRE ME WITH YOUR BRAVERY.YOU HELP ME TO FACE EACH DAY BY KNOWING JOEY AND I ARE NOT ALONE.TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NEW ,WELCOME.I HOPE YOU FIND AS MUCH HOPE AND HAPPINESS HERE AS I DO.I DO NOT POST OFTEN BUT I READ EVERY NEW MESSAGE FROM NEW MEMBERS,I PRAY AND HOPE THE BEST FOR YOU AND YOURS. CLAIRE IM SORRY I SPELLED YOUR NAME WRONG IN THE PM.YOU ARE A AMAZING MOTHER ! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH !GOD BLESS, MICHAEL AND JOEY Hello, I have a son who is 11 he is diagnosed with autism, bipolar, and anxiety. He has been diagnosed with pddnos when he was 2 years old. He was a 10 week early preemie weighing 2lbs 7oz. He has problems with agression, running, and depression most recently talking about suicide. We live in Wisconsin near Milwaukee. Im happy to have found this forum, Angee I was corrected... My son has moderate to severe classic autism... His original diagnosis was HFA, so far as I heard. I get to see him so seldom and only hear highlights, so it's hard to know. That kills me, but there's nothing I can do about it. Anyway, sorry for any confusion this may cause at any point.Not new, just not on for awhile, 3 kids, young adults now, I wish I had had the internet back then bobby is 25 now and working at walmart, has degree in computer programming, just 2year so useless but has it. drives since 22 and has made freinds, i have never met them, but how many of you adults have all your freinds meet your parents, he has joined game club and it spawned D&D groups and now he socialises 1-2 times a week in group situations with normal adults, gamers but normal. he flunked out of last college year so we are on hiatus from school but that year is year that he leaned to drive, joined the game club made freinds and became more independent. so it was not a waste. On meeting bobby he almost is normal, just being around him a while you realise he is different, has been forever and will be forever, but each year improves, slow so slow then by leaps. never stop dreaming. Never let someone say they can't. group home and grou work at 12 was his prgnosis by expert, I ignored them, it took till then for diagnosis, of high funtioning autism, last one at 21 was PDD-NOS I do sometimes get scared for him, he will never be NORMAL but may be independent with assistance from family. just felt like updating on him as adult child with autism there are still no services or help and as high funtioning with normal IQ no help from anyone, maybe someday they will understand, he can't do it all. IQ and abilities do not match. Hello everyone! My name is Donna and my 4 year old Lucas was recently diagnosed with Autism. He can definitely be a handful sometimes. I'm a single Mom and it's so hard at times. I'm just looking for some support and to make friends. I have no family in this area and just want to make friends with those who have similar responsibilities and issues.I have also set up a message board to interact with you all - it is http://www.MyBabyHasAutism.com PLEASE come by and say hello! Donna Hi Melissa, welcome aboard! Sounds like you definately have your hands full but also it sounds as if you can handle pretty much anything thrown your way! Way to go! Your kids are lucky to have you for their mom!
[QUOTE=4UDonette]Hello, Hi Welcome aboard. I dont' know much about the gfcf diet. Hopefully some of the others can. I'm so impressed that you managed to get her dx'd early and into a special needs preschool etc. That is great! Hi I'm JuneI posted an introduction about 5 months ago, but my life situation changed so dramatically in the following months, I never got a chance to come up for air and post and read more in this community. I have an 11 year old PDD?Aspergers/ADHD son. I don't even know where to start so this makes sense, but I'll try. In March we made the decision to move from the community I lived in, in the town where my divorced mentally ill husband also lived, to the town my boyfriend lived in 2 hours away. In June, 4 days before the end of school...3 weeks before the move, I found my exhusband (my son's father), dead. The coroner's examination concluded he had died of a heart attack the previous day. I really cannot even type much here. I planned the move in part to escape my exhusband's influence on his son's life. It's not enough pressure on a new middle school student to be Asperger's/PDD (he's somewhere on the threshold of either diagnosis...) It's not enough he has moved and changed schools. It's not enough to have lost a Dad he loved and hated. My boyfriend is a saint. Although we don't live together, (although we may someday...), he has so been there for my son and I. He works with special needs children in a residential home, and has been so instrumental in helping me figure out how to deal with specific behaviors. He didn't sign up for this, but he stepped in for us. He's basically become a parent figure to my son. We see him nearly every day. Previously, I worked outside the home and commuted a long way in order to provide health insurance to my son and mentally ill ex-husband (court ordered...) Now, I've been lucky enough to be able to take my part time, on the computer job, and turn it into a profitable full time job. So I'm here when my son gets home from school, I'm here. He can do activities after school (he is taking swimming lessons and tae kwon do, and we are debating rock climbing lessons...) I'm so tired though. I need a break from my son to be an adult. I've been looking for a babysitter in this area so that I can get needed adult time out with my boyfriend. And my son, feeling so conflicted. He loves the new town, loves the new school, loves our new apt...our new neighborhood. And he's struggling with so many things right now, and the worst of it is that he and I are both coming to terms with his father's death and feeling conflicted about it. So anyway, this time I hope to participate more. June I am the mother of 8 and have 3 children with special needs, one with Austim. He was diagnosed at the age of one year or so. I don't know what caused it, but at eleven months I gave in to the doctor and let him give him one shot, and ever since then... Although, when I look back on it, he always had some issues, like balance and some repetative behaviors. This disease is heartbreaking. I have an issue with my son who has severe Autism and is non-verbal, if someone can help I would appreciate it. He loves to go outside, so at the slightest opportunity he will try to leave. I have alarms and cameras, but once I left a window open, screen down, just to air out the house and he climbed out when I went to the bathroom. Luckily some people down the block, we live in an urban area, came down to get me, but the attitude of some of the people was very hostile. I felt harshly judged, by one man in particular who was aggressive, but walking away I kept trying to figure out what more can I do? I have bars on his bedroom windows, but not on the rest of the house. I just can't afford to do that right now. Does anyone else have these issues? Does your son or daughter wander off? It is the most scary thing I have to deal with. Hi I am glad to find this place. I am hoping to meet other people with children that have autism. I have been knowing something was just not right when my son was 2. We were told yesterday that he was high function autism by the doctors. He will be 4 tomorrow. I am a stay home mom that wishes to do this so I can help work with my son. He has came a long way. He was born at 25 weeks, and at this time his chances or survival were slim. But here he is today still striving. Hi There! I'm Chrissy. I have 3 sons. Chris who is 5, Arek who is 4, and Dylynn who is 2. Chris was diagnosed with PDD this past March also ADHD. Although we knew something was different with him since he was about 9 months old. Arek and Dylynn are normal kids so far. Dylynn has speech issues but its more he doesnt feel the need to talk at the moment. My husband is currently stationed in Korea. I'm in Oklahoma with the kids. He's been gone since March and wont be back until this coming March. So I've been trying to get everything worked out for Chris alone which kinda sucks. Chris is such a loving kid. We have ups and then we have downs and sometimes major downs. We have issues we're still trying to work out which is the part that drains me mentally. He goes to school and is in a special kindergarden class for delayed kids. There is other children in the class that have Autism so it helps. He gets speech therapy at school and I have a meeting next week to set up physical therapy. Uhhhhh I have no clue what else to tell you... Just ask. :) I'm really glad I found this forum! Chrissy Hi everyone! I'm Monica, I have three boys, J who just turned 4, and 2.5 yo ID twin boys O and D. The twins have been receiving speech since they were 18 months, and Ed services since 2 yo. Danny also receives OT and will be starting ABA shortly. They both attend EI preschool. We don't have an official diagnosis yet, but it looks like Danny will have a diagnosis of PDD. Owen has made huge improvements and will probably be in an integrated pre-school next year! I work with autistic children in a special ed school, doing OT. I think because of my work I was able to pick up on some of the "red flags" early and although mild, I saw that Danny had some key signs. Because he is doing so well and his signs are inconsistent our neurologist wanted to wait for an official dx until he is a bit older. She doesn't feel that Owen will be on the spectrum at all. I look forward to reading and sharing experiences with everyone! Monica Hi my name is Lahni My 3yr old was diagnosed with Aspergers or on the spectrum, but I still dont feel like it fits. I have no one to talk to who are you supposed to find out answers or questions i may have I hope this board will be the place
Hi. I think this forum is great, but I'm new to this online message board thing. I've been doing a lot of reading online about ASD because I strongly suspect my 3.75 year old stepdaughter, Hannah, falls in the spectrum. I also feel very helpless because I am limited in what I can do as only the stepmom and since her father and I only see her every other weekend it's hard to make things happen with repsect to a diagnosis. Hannah's mother is not convinced that there is a probblem with Hannah's development. Her delayed speech is being blamed on frequent ear infections as an infant making it hard for her to hear.
I have some questions about what the signs of autism include. One of them is fixation on certain objects. Do slippers count? Hannah must put her slippers on as soon as she comes in the house and wont take them off to sleep. When she's playing and one falls off, she stops to put it on. Because of her speech delay she couldn't tell me what was wrong and she started getting really upset at the dinner table. It took me a while to realize that her slipper fell off and that's why she stopped eating and started acting irritable.
Also Hannah wont eat sweet foods. The sweetest thing she eats is Corn Pops. She turns away cookies, ice cream, cake and chocolate. Do you think this is an ASD thing or just a food preference?
You all seem really knowledgable. I thank you for your opinions in advance. Hey Stepmom Fixation can be something to be concerned about. The speech is def a issue she should be fluent by now at almost 4. The best thing for your hubby to do is to take the lead and hopefully MOM will follow she is probably in denial especially with so much talk now about autism all over the news and stuff.
GOOD LUCK hello i am new daughter of very high functioning aspergers 8
Just wanted to say hi and I'm so happy to have found this place I am new to the board. I have a newly 4 year old diagnosed ASD at 3. He seems to me to be pretty high functioning - but as he gets older some aggressive behaviors are starting to appear - really not major - but makes me fear the small things getting worse...any suggestions - he is in ABA, public preK, and speech and O.C. therapy. In addition, I have a newly two year old who has been talking since about 8 mos. She speaks in very good sentences - and shows empathy - and the constant need for attention. She seems way above her age in adaptive and language skills. But, she has started to flap her hands and hit things for pressure input, I am guessing - however, she talks back and forth with me and children - no other red flags. My son does not flap his hands, so she is not copying him - does this indicate things to come? Thank you. Welcome to the board. Hello,I have a 3 year old PDDNOS daughter. She is in a special needs preschool and working with speech therapists. She struggles mostly with speech and processing information. I am finding myself diving into books and info and now this site with so many questions. I am interested in the gfcf diet and am finding very little resources in my small town. I am looking forward to learning all I can from the people and resources on this site. Hi all!!! I am new to the boards as well!! I told our story in the other section too! I have two wonderful boys, 7 and 9. My nine year old had mild to moderate Autism and Pierre Robin Syndrome. We are a military family and stay busy..lol! I cant wait to meet all of you!!!!! As for anyone interested, I have the 2 GFCF cookbooks that we are no longer using and I would be more than happy to mail them out to someone who could use them!!
Take care, Michelle Shaver Hi and welcome, I haven't heard of Pierre Robin syndrome, so I'm off to look it up.
Hi, my name is Vaelant (good enough for now -- sorry My son is five years old, and has high functioning autism. I've been encouraged to join here for a couple years now. I'll be lurking for a little while, just learning about and from the community. Hope all is well with y'all! Hi, everyone! I'm a mom with 2 kids on the spectrum and I'm really happy to be included in this forum! Aloha, K Hello! My name is Nicole and I have an extremely gifted daughter who just turned 2 and was diagnosed today with PDD. We thought it was quirky that she will complete the age 4+ and 5+ jigsaw puzzles but her vocabulary is limited to 3-4 real words and a whole lot of humming (7-8 distinct songs). She hasn't show signs of repetitive behavior so I ignored the A-word checklists ... I was originally told that she had apraxia, so am looking for what is the difference/correlation? She is EXTREMELY coordinated and is a very happy child (almost too happy) - we don't have to fight her for going on the potty, brushing her teeth, etc - but she just has no interest in other children or talking. HELP! I also feel like I am lost without a map and flashlight .. and no cell phone.I don't know whether to crawl into a denial hole or start reading to find support. June,
I know how difficult it can be to move with a child on the spectrum. My son has moved many times because of my job in the military. My reccomendation to you, if you are not already doing this, is to get your son into counseling. There are so many issues to deal with as an ASD child, but that is now compounded with the loss of his father, regardless of how many problems he may have had with him. My son was dx at age 9 (he is 11 now) and his father refused to admit that there were any problems with his son. I later found out that he had been hitting the kids when I was deployed or away for my job. Shawn really struggled with our seperation. He was already in therapy, but he really started working through some anger issues in therapy once the cat was out of the bag (so to speak). I know that some may not stress the importance of counseling when it comes to dealing with ASD children, but when you have other issues in addition to the ASD (ie seperation or death in the family) working with a counselor (especially one that has experience with ASD children) can be very helpful for your child. As far as the adult time...I also know how tiring it can be to fly solo on the parenting a special needs child. I suggest getting in touch with the local Autism Society of America (ASA) chapter to find out if they have a respite program in your area. ( http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer) If there is not a chapter in your area the site also has links to find local resources. I also want to say grats on finding a guy that is willing to step up to the plate with your son. I have also been blessed with such a man (unfortunately he is not living in the area right now). I understand your NEED for some adult time. I would really try to get in touch with ASA to try to work out some time for you. Good luck and God Bless Hello, I am so that glad I found this website! My 8 yr. old daughter has autism. She was diagnosed at about 3yrs. old. She is my beautiful little angel. I am a stay at home mom and my husband works very hard to provide for us. Until last year, it was only him and I with no babysitter, friend, family or respite helping. I have been so lonley and isolated at times. I miss my family so much and now I know how much you need them! Hope to make some friends here and I just wanted to say Hi.
Hello Everyone, My name is Jennifer. I am Mommy to 2 year old Damien who was diagnosed with Autism/PDD yesterday (11/12/07). His Doctor said that he is very mild, and with treatment should show improvement. Right now I feel like I am lost somewhere without a map and a flashlight. I am glad that I found you guys, I really need help and support right now.
A WARM WELCOME to the November Newbies... Minny, Sugar & Spice, dolphin4spence & Rockabillychick !!! I'm sure you'll find this community equally warm and informative... If you have the time then you can throw in a Search for certain topics that you're looking to get info on. Or you can even join in the existing threads to put in your thoughts or to throw in a question. There'll be lots of abbreviations... so don't feel too shy to ask what they are. And finally if there's a particular topic that you wish to discuss on, then you can even start a new thread.... Parents Section would be good... coz that's where you generate more attention. Once you start typing... and joining in the discussions... you can't waiy to come back to this Board the next day !!! Happy Hunting for Info !!! Btw, my wife and I have two boys... Daniel, 8 yr, ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and Jordan, 6 yr, NT (Neuro Typical aka Normal) Welcome to the forum SunshineHappy. I have no doubt you will have a fine family. You care enough to gain an understanding and sound mature for your age. My parents still think I am acting up and don't want anyone to know I am autistic. Yet I raised two fine children. My parents may be great grand parents soon and have at least two autistic grand children. We are all content with our lives. The world will be even brighter for your children. Welcome Tina, mom of two princes. This is a safe place to learn and be supported by positive people. You probably know to take deep breaths and release some seratonin from your gi tract. You are a great mother! Your are advocating for your sons. Make some more posts. There are centuries of experience collected here. Glad you are here andthensome. I like the idea of curling up in a nice hole to regroup. Then read abit too. There is so much to learn, but take your time and things fall into place. Welcome to babymichayla. I am happy you found this place too. [QUOTE=BOBBYSMOM]. . . I do sometimes get scared for him, he will never be NORMAL but may be independent with assistance from family.just felt like updating on him as adult child with autism there are still no services or help and as high funtioning with normal IQ no help from anyone, maybe someday they will understand, he can't do it all. IQ and abilities do not match. [/QUOTE] My son is 30. Are there any groups or forums specifically for parents of young adults? I have not found any and surely there are some. I think there are some differences in priorities, such as who will look out for them if they are not independant? How do they find the best employment? How do I advocate for supportive services for an adult? Does anyone have any ideas for making the world safer for young adults? and teens will be there before you know it. It is tough having an invisible disability. Not much tolerance. Maybe you could start a thread about it or is there one I haven't found? [QUOTE=MaMa8]I am the mother of 8 and have 3 children with special needs, one with Austim. He was diagnosed at the age of one year or so. I don't know what caused it, but at eleven months I gave in to the doctor and let him give him one shot, and ever since then... Although, when I look back on it, he always had some issues, like balance and some repetative behaviors. This disease is heartbreaking.I have an issue with my son who has severe Autism and is non-verbal, if someone can help I would appreciate it. He loves to go outside, so at the slightest opportunity he will try to leave. I have alarms and cameras, but once I left a window open, screen down, just to air out the house and he climbed out when I went to the bathroom. Luckily some people down the block, we live in an urban area, came down to get me, but the attitude of some of the people was very hostile. I felt harshly judged, by one man in particular who was aggressive, but walking away I kept trying to figure out what more can I do? I have bars on his bedroom windows, but not on the rest of the house. I just can't afford to do that right now. Does anyone else have these issues? Does your son or daughter wander off? It is the most scary thing I have to deal with. Have you considered a service dog? I am searching the posts for information on this and there is lots of good information about the pros and cons. This sounds like the type of situation where it could be lifesaving. Here is a site I just found: http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/dogtasks.htm Good Luck and I hope other parents have some more timely responses. I'm Tina new to the board, my son was diagnosed in Sept with Autism.My son Nicholas was born 4 1/2 wks early in Aug 2004 after years of years of trying to have a child.He was a perfect baby almost too perfect. In oct 2005 my second child Jonathan was born 7 wks 2 days early. He was high strung to say the least, he had colic, acid reflux and very vocal where Nicholas was not very vocal at all he never really babbled. Nicholas stopped talking fully at about 18-21 months at his 18 month appointment I asked the Dr if we could do something because he had been loosing speech since Jonathan was born. Finally we got him in for a school evaluation but it took forever they agreed he had speech, sensory and possible Autism. We recieved a formal diagnoses of Autism this Sept. Nicholas started 3-k this year and is doing great at school he is talking more at home than at school. I modified his diet but didn't eliminate all Gluten or sugars. My major problem is potty training he does great at school but at home he wants to wear diapers like Jonathan. He is very mean and violent to Jonathan who is over sensitive(some days Nicholas can just look at Jonathan and he starts screaming and crying), and he hits everyone including himself. I'm trying to be the best mother to my kids as I can be. [QUOTE=latinmommy]Hi I have a 5 1/2 year old son with ADHD , PDD NOS and heart problems his name is Jovannie. At about 3 yrs old Jovannie was not speacking and had very little social skills. Jovannie has come a long way and this is the first time I come to a suport group for help. I'm in the process of a separation with my husband of 7 years and Jovannie is very much attached to his father. What our some of your suggestion on how to explain to jovannie that papi and mommy our not going to live in the same home together? So, afraid that he is going to regress and hate me for this. It will be tough for him. Will you both be active in his life? It will be important to keep as much stability and routine as possible for him. There are probably some social stories for this situation. Do a search for 'divorce' in the old posts and there will be information. My autistic son was angry at me from that age when I was divorced from his father until 18. but we are very close now. Peace and good wishes to you in this difficult time. [QUOTE=Bratmom]Hi There!I'm Chrissy. I have 3 sons. Chris who is 5, Arek who is 4, and Dylynn who is 2. Chris was diagnosed with PDD this past March also ADHD. Although we knew something was different with him since he was about 9 months old. Arek and Dylynn are normal kids so far. Dylynn has speech issues but its more he doesnt feel the need to talk at the moment. My husband is currently stationed in Korea. I'm in Oklahoma with the kids. He's been gone since March and wont be back until this coming March. So I've been trying to get everything worked out for Chris alone which kinda sucks. Chris is such a loving kid. We have ups and then we have downs and sometimes major downs. We have issues we're still trying to work out which is the part that drains me mentally. He goes to school and is in a special kindergarden class for delayed kids. There is other children in the class that have Autism so it helps. He gets speech therapy at school and I have a meeting next week to set up physical therapy. Uhhhhh I have no clue what else to tell you... Just ask. :) I'm really glad I found this forum! Chrissy[/QUOTE] Welcome. Glad you found the board. There is alot of help here. Just ask start a thread do a search. It sounds like you are doing a great job. I am setting up an online cupcake business so i get the advantage of working from home. This allows me to earn a living for myself but still shy away from the outside world. I suppose earing money comes before socialising because money puts food in your mouth, a roof over your head etc.Welcome Newbies! Lovely to see you on board - I know the feeling of searching for support and advice. Best wishes,
Hi Jennifer, Welcome, and good to hear you've found this place! Elissa
Hi everyone! My name is Jen, my daughter Katelynne is 9. She has an array of behavioral issues. I came here to read and learn from all of you! Last year she was dx Bipolar/ADHD/OCD. I wasnt happy with the treatment program and meds, we went to a new Dr and therapist. We have seen the new therapist and she is telling me to read all I can on Asperger's syndrome. I am looking up everything online here at school! Some of it fits, some not at all! Im priniting out assessments and fact sheets as fast as the printer will spit them out! if anyone has any suggestions I would LOVE your insight! *Kate has had SEVERE temper issues since she was 2. Throwing large items. hole in the wall, head banging, pulling her own hair, biting herself. * walked and talked early. Walking at 9mths. 25 words by 13 mths. * is soical. Has self esteem issues. She thinks everyone hates her. * resonded well to gluten free diet! * is under weight. * is failing in school. * gets frustrated over anything! *super picky about foods. does not like sticky things! * no eye contact when talking to her, even if you try to make her. *only likes to be touched when she initates *constantly anxious * picks at scabs, cuts, dry skin, nails * freaks out about the way clothes feel * arranges the refrigerator and cupboards weekly, has to put items i pick out in the shopping cart in her own order * tunes you out in conversation * wants something now! no patience Thats all I can throw together at this point! Any feedback would be great!! We have another therapy appointment Wednesday! I will check back then! Have a great week! Jen You should look into Risperdal. My daughter had many of the same characteristics but now I can hardly tell she's autistic. Here's a link to a college paper I wrote on the medication.
Autism spectrum disorders are a growing concern. Autism affects one in every 150 children. People with autism spectrum disorders “show varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior” (NIMH, 2004, "Many of these kids present families with very serious challenges," he said. "Parents have to educate themselves about the disorder, and then access health care, occupational and speech therapy, special education and possibly applied behavioral analysis to help the children develop skills. Even then, the children may still present behavioral problems” (Schafer Autism Report, 2002, “Though increasingly sophisticated educational programs and behavior therapy are considered important elements of treatment for children with autism, the safety and effectiveness of medication is being analyzed for children with behaviors that can place particular strain on families” (Schafer Autism Report, 2002, Para 2). It has recently been discovered that Risperdal can be used safely and effectively in the treatment of adolescent autism. “A team of researchers has found that the drug risperidone, considered effective in treating adults with schizophrenia, is safe for children and reduces severe behavioral symptoms in youths with autism” (Schafer Autism Report, 2002, Para 1). "Risperidone is popular in clinical circles, and this is one of those times when a drug's popularity is for a good reason," he said. "It was gratifying to see that the children taking the medication showed marked improvement in irritability, and even to show signs of clinically meaningful but smaller changes in other behaviors, such as over activity and repetitive behaviors" (Schafer Autism Report, 2002, Para 2). "The response to risperidone ranks among the most positive ever observed in children with autism for a drug treatment," said McCracken, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences and director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (NIMH, 2007, Para 5). “Past research into the effect of risperidone on children with autism found the medication effective for short-term treatment of aggressive behaviors related to autism in children” (NIMH, 2007, Although effective, medication contains the potential of side effects. “The use of powerful medications in young children is a controversial area. Medications given when the brain is developing may possibly have a permanent effect on the development of neurotransmitter systems. Some medications may be very harmful, but there is also a possibility that some may be beneficial. One must always balance risk versus benefit. A good rule of thumb is that a medication should have an obvious, fairly dramatic effect” (Grandin, T., 2000, “before medications are considered, a comprehensive program should be in place that includes: Once a program has been implemented for at least a few weeks, physicians and parents may consider medications” (Harchik, A., 2005, New genetic testing can predict the effectiveness and indicate the required dosage of medications like Risperdal. “Finding the right drug and the right dose is part of the art of medicine. A genetic test designed to help doctors determine just that is being sold by The Mayo Clinic, it announced this week. The test is part of a new science called pharmacogenetics” (Silberner, J., 2007, The patient was prescribed Risperdal, but it was not effective. He started having tremors. “He would just shake all over, unable to focus," according to his mother "I would give him his medication; he would sit on my lap and just be a zombie. That's the only way I can describe what he looked like" (Silberner, J., 2007, When necessary and taken under proper supervision, Risperdal can be beneficial to the adolescent who is seriously affected by autistic disorder. Risperdal has been a miracle drug for my daughter, effectively assuaging her autistic symptoms so that she can relate to me normally. References Grandin, T., (2000) My experiences with visual thinking sensory problems and communication difficulties, Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.autism.org/temple/visual.html Harchik, A., (2005), Autism and medications, Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.newsforparents.org/expert_autism_and_medications. html McCracken, J.T, McGough, J., Shah, B., Cronin, P., Hong, D., Aman, M.G., Arnold, E., Lindsay, R., Nash, P, Hollway, J., McDougle, C.J., Posey, D., Swiezy, N., Kohn, A., Scahill, L., Martin, A ., Koenig, K ., Volkmar, F ., Carroll, D .,Lancor, A., Tierney, E., Ghuman, J., Gonzalez, N. M., Grados, M., Vitiello, B ., Ritz, L., Davies, M., Robinson, J., McMahon, D., (2002), Risperidone in children with autism and serious behavioral problems, Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/347/5/314 Moyer, P., (2007), Risperdal called effective against agitation in autism for months, Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Autism/tb/1308 NIMH, (2004), Autism spectrum disorders (pervasive developmental disorders), Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm NIMH, (2007), Multi-Site NIMH study finds antipsychotic risperidone safe and effective as intermediate term treatment for autism, Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.hmnews.org/article2525.html Schafer Autism Report, (2002), Risperidone effective in treating children with autism, Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.autismonline.org/research.htm Silberner, J., (2007), Gene test promises to rind right drug, right dose, Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5568710 &ft=1&f=3 Ullman, K., (2007), Antipsychotic drug controls some symptoms in autism disorder, Retrieved July 22, 2007, from http://www.cfah.org/hbns/getDocument.cfm?documentID=1430 Hi, my name is Anne. I have 2 kids, Carolanne is 5 and Paul is 2. Doctors have told me Paul exhibits autistic behaviors. He looks really normal and so I always hear he cannot be autistic. He can talk, but prefers to play by himself and has severe meltdowns.Hi Jen (eeyoregirl) and Anne (whooper)! Welcome! Both of your stories sound similar to mine in ways - it took us a while to come to a diagnosis of ASD. We share our story on our blog http://www.managingautism.com (under the category of 'In the beginning') so please stop by and check it out. Elissa
My name is Rachelle, and I have 3 children. J is 161/2 and a wonderful son, K is 11 1/2 and she was diagnosed at 4 with ADHD, OCD, ODD. Just last year she was also diagnosed with depression/aniexty disorder. C is 25 months and about 2 months ago, I started noticing that he had "lost" words, not that he had a lot of them anyway. He started having difficulty "dealing" with public places, and people. He loves to spin himself, round and round, and when he gets "excited" he runs in circles. He has become very "picky" with his eating, and we sometimes have a hard time getting him to eat anything. C used to eat with a spoon and fork very well, now he just looks at it, and throws it down. At his 2 year appt., I told his doctor all of this. She put in the referrels for a hearing test (he seemed like he couldn't hear, and still does), and a referrel for the Child Development Services Agency, as well as a referrel for the developmental pediatrician that the office has on staff. We have had the hearing test, he passed. The CDSA has come out and done the intake paperwork to start testing and will be back on the 11th to do it. I met with the developmental pediatrician yesterday, and he confirmed my thoughts. That C has ASD. He also feels that the CDSA will tell me the same thing on the 11th. He is referring him to a pediatric neorulogist for an MRI, and also referring us to a geneticist. We live about 40 minutes from Wilimington,North Carolina, but these tests will need to be done in Chapel Hill and the UNC- Chapel Hill children's hospital. Although I have had many years experience with ADHD, I am very new the the world of Autism and would welcome any advice or ideas that anyone has. I am grateful that there is a site like this where parents can learn from parents.
Hi Rachelle You have come to a good place. Search feature is slow but worth it as there is much good information. Go thru resources. Start a thread and ask for specific help. Welcome
Hi Rachelle - and welcome! You've come to the right place - this site has been a fabulous place for us to visit for advice (nothing beats another parents experience!!!). Cheers, Elissa.
[QUOTE=Elissa] Hi Jen (eeyoregirl) and Anne (whooper)! Welcome! Both of your stories sound similar to mine in ways - it took us a while to come to a diagnosis of ASD. We share our story on our blog http://www.managingautism.com (under the category of 'In the beginning') so please stop by and check it out. Elissa
[/QUOTE]
Thanks so much Elissa! Hi my name is Sri and I have a daughter who is about 32 months. I just requested for an appointment for diagnosis scared as hell but have to do it Guru's what are the chances of getting better. Hi there Sri. Welcome aboard. I am unsure what you mean by, "chances of getting better." I would venture to guess that as your babe matures you will see progess in many areas and who knows what the future will bring. Post on the board in sections that pertain to specific areas of curiousity for you and you will be sure to get responses that will help you in this journey. All the best. Hi, i am a 16 yr old girl and i was recently diagnosed with pdd-nos. I have problems leaving the house and i dont have any friends. My mother is supportive although sometimes she tries to pretend im normal and says i dont have a disability. Then what do i have? My mothers boyfriend thinks im just acting up and wanting attention. He doesn't belive there is anything wrong with me. I like reading everyones posts on this forum because i hope one day i can have a happy family with normal children. I can't wait to have a family of my own even though im probably too young to be wanting that Hello I registered for this forum today. Last week, my youngest son, Coleman, was diagnosed with autism. Although I don't have any specifics yet on where he is on the spectrum. I also have an older son, Jackson, with nystagmus. I have started the no-wheat diet and am trying to find out everything I can. I'm looking to talk to my doctor about getting any vitamin supplements that may be helpful. Their father and I were raising the boys vegetarian since birth, with some fish every week. We are now on a full omnivore non-gluten diet. I am wondering if b12 shots would be beneficial to him. I'm just looking for some info and suggestions from people also dealing with this. I know Coleman can come out of this, he is bonded to me and some non-family members, he is very active physically, and can draw. He just won't talk, and is sometimes so distant. In just the first week of having him the gluten-free diet his father and I have noticed improvements. I look forward to hearing from anyone willing to share.
Welcome ColeSlaw! I'm sure you'll find plenty of info around here!!! Cheers, Elissa. Hi all,My name is Anne. I am a single parent of a wonderful boy, Sean. He is 5 years old and autistic. Sean does not speak any words, just sounds. Sean and I live with my mom in her house. My husband committed suicide 4.5 years ago. I work in a library, go to graduate school, and take care of Sean. I am looking forward to getting to know people here, to be supported, and to support others. Hope everyone is having a great day. Hi everyone!
:) Again happy to have found this site!
Welcome annesean and mom2jake. There is alot of help and support here. You both sound very busy. Thank you for coming to the forum. Hi annesean and mom2jake, Welcome, and lovely to have you both here. You'll find lots of great support here on the forum, all you have to do is ask (or vent if you need to!). Looking forward to hearing more from you both! Elissa
Hi Anne!! Welcome!! Hope you like it!!!
Momtojake, I too have tricare the nightmare..lol! Isnt it fun?! I also live in North carolina!!! I can tell you - the DAN docs are in Wilmington and Southern Pines!! Would love to hear more from ya!!!!
Michelle
Hi, I'm Kelly. I have an almost 3 year old son with autism. He was diagnosed a year ago. It's been a very interesting year to say the least. I have a blog www.kellyyatesrice.blogspot.com. I never thought I would be a blogger, but I enjoy it. For Geneva aka Mom2jake, I used to feel bad that my son didn't get diagnosed till age four. But here a year later he is doing SO much better, now that the teachers and we the family are on it. I hope you won't use up too much energy fretting about what didn't happen before. Good luck with getting services, and give Jacob a hug. kwame's momhey i was glad to run onto this place . I need some advice for the school system right now i would like to tell them they are horrible at teraching my son with autism. He goes 2 hours a day because they have no teachers available to work with him more then that.Hello, everyone - I have a six-year-old daughter who has been called significantly developmentally delayed, autistic and hyperlexic. She has not been officially diagnosed as any of those, though. She is in first grade and in the mainstream, but does have her own paraprofessional for helping with transitioning and tantrums. She receives occupational therapy for her delayed fine motor skills. She has good days in school and bad...she has come a long way since entering an early intervention program at age 4.5. I guess my main concerns revolve around her being accepted by other kids and not making such a spectacle of herself. Also, I wonder about her teen and adult years. And lastly, I myself have had a tremendous amount of difficulty in dealing with my daughter's disability. It has been difficult raising her. I have 3 other children - 2 older and 1 younger. I am in a very small rural town and don't know of anyone else with a child like my daughter. I feel very alone and even embarassed about her sometimes. I know that sounds horrible, but I know that I can't be alone there. Hi folks, I just found this site and see its packed with information. My daughter, Kaitlynn (or KK) is 5 years old, almost six, and was diagnosed with Autism/PDD about 2 years ago. She is high functioning and has made great improvements over the past few years. We still have more work but are optimistic. We live in Houston, TX and KK was in a private area school specializing in spectrum disorders until recently. There was an incident at the school and we no longer felt comfortable sending our daughter there. So we are struggling to find another school to send her to and in the meantime my wife is home schooling. So that's my quick intro and wanted to say howdy. -Nathan Welcome Nathan, Great to hear that KK has made improvements - Is there anything in particular that you have tried or has it been trial and error to find something that suits? My son Jack is about to turn 6, and we are facing similar challenges with him. I talk about his story in more detail on my blog http://www.managingautism.com Jack starts school in a couple of months, and I am very nervous just thinking about it. Looking forward to chatting with you again. Elissa hey guys, i'm new here looking to interact with others that have autistic children; i have a 21 year old daughter who can be a right handful at times [QUOTE=emmamoo] Hi all My name is Emma and my son Matthew is 2.5 years. (3 on 26th Dec) He is being tested for autism. I would like lots of advice and comforting words as all the HV's here in the UK are driving me bonkers and I just want to know eitehr way what is going on. Thanks for reading. [/QUOTE]emma it will be fine. if he is diagnosed with autism, try to keep in mind that it's not the end of the world. there is nothing you did. i can not stress enough to you that early intervention is the key to making matthew the best that he could possibly be. i don't know what they have in the uk as far as special education but do your research. I hope that all will be well.So I started reading, and crying, and crying. Last friday we took him to the doctor, she stayed with him an hour and at the end of that hour told my husband and I that our son is autistic. He's my baby, I love him and will do whatever I have to, to keep from losing any more of him. But I'm heart broken too. It's all bottled up in me. I cry alot. Right now I'm just trying to get a handle on this, learn and start to help my son. It may not seem this way, but this is the point at which things start getting better. The more you know the more you will be amazed by your child. I have learned a lot about life from my son who is now 22. The toughest part for me was not knowing what his diagnosis was until he was 19! Things may seem challenging and heart wrenching but it is also rewarding in ways you didn't expect. Hey Everyone, My name is Kristi, and my 2 year old, Korban has been diagnosed with ASD within the past month. I SO saw it coming, as i have a very close friend with 2 asd boys. I also have a very maternal and bossy 5 year old daughter McKayla, and both of them are as sweet as the day is long. I look forward to getting to know you all, as we embark on this ... adventure that we call autism. Hugs! Kristi Hi mom210293, I live in a rural area as well and I often feel isolated from people who understand what our lives are like (living with a child with autism). Going out in public can often be a challenge in itself and people can be very judgemental. I have found online support to be wonderful. I know it's not face to face and it's not like having someone nearby but since I have been blogging (www.managingautism.com) and on the forum I at least feel like I am not alone. Hopefully we can chat some more - stay in touch! Cheers, Elissa Hello ShyCladBoy, Don't feel like you're alone. I know it can be totally devastating when you first get a diagnosis, and you can feel like your whole world is falling down around you, but like DrLareau says, when it gets to this point, it eventually has to start getting better. I know I cried many tears - of both grief and frustration that things just weren't how they should be. And I still feel grief sometimes for what other people have that I don't. But your child is still beautiful and special and there really are plenty of rewards and you will find things to celebrate. Try and stay strong and remember that there is plenty of support. Feel free to drop by my blog http://www.managingautism.com where I talk more about what I went through when we first had our diagnosis. I look forward to chatting with you more. Cheers, Elissa. Thanks for your response. It is just so overwhelming to go onto these forums and see how many people are affected by autism. It does help me in seeing that I am not alone. I don't think that my daughter's school system has ever had a student quite like her - bright but with behavioral problems. The special education department has been very good to her, though. I really can't complain. It is very hard to be strong here with my daughter the way she is since the town is so small and also so ignorant in a lot of ways. I am fairly well known around town and so I feel people "whisper" about my daughter. Anyway, I find myself wondering why it was me with the special needs child instead of some of those who just seem to have it made in their lives. I question God alot.  Hi,I'm Jen, mum to 3 year old Liam. He was diagnosed with PDD-NOS about a year ago. He is very high functioning and will probably eventually be considered Aspergers. He is also Hyperlexic, he blows my mind every day with all he knows and learns. We are in MA and Liam is in a great pre-school program that was created for him this year. I am also pregnant with number 2, a girl due Jan 15th. I have been lurking for a month or so. I keep meaning on registering but forget until there is a post I really want to respond to. I can't wait to get to know all of you. Hugs to all! Jen Hello Everybody! Glad to have found this forum and to find out we are not alone. I am the father of an Aspy who is now attending a specialized school in Massachusetts. I really miss him. I had no idea how difficult it would be without him. Anyway, to occupy my time I put together a web page that has what I consider to be a collection of the best articles I could find on autism. As a retired physician I tried to find the most relevant research articles--things that have appeared in medical journals that seem to ring true to me. If you have the time I would appreciate any feedback you could give. The web address is http://www.drlareau.com/autism.html. Looking forward to reading ALL the posts on this website. I live in LA!!! I need a babysitter!!!!!!! PM me! Hello! I am Chera and my daughter is Cassidy, she is 5... I have been lurking for a bit & keep wanting to reply so I thought it was time to sign up. :) Here's her story: At 12mo. after 2 unexplained "grand mal" seizures, she was diagnosed with Epilepsy & started on Phenobarbital (Today she only has complex partial seizures & currently takes Tegretol - has been seizure free for 4months - her longest stretch since 03!). She's had quirks since birth but we live by the 'they're all different' mantra so didn't think much of them for a long time. She had some gross motor delays at 2 so we were sent to Scottish Rite for an Ortho. eval. She has a lot of 'minor' physical markers for some sort of 'syndrome' (including a lot of birthmarks on her left leg, bum, etc.) so they continue to monitor her there. She started ECI at 2.5 & was referred inhouse at Scottish Rite to a Developmental Pediatrician & was dx with SPD at 3. She started 'group ST' with the ISD at 3 (which has really mostly only been 1 other child consistently since) & began private OT for SPD & fine motor delay (still with same OT). She also had private ST for awhile as well but we couldn't afford the copay so dropped it after a few months. She did a couple months of 'social skills group' with her OT & private ST last summer, but we couldn't afford the program this summer. She's also been in 'therapeutic horseback riding' since age 3... she has a long health/medical history as well as the developmental stuff... We put off any formal ASD assessments as she was getting all of the therapy on delays & for SPD & her Epilepsy anyway but we've really known for a few years that she would end up with the dx, we just didn't pursue it as we wouldn't have changed her services. In May of this year, her ST finally said that she thought she needed more than what she could give, so put in for a full reevaluation & Autism assessment. They came back with a dx of "NCEC for Autism" & also said "she meets the diagnostic criteria for Aspergers" though that's not on any of their paperwork. She's still seen every couple of months at the Dev. Ped. & every form has it written that she's a little with ASD without official diagnosis. Last week, she had another apt. & she agreed with the ISD so I believe there will be a written dx now... she gave me a bunch of information on Aspergers and put us in touch with an Advocate as we are having issues with the ISD. When they gave her the NCEC, they said she was too high-functioning for the Autism class and the PPCD class so they gave her "Preschool Language Program" which was 2hrs./ 3x a week instead of the 30min./ 2x a week that she'd been getting. BUT, when school started, she was the ONLY kid in the group. Ummm, no. They have given us only two options - the 2hr. program with NO kids or the 30min. program with kids. SO, she went back to the 30min. & there is only one other little girl in her group. She gets VERY overwhelmed in groups of kids which is why her ST felt the need for 'more services'. In 2 yrs. there, she was still having meltdowns during nearly every session & has a lot of difficulty with transitions. She needs complete control over every situation and obviously isn't always able to get that! ;) Over the summer, her ST resigned so she has a new ST this year who I feel is perfect for her as her son has Aspergers as well. I can see that she truly understands & never belittles us which has been wonderful. :) We are leaning towards homeschooling next year (along with her therapies) as I don't think she's ready for mainstream Kindergarten and our options are small as we don't have the $ for most programs. She is a SMART cookie, she LOVES geography - had all 50 states & capitals memorized at 4, and has added oceans, continents, many flags, countries & state nicknames. We have maps coming out the wazoo in our home. lol She prefers to wear only red, white & blue and usually carries a map with her. She's been reading for several months as well & her OT has said she is 'hyperlexic'. Though she absolutely does not like to be 'quizzed' & will give wrong answers just so someone will stop talking to her. It has made evaluations interesting as when I am not there, I can't help lead them to get to cooperate. :p If questions are reworderd or presented differently, she usually responds, but she does not like to talk and has a lot of difficulty with conversations... (Some more of her issues include self-injury behaviours, a LOT of sensory issues, HIGH pain tolerance - didn't notice when she fractured her wrist in 2 places last spring, no safety awareness, lots of anxieties & OCDs, etc...) I just realized I wrote a book, sorry about that... I have trouble condensing my thoughts. lol I'm so excited to be here as I already feel 'at home' and understood which is a wonderful change. :) Can't wait to get to know everyone! ETA: OH! A little about me... :p I am a photographer and my dh is a hockey player :p. He also has a day job ;) & he is not a pro (though did a *tiny* bit of pro 10+yrs. ago...) but plays, refs, coaches & teaches classes at night. We met on the ice (I was a photographer for a pro hockey team for 5yrs. & took team pix at a tournament he was in) when I tripped on his stick. :p We got married on the ice in May 99... :) We moved to Texas (from Kansas) in May 00 and I primarily take only pix of kids and families now, but I love it! :) ALSO - (LOL) I cannot get an avatar uploaded, any advice? Hello Everyone I just posted this at another topic, I'm new here. My name is Buffy and I'm from Virginia. My son was just dual diagonis the other day with Austism. He has down syndrome too. DS-ASD. They have said he has more of Austism in him than downs. I am still reading information they gave me and is talking to Austim school too that he will go into once they have opening..
Buffy HiI'm Gail and we live in Western New South Wales, Australia. I have 2 sons with Autism - Brady, who is 15 and was diagnosed with mild autism at age 3, and Corbin who was diagnosed with ADHD at age 4 then Asperger's at age 10 which was changed to very mild autism at age 13. Both are progressing well despite the lack of specialists and access to programs etc. Brady is in mainstream high school with 15 hours of aide time each week. His aide is the most wonderful person as she is compassionate and caring but as tough as nails and doesn't let him get away with anything. Corbin left school 2 years ago and has completed Certificate 3 in Horticulture (lawnmower obsession) and has now been working full-time for the last couple of months. After living with Autism for 12 years, I don't remember what a normal family life is supposed to be. My sons haven't had any drug therapy (except for medications for Corbin's ADHD which we stopped at age 10) and we try to treat them the same as my other 2 children. Corbin and Brady both have hypersenstive sense of smell - they don't like pet shops, butcher shops and anywhere else that had a strong smell. Obviously, their autism is genetic and I can recognise certain behaviour traits in myself that make me wonder if I have autism also. Is anyone is in a similar position? I'm not sure if I'm seeing things that are not there or if there is a chance that I have the disorder as well. If anyone has any advice it would be most welcome. HI! My name is Rachel and I am a newbie. My son, Caleb, is 3 yrs old. We are currently in the waiting process of a dx. Caleb is the love of my life. He is speech delayed. We are currently enrolled in the local school program for speech help and they will also be giving him another dx if possible. I am also waiting for a meeting with a developmental specialist. This will apparently take several mos. I never dreamed i would be dealing with autism/spectrum issues. Everyone's attitude has been that I need to chill out and that Caleb will talk when he is ready. There is more going on with Caleb than speech. After doing a bunch of research, and reconnecting with a friend who has a son on the spectrum, i started looking into autism and realized that i have finally figured out what is going on. I am still at the place where I am feeling pretty overwhelmed and alone. I am so grateful to realize what is going on; I am ready to get started NOW. Yesterday. My son is smart. He knows his alphabet, the phonetics, and is slowly starting to apply a letter to a word...P, the p says P...p...p...popcorn. He can count and LOVES numbers. He loves puzzles. He loves singing, even though alot of what he sings is hard to understand. He picks up songs super quickly. He also memorizes alot of movies. He can't use a sentence. he knows alot of words though so he says things. juice please, bubble tubby, iluyou,his buddies names, etc. my son is a sweetie with a beautiful smile and a quirky, lovable personality. he is also incredibly tempermental and i have a hard time with any and all discipline. i don't know what to do about all of that because nothing works. i don't know how much is defiance or how much isn't clearly understood. he also wants his way or the highway ALL THE TIME. he LOVES his buddies and they play very well together physically. haircuts are torture and washing hair at tubby time is too. meltdowns are intense. seriously. WOAH. i have been reading up in this place and feel like i am right where i belong, finally. i am so excited! My son is the best thing that has ever happened to me, regardless of our differences. I hope that i can connect with you guys on this journey. the hardest thing is feeling so alone. we just do life differently. i want to be Caleb's advocate and help him any way I can. I want him to be happy and healthy. He is awesome and I am glad to be here!
Rachel
Hi y'all, My name is Ken and my son has autism, moderate to severe as well. I am new and have not decided if I shall stay or not, there appears to be a lot of controversy and rudeness in the Board, or perhaps I joined in a bad week. We have tried many 'cures' and of course our son still is exactly the same, so we are done that route. I work for Homeland Security, I am sorry I cannot give any more detail than that. We are older parents. Hope to share and glean as well if I stay - [/QUOTE] Kenneth- I am also new and was shocked by a post I read this morning. I am giving the site the benefit of the doubt and will be staying. I hope you will do the same. We are also older parents and I know I would benefit from your experience. ttfn I suspect that my 5yo has some sort of HFA of Aspergers. I have always thought something was up....just not sure how to go about getting him dx. I'm happy to have found this board and hope to get a lot of great info here! Thanks in advance for all your help! liza Hello to all, Where to start? My name is Shannon and my 2 1/2 yr old son Shayden was was dx in June 2007 with PDD/NOS and has sever speech and devlp delays. It has been a crazy world since then but god gave us the greatest little boy ever. There seems like it is so much so fast and Im not sure what my next move is going to be. Im so glad to be able to speak to people in our same situation. I will be greatful to help anyone that I can. Ive heard alot about the gluten/ceisen free diet, anyone have any tips to this? Hope to talk to all I can. im new to the autisum but it is our life now and Im open for any info or to help anyone. Thanks for all you time. Sincerely, Shannon Hi Shannon, It does become a bit of a crazy world, I'm constantly feeling overwhelmed with it all. And like you, I'm never sure what my next move is going to be either! We tried the gluten and casien free diet with our son and it has certainly made a big difference in calming his hyperactivity and aggressiveness. We explain a bit about what we did on our blog http://www.managingautism.com. Check it out if you like, and hopefully it may help in some way. Best regards, Elissa  oops. Anyways I'm Molly, a NYC College student. I spent the summer working at a camp for kids with a.d.d and autism. Basically figured out that my ASD kids were the most amazing kids I'd ever met and that I want to work in special ed now. They make me smile just thinking about them and they're my motivation for being on this board. With any luck I'll be certified to teach after I graduate (Still have to apply for that program) and then I can get my masters in special ed.  MollyHi everyone my name is carla. I have two children that has autism and I think it is wonderful to have a place where parents with children who have autism can relate. My family and I have been dealing with the disorder for about 12 years. It has been really rough and I am grateful to be able to discuss some of my children issues with others who may be able to relate.Hi Gail, There is a place on this board for adults that have or suspect they are ASD & PDD, Its in the Hang out section. I hope you can find it, I think you will find lots of information there. Welcome to the board. Hello! We're a family with an 8-yr old son with autism. It's so rare to find other parents out in the community that really understand what our family is going through that decided to start our own non-profit organization that focuses on promoting community interactions for all to enjoy. We're also chartering a Cub Scout pack. We'd like to invite anyone who has autism, or know or love someone who does, to our forum which is as much about socialization as it is about support and info sharing. Yeah, the forums are bare at the moment so we need your help. The name of our organization is Autism Fellowship. Our in-person events are in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, so if you do happen to live in the area come participate in our events! Please check us out at the links in my signature. ~Pesco My name is Courtney. I have three children, Madi who is 8, Annabelle who is 5, and Patrick who is 2. Annabelle was just diagnosed with moderate/mild autism this past Wednesday. I have known she had autism since she was a toddler, just didn't have the formal diagnosis until now. She also has ADD and developmental apraxia of speech. I just learned during her evaluation that she also has a very high intelligence but that the autism "hides" her intelligence. She's spunky and feisty. She's pretty hard to handle sometimes but all in all she is a great little girl and I love her very much.In addition to my daughter, my husband has Asperger's syndrome and I believe my toddler son may have ADHD. My husband's Asperger's has the most profound effect on our life. Hi Annabelle! I'd love to hear more about your husbands aspergers's and how it affects you all. My husband is undiagnosed...but we are dealing with a lot of stuff right now and I'd love to get him diagnosed and get us help with it. Good Evening!!! I am writing with a request. I just moved to the LA area and yesterday I was watching Opera. Jenny McCarthy was talking about her child, and one of the things she said is that parents of chidlren with autism are always in need of babysitters. Well, I have worked with children with autism for 6+ years. In one-on-one thearpy, in the classroom and as a nanny. I was wondering if anyone knew of a site where I can post a notice to search out babysitting jobs. Thank you for your assistance. Hi, I'm Sue.My two year-old nephew, Andrew, was just diagnosed with ASD. So, I've been doing as much reading as I can and thought that this would be a great place for information and feedback. :) Hello, My name is Sean and I have a four-year-old daughter with autism. She was diagnosed about three months before her second birthday and it's been a non-stop party since. Hello, I have a 17 year old son with PDD and bipolar. Wondering if anyone else had teenagers with bed wetting problems? Hi my name is Lisa. My son Ivan was dx w PDD-nos on 8/19, he just turned 2 & has beed getting ABA for 2wks. He is very social, follows commands has only delays in expressive language. He just strted pointing. He can count ,sing but can't make his needs known. I'm not quite over the heartbreak or what could have been but love him very much. Everyone who meets him loves him. He has the biggest smile & loves to give hugs/kisses. I wouldn't change anything about him.Hi all My name is Emma and my son Matthew is 2.5 years. (3 on 26th Dec) He is being tested for autism. I would like lots of advice and comforting words as all the HV's here in the UK are driving me bonkers and I just want to know eitehr way what is going on. Thanks for reading. fit4life, My son isn't a teenager but at age 11 is still nightly wetting and has to wear pull-ups every night. His developmental pediatrician wants us to get an alarm system to use and I guess we are going to and if that doesn't work she says there are medications we could try. Have you tried any of these methods with your son? Welcome!! Merry Hi Everyone
My name is Traci and I am the single mom of 2 boys. My oldest son Brendan just turned 4. In July 2007 he was diagnosed with PDD NOS. I am still in shock of this diagnosis but not surprised. I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you all.
Thanks HI TO ALLIM NOT REALLY NEW HERE BUT JUST WANT TO WISH ALL WELL.MY SON JOEY HAS AUTISM AND IS 10 YEARS OLD.IM A SINGLE DAD AND MY LIFE IS ABOUT MY CHILD.A RECENT POST HERE RECOMENDED A ARTICAL CALLED " 10 THINGS EVERY CHILD WITH AUTISM WISHES YOU KNEW" THANK YOU,IT NOT ONLY REMINDED ME OF THINGS I ALL READY KNEW BUT ELIGHTENED ME FUTHER.THERE ARE NO DAYS OFF WITH AUTISM THAT IS TRUE BUT WE AS PARENTS CAN CONTINUE TO GROW ALONG WITH OUR CHILDREN.THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW.THIS FOURM HELPS WITH THE NEW STUFF AND ALSO HELPS ME TO REMEMBER THINGS I MAY HAVE FORGOTEN.THANK YOU ALL! I GET WRAPED UP IN THE MOMENT SOME TIMES. THIS IS A PLACE I COME TO RE CENTER.TOGETHER WE STAND.THANKS AGAIN MICHAEL Hello all- I hope I am posting this in the right way if not, please forgive. My name is Cis and my dh and I have 4 wonderful daughters. Their ages are 21, 18, 17 & 4. That's right, not a typo, there are 13 yrs. between the youngest two. I've had the unique experience of teaching once to drive and at the same time teaching one to use the potty. I know there is a God and I'm pretty dern sure he has a sense of humor. Our youngest dd has HFA. Having had the three older children, I recognized early that she was doing some quirky things. I knew in my heart that it was autism and even suggested that it was to her pedetrician. Still, the first time you hear it said out loud by someone with an M.D. after their name, shakes you up. I still tear up even though it been two years. Does that ever stop? We are very fortunate that she was diagnosed so early so that her speech therapy could get started. Today, she has made so much progress. She still receives speech therapy twice a week (for her pragmatic speech) and O.T. once a week for her fine motor problems. I am so grateful for all her progress and accomplishments. She is now attending a nerotypical preschool and is doing wonderfully well so far. Not a day goes by that I don't learn something from her. Parenting her is more challanging. Particularly with her black and white thinking. For instance I have to be careful not to say things like "hold your horses." when I want her to slow down as she would be looking around for the horses. She is such a blessing to us. I so wish that there wasn't a need for this site; hopefully, someday there won't be. But until then, I'm glad to have found it and look forward to learning and sharing with all of you. ttfn Hi and welcome to the site, my daughter has moderate-severe classic autism and she is also a blessing to us. I have two other daughters one is 9 and one is almost 17 months Our 1youngest is about to have her first evaluation because they think she is also autitsic but it will be a while before we know for sure. Anyway hope to see lots of you around here, it's always nice to see more parents of little girls as we are in the minoritytake care Hi y'all, My name is Ken and my son has autism, moderate to severe as well. I am new and have not decided if I shall stay or not, there appears to be a lot of controversy and rudeness in the Board, or perhaps I joined in a bad week. We have tried many 'cures' and of course our son still is exactly the same, so we are done that route. I work for Homeland Security, I am sorry I cannot give any more detail than that. We are older parents. Hope to share and glean as well if I stay - Thank you for the welcome. Your girls are precious. I will say a prayer for your daughter's evaluation. I know the stress your under. I also belong to another site from which I have gathered a wealth of info but most of the posters have sons so I am glad to see so many posts from parents of daughters. ttfn hello everyone This is my first time on this site and i wish i would have found it sooner.I have read lots of these storys and i didnt realize that there was so many out there like myself. I am the mother of a autistic son who has been dealing with this since the age two, hes 9 now. i caught it very early and every since i started research on what they had in 1999 which was not much. Every where we went every person we talked to had never heard of the disease and the ones that did could only offer me medicine for him.. well for six yrs ive handled him on my own, in my own way. i had the same questions most everyone else but had no where to turn to the school was useless. and let me tell u its not easy to say the least, i had not realized how much i had helped my son own my own until this past friday. I was at a IEP, there was 8 of us including a "autistic specialist",and the regional director of special ed dept. when it was over they was asking me to become a advocate for children like him, and how they had never heard of the stratigies and the things ive done with him..ask me if intrested in sharing my info with them and others.. i would b more than happy to but i know nothing bout an advocate or how to get the word out LOUD where everyone outside the internet can hear!!! any suggustions!!!!!! MOM of 2 boys 1 has Autism and is 17- thats a long time to have a very large 2 yr old. Full time career and full time advocate for my son. Like to swap stories or information on services, schools etc. Live Outside of Orlando Florida. hi all, I am new this forum. I was searching for some thing related to my daughter and i came across this wonderful forum. Here is my story My daughter looks like has some classsic symptoms.We did did not get the dignosis done yet we are going to get it done ASAP. She is about 2 1/2 years old he has problems communicating. She now dosent want to be around too many people.She likes to play with paper.She plays with her younger sister.She is obssed with spinning things. She does not involve in any pretend play. Her tramtrum lasts for more than 30 min. She was a good kid until she was 2. She is a very active kid would never stop running around. Hard to make her sit in one place. Now looks like she is going down the hill. We are in a very confused state. Please advice. Hi my name is Linda and I'm new to this board. I have a 30 month old son who is going through ST and OT. He has not been diagnosed yet, but is very delayed in speech. I was wondering if anyone knows how I can find a support group or playgroup for toddlers with autism or PDD in my area of northern NJ? Going to playgroups with moms without children with special needs can be difficult because they don't always understand why my child runs away from me and how difficult it can be. If anyone has any information on this or where I can find support groups near me please let me know. Thank you. Just wondering if there are other moms out there with a child who has PDD and is hard to control out in public. What are your experiences and how do you handle the situation?
Linda Hi. My name is Susan Mendelson and I am a licensed social worker with a private practice in New Jersey, USA, that specializes in social skills training for children ages 4 and up. If I can be of any help to you please feel free to contact me. Also, take a look at my website for more information www.njsocialskills.com I look forward to talking to you and being a part of your forum. Thanks It's been a while....I'm Jeannie. Payne's mom. He is 7 years old. Dx classic autistic (formerly pdd-nos) epileptic, bipolar & ADHD (seriously think it is the autistic traits mimicking it though) and migraines. He takes medications to function...we've tried him without - not good! He's been hospitalized before for his aggression. We reside in Florida. He currently repeating First Grade in an ESE inclusion class. I have a son who is six and has been diagnosed with bipolar disroder, OCD, and I was told he is in the autism spectrum. I have spent years now fighting for him. He looks normal, so people think I am just a bad parent who cannot control her child. We hardly ever leave home except to go to shool. His brother does not want to live with us because our home is so chaotic. I have tried therapy and medicine and have yet to find anything that works for long. I feel so lonely because nobody understands what our lives are like. Nothing in our lives is normal. This is the card I have been dealt, and I am trying to make the best of it. I love my son more than anthing, I will do whatever it takes to help him.I would encourage anyone whose child is possibly showing signs of autism but have not gotten a diagnosis yet. To go ahead an push for a diagnosis as soon as possible. I think you will find that as soon as you get a diagnosis for your child that more resources will be available for you. I know that that was true for my boys and as soon as they were in a program geared towards their specific needs they quicker they started to progress. The first 6 years are so vitally important for these kids. to acleveland: Hang in there...even if no one else on the outside understands what your life is like, you will find so many on this forum who do; those who have "been there, done that, got the T-shirt," and will be so supportive...it's a great resource and someone on here will be able to answer just about any question that might come up, offer words of advice, or if nothing else, just offer a "virtual" shoulder to cry on...we are all at different points on the journey, with different sets of circumstances, but we all "get it." How old is the other child? If he's experiencing serious problems handling the 6-yr old's diagnosis and behavior, you may want to look into counseling for him... There are many different therapies, approaches and such, and this forum can be a wealth of information regarding those, so ask away... Welcome... I am here to introduce myself, as when I moved my computer crashed and I lost everything including the ability to sign in on orginal screen name and update my email. So here, I, go again on introductions. I recently moved to Texas and am concerned about my son who has been diagnosed with Aspergers starting at a new school. New situations, places etc is always an issue with him. I understand this and try to change as little as possible in our surroundings, but the move was a must and something we could not avoid. I called the school counselor about a week ago and expressed my concerns and she agreed that they were very valid concerns and thought it might be best to address it with his teachers(they rotate classes here in 5th grade) so that everyone is on the same page. I was impressed and we are meeting on Friday. Yeah. My son loves dogs, when I say loves, I mean love. He will ask me about 100+ times a day if we will buy him a dog, not a real one mind you as we have 2 of those already but a stuffed one. He must have over 50. I always tell him work on doing your chores and we will see. There are days I must admit that I want to pull my hair out as I get tired of hearing it, but I know in my heart he can't help it. His big sister is wonderful with him and will distract him into something us, like video games, playing with him etc. She is a true blessing and they are closer than anyone can even imagine. She has already thought about going into special education. Not only because of her brother but because she has a few friends that have special needs. She is a unique teenager as well as a small child as she always went fot he child that would be considered to be an, "outsider" to most kids. I am truly blessed by both my kids and feel fortunate that I have them. The other day was a bad day as school starts on Monday and I have been waking the kids up at the time they would need to get up for school. The 1st think my son said when he waw me, as he was coming down the stairs was....., Yep you guessed it, "can you buy me a puppy?" AHHHHHHHHHHH. LOL I love my kids and will do anything for them, fight battles with drs, schools but I have those days that I get tired of hearing about dogs. Does anyone else feel that way at times or is it just me. I feel like such a bad mom on those days. I did forget to mention in the beginning that our son was just diagnosed in May with aspergers. HELLO, MY NAME IS SARAH. I AM NEW TO THIS FORUM, ACTUALLY IT IS MY FIRST TIME BEING ON ANY FORUM. I HAVE 4 CHILDREN...ALL BOYS. THEIR AGES ARE 7, 5, 3, AND 5 MONTHS OLD. MY OLDEST GUY IS AUTISTIC. THE SCHOOL DIAGNOSIS SAYS MILD AUTISM AND SPEECH DELAY. MY 3 OTHERS DO NOT HAVE ANY DISABILITIES AT THIS TIME. I WILL DISCUSS TREY FOR THE TIME BEING SINCE THIS IS AN AUTISM FORUM. TREY IS THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL GIFT THAT ENTERED MY LIFE. HE IS A VERY HANDSOME, LOVABLE, AFFECTIONATE, TALENTED INDIVIDUAL. WE HAVE KNOWN HE WAS AUTISTIC SINCE HE WAS 3. BEFORE THAT WAS THE CLASSIC STORY FOR SOME OF YOU OUT THERE: ALERT AND ATTENTIVE, GOOD EYE CONTACT, COOING, TALKING FEW WORDS, ACHIEVING MILESTONE AT THE IDEAL AGE, ALL THOSE THINGS. THEN, THERE WAS A CHANGE AROUND 1 YEAR OLD. NO TALKING AT ALL, POOR EYE CONTACT, GOING INTO HIS "OTHER WORLD" (THAT'S WHAT I CALLED IT). THEN, OF COURSE, BROUGHT HIM TO THE DOCTOR AT 2 AND SAID "SOMETHING IS WRONG OR DIFFERENT NOW" AND EXPLAINED EVERYTHING AND THE DOCTOR TRYING HIS HARDEST TO UNDERSTAND THE CHILD'S NEEDS(YEAH RIGHT) SAID "WAIT UNTIL HE IS THREE BECAUSE HE IS A BOY AND BOY'S DEVELOP SLOWER, THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT." SO I DID BECAUSE I TRUSTED DOCTORS(LEARNED THAT LESSON THE HARD WAY) AND SAW TREY GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND GETTING FARTHER AND FARTHER AWAY FROM ME(MENTALLY). I COULDN'T TEACH HIM EASILY ANYMORE. EVERYTHING HAD TO BE TAUGHT IN SONG BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY HE COULD UNDERSTAND AND USE THE INFORMATION. I WAS TRYING ALL THE THINGS THEY SAID IN ALL THOSE BABY BOOKS(YOU KNOW THE ONES) AND OF COURSE HE WASN'T TRYING TO POTTY OR TALK OR DO ANYTHING THAT OTHER 2 YEAR OLDS WERE DOING. SO 3 YEARS OLD ROLLS AROUND AND THE DOC SAYS "OH MY, WHY DIDN'T YOU COME TO ME EARLIER! THERE IS ECI FOR CHILDREN UNDER 3, THEY COME TO YOUR HOME AND COULD HELP YOUR CHILD.(THIS IS THE SAME DOCTOR MIND YOU) WELL YOU NEED TO GET HIM EVALUATED IMMEDIATELY AT YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL. HERE IS A REFERENCE LETTER TO BRING" NOW, DO I EVEN HAVE TO TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? I THINK NOT. WELL, ANYWAY HE GOT EVALUATED AND HAS GONE THROUGH GREAT EXPERIENCES AT SCHOOL AND LEARNED QUITE A LOT. HE HAS COME SO FAR AND WE ARE SO PROUD OF HIM. HE HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH A LOT OF OBSTACLES OTHER THAN SCHOOL AND HAS PUSHED THROUGH, AND STILL IS PUSHING THROUGH HIS PRESENT OBSTACLES. HE IS A WONDERFUL BROTHER AND HIS BROTHERS ARE WONDERFUL TO HIM. WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BUT WE HAVE HAD A PRETTY GOOD START.Hi I am the very proud mom of 2 great kids Alex is just turned 6, diagnosed with ASD 2 yrs ago. He is quite high functioning but has his bad days too!!! Our daughter is 17 mths and showing no signs of ASD. Both children were adopted from Asia, and they are my little miracle babies!!! We live in ireland. Hi and welcome to the board! I have a 6 year-old son as well. Hi everyone, we are glad we found this site. My wife and I are going nuts trying to find help...or anyone who knows what they are talking about these days. Going through a rough time now...Anthony has become very agressive and kind of violent since he has been on gf/cf diet. He also trys to harm himself. I talked to his naturopath today and he told me to try reintroducing casien, so I did. This was about a half an hour ago....he just wrote some of his abc's on paper for the first time, and is not screaming constantly! I'm not sure what to think about the gf/cf diet for him any more. Guess Ive gotta look for some input here, get to know some of you, and maybe learn from what you have all been through. Like I said, Very excited to have found this site!Dear Christine and ALL the newbies... Here's a short list of the abbreviations that I compiled from a thread that mentioned this in the past... ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder NT - Neurotypical (Normal) , PDD-NOS - Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (Part of the autistic spectrum) Intervention approaches: ABA - Applied Behaviour Analysis, RDI - Relationship Development Intervention, SIT - Sensory Integration Therapy, Floor Time, TEACCH - ??? IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act , DAN - Defeat Autism Now , BIP - Behavioural Intervention Plan , FBA - Functional Behaviour Assessment , IFSP - Individual Family Services Plan, EIP - Early Intervention Programme, IEP - Individualized Education Programme Small talk !! IMO - In My Opinion, IMHO - In My Humble Opinion, LOL - Laughing Out Loud, LMAO - Laughing My Ass Off, ROTFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing , SAHM - Stay At Home Mum Hope it helps... Our nearly 3.5 yo son Justin was diagnosed with a mild form of Autism Spectrum Disorder just a couple of months ago by the child development unit of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. They didn't specify any more than that, but we suspect he has PDD-NOS with ADHD tendencies. I'm a 38 yo stay at home dad, mom is mid-30's woman with a good career and in addition to Justin we have a 5 month boy who seems to be developing normally so far. Hi everyone, My name is Dusty and I'm new here. I have a 15 year old son, Dakota, who is autistic and is on the severe end of the spectrum. He has no verbal speech, not truly potty trained and has very, very, severe aggressive behaviors towards others and himself. We have been riding the medicine train for so many years now and I'm just about rode out! When he was four he was put on his first medication, clonidine, to get him to sleep more than one hour a nite. Then respirdal was introduced two years later when the aggressive behaviors came out and these two meds really worked for about 4 years. Then when he was about 9 things started to change. He went from one drug to another drug, Depakote, Zyprexa, Trileptal, Lexapro, Abilify, Respirdal, clonidine, and more! Some worked for only a short while then nothing seemed to help. I must say the Depakote worked the best but in one short year my son went from 100 lbs to 220 lbs from the medication. Yep! 120 lbs weight gain in one year! Of course I knew he would be a big boy becuz of my family size but it's not easy caring for a 15 year old who stands 5'10" 227 lbs when I'm only 5'3" and 140 lbs. In the last 6months I have been really at my last straw. I don't know what to do now. All of the meds he's on now don't seem to be working and the aggression towards me is soooo bad. The teenage hormone stage is here per the doctor and its not getting better or easier. Does anyone no anyone that has slowly took their child off a regiman of drugs to clean them out so that they can start with a clean slate. His doctor only seems to think a group home is what needs to be done next and I'm not ready for that yet? My son's current drugs are Depakote 500 mg 1 x day, Respirdal 5mg a day, abilify 15 mg a day, Lexapro 10 mg a day, Clonidine 0.1 mg 3 x day, alot I know!!! I love my son dearly and he is my only child and Im not ready for him to be cared for by someone else but I don't know how much longer I can hand in there! can anyone suggest something? Thank you for listening. I hope to hear from anyone soon!
I also wish there was something that I could say to help you with your situation. I know there have been times with my 2 boys where I have felt at the end of my rope. My boys specialist put them on Haloperidol for their aggressive behavior. It is not a medication that is used alot with Autism but it has helped. Whenever we try to take them of (Whoa watch out) so it does help. I am not quite sure if that helps, maybe there will be somebody else on the board who can be more helpful. A co-worker has a similar situation with her 12 yo son. (basically non-verbal) who is also quite large and growing every day. She'd come to work with bite marks, bruises, and her elderly mother took the brunt as well. They actually started the process of looking at residential treatment centers. But after getting very violent he was placed in the hospital and taken off all meds. He is now on Haldol and knock on wood has not had a violent outburst in weeks - little meltdowns but manageable. They too have tried many meds. Just a thought.Welcome Susan, Coincidentally, I am in the process of applying for a grant to cover a social skills group my son will be attending this year as it isn't covered by insurance. I am hopeful it will go through so he can go to it. I wish you were closer as we live in Maine. My daughter just graduated from UMO with a SW degree and we are praying she will go back and get her masters within the next few years. She works currently for Kids Peace and seems to like her job. Again, welcome~Merry HI,MY NAME IS CHRIS AND I HAVE A 3 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER NAMED ABIGAIL WHO WAS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM IN MAY OF 2007. MY HUSBAND AND I ARE FULL TIME HARD WORKING PARENTS. WE ALSO HAVE A 18MONTH OLD SON NAMED DANNY. WHEN I FIRST GOT ABBY EVALUATED BY EARLY INTERVENTIONS SHE WAS 2 YEARS OLD. THEY TOLD ME SHE WAS NOT ELIGIABLE FOR SERVICES BECAUSE SHE HAD TO MANY WORDS ALTHOUGH ALL MIXED WITH JARGON. 6MONTHS LATER HER DAYCARE TEACHERS AND I THOUGHT THINGS WERE NOT PROGRESSING SO I RE-OPENED THE CASE WITH E.I. BUT I ALREADY HAD GOTTEN A DIAGNOSIS FROM A DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRICAN. HERE IN PHILADELPHIA ALL OF THE MAJOR HOSPITALS IN OUR TRI-STATE AREA THAT HAVE A DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRIC AREA ARE AT LEAST ANYWHERE FROM A 9MONTH TO 14 MONTH WAIT TO GET YOUR CHILD EVALUATED. SO MOST PARENTS HERE IN PHILLY PAY OUT OF THEIR POCKETS TO GET A DIAGNOSIS IN TWO WEEKS. WHICH IS WHAT WE DID. ABBY IS A VERY LOVING AND BEAUTIFUL GIRL. BUT WE ARE STILL WAITINIG TO GET HER FULL SERVICES. IT IS GOING ON SEPT 2007 AND SHE IS STILL WAITING. SHE GOES TO A SOCIAL SKILLS GROUP ONE NIGHT A WEEK WHICH MY INSURANCE COVERS SOME OF AND SHE JUST STARTED GETTING SPEECH AND O.T. IT IS A WAITING GAME HERE. WE ARE SO TIRED AT NIGHT WHEN WE GET HOME SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE WE DON'T DO ENOUGH WITH HER. IT IS HARD WORKING FULL TIME. SOMETIMES I WISH WE DID NOT HAVE TO GO THE EXTRA MILE ALL THE TIME. THIS IS THE TRUTH. BUT WE LOVE HER SO MUCH, I JUST WISH HELP WAS EASIER. IT IS A FAST RISING EPIDEMIC PEOPLE NEED TO BECOME MORE AWARE OF. IT IS HEARTBREAKING ENOUGH WHEN THE WORDS AUTISM COME FROM THE DOCTORS MOUTH, HELP SHOULD BE RIGHT OUTSIDE THE FAMILIES FRONT DOOR.Hello I am new to this board. I am having a lot of issues with my child. He was labeled as having a sosial delay when he was two. He was kicked out several dayscares before we had him tested. Now in kindergarten he spit on his teacher and hit her so they told me we had to switch schools. We now go to a school closer to our home however it's very big. My little boy hates it. He say's it's boaring. I feel at this time like I fight with him every single day he's very violent and now my 55 pound five year old has really hurt me. I have bruses and bite marks on me. I have tried everything. I take away toys and tv and everything he likes. I have even tried spanking which I don't believe in and he laughs when I do that anyway. I just don't know what to do with him. His daddy was recently very seriously injured in a car accident and is now in a nursing home. I am now doing this all by myself. I really need some advise as I am going crazy. I know structure is important and I know he needs counciling and he will start that next week. What do you all think about medications. I am very against them and so is his daddy. But would it be in his best intrest to medicate?
Moxie. Hello,I am Atul and have a 33 month old son diagnosed with ASD six months ago. He is in early intervention and seems to be making progress but is still not verbal. He is otherwise a very intelligent, loving sweet child. I have recently started as a full time dad staying at home till our son starts school. I quite like my new role and am thinking of taking it up 'permanently' - despite my wife's envy, my friend says that whoever starts to stay home gets 'squatters rights' My wife KajoliT is a active member of the forum. Hi my name is Kylie and i have just found out my 2 and a half yr old has mild to moderate autism, just wanted to introduce myself ive been reading this forum for a while and thought id say hi! Hi
My son is going into kindergarten with a great inclusion program for high functioning Autism Spectrum children. We still need some afterschool childcare and would like to find someone with some special needs experience. We live in Manhattan, NY. We do not qualify for respite or most services from YAI-NIPD because it is not a severe enough case, but in a difficult time like transition to a new school, his autistic traits become more pronounced and are wearing us down lately. If anyone has a suggestion that is not super high priced, please reply. I am thinking of contacting colleges that have Special Education majors ??? Hi My son is going into kindergarten and we need an afterschool babysitter who is experienced with special needs kids. If you know someone in the mid Manhattan area or have advice on the matter of childcare providers outside of the family, please reply. Hi, we are a Christian homeschool family with 4 children. My almost 3 yr old had a history of seizures and autism like symptoms. His symptoms are 90% gone since we implemented a gfcf diet 14 mo ago. Also, we are adopting 3 children related to us out of foster care that are 4, 2, and 14 mo. Two have been dx as autistic and the baby is very delayed and I suspect he may go towards autism. The almost 3 yr old girl is totally non verbal and basically non responsive also. She is tiny and starving for food all the time (in my avatar). The 4 yr old is verbal but about half of her words are an echo of the last 3 words she heard, so alot of what she is saying doesn't make sense. They are still in a foster home, but we hope to bring them home in October after our last court date. The girls are in Occ Ther, Spe Ther, Phys Ther, and music ther. Baby is just not crawling at 14 mo, but they are not calling that delayed yet
Does anyone else have a few special needs children mixed into a large family? What about other families homeschooling their auties? Id love pointers from either! I sure will need them! Hello everyone! I am new to this site and my name is Jennifer. My son, Chance, will be five in October and he has Autism. I am blessed to have him. Early education has really helped my son and I am very happy with his progress thus far. He is almost potty trained and his speach has improved dramatically. He is a very happy child but his temper can be explosive. I am glad I found this forum where other parents or family members can communicate and share ideas to help each other. I am very grateful!! HI EVERY ONEHOPE EVERY ONE IS DOING WELL.I JUST ORDERED MY SONS TRANSDERMAL CREAM SUPPLEMENTS FROM SPRING BOARD.THEY HAVE ADDED SOME NEW ONES AND WE ARE GETTING VITAMIN C AND ZINC THIS TIME ALONG WITH HIS USUAL ONES.THE MELITONIN AND AUTISTIC AND AUTISTIC 2.0 REALLY MAKE A DIFFRENCE FOR JOEY.THOUGH ID GET THAT OUT THERE FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM. HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLLIDAY. MICHAEL Hello this is my first post. I live in the UK and have a beautiful six year old son who has severe autism. He doesn't have any language apart from the odd word and finds it hard to understand speech, but he's very loving most of the time and he's a real character! He goes to a local special school and is in a class with 5 other autistic children, all at a higher level than him. I'm a single mum and he's my only child. I have a physical disability so life gets tough but I get a lot of help from family. It's nice to find a forum where people really know what it's like to live with autism. Hope to get to know some of you very soon. Welcome - Its very nice to see some new people here and I look forward to hearing about your livesHello,I am brand new here. I just found this forum today and I can't get away from it. My son Sean is 4 years,9 months and is somewhere on the spectrum...I'm just not sure where yet. We went thru the Child Study Team evaluations and the neurologist only diagnosed him with ADD,inattentive type,but I know he has more trouble than that. He's always used echolalia,doesn't converse back and forth,and has trouble drawing. He also has trouble socially,largely because of his problems with communicating. He definitely has some serious auditory problems. In another week and a half I'm taking him to Auditory Integration Training and whenever thats done,he'll go to pre-school and get speech therapy. I'm also going to have him evaluated at University Hospital in Newark. A diagnosis of ADD just isn't correct. There is a lot of hope here,though. He has a good memory and a large vocabulary. He loves to play,go to the pool,run,and have fun. He's a bit hyperactive when we're out,but it's not too terrible. We got him to stop saying "Want water?" or "Want to go to the park?" Now he says, "I want water" or "I want to go to the park." He's using "yes" and "no" when asked questions. He has always used non-verbal gestures like pointing or taking my hand. Lately,I'm trying to teach him how to ASK questions. I feel as if the major problem is his speech/communication. If I can bust that open,I feel he can do anything. I'm really not sure if ABA,DIR,or some combination will be best for him. I only know that I will do anything to make him well. He's the most inportant thing in the world to me and his happiness is what I care about most. I'm just glad I found this forum. Finally,I can connect with some people who are in a similar situation. Hi Gang! Just popping in with a quick introduction. I'm Canuk, and I'm a Domestic Goddess (er...stay at home mum Spencer is in an amazing class for kids with Aspergers in the public school system. Other schools from across north america travel to see it in action because their approach of reverse integration has been so successful for these kids. I'm so glad he's there! Now, if we could only figure out his sleep issues, we're good to go. :) I look forward to getting to know everyone. Hi, I am Alfi from Indonesia. Anybody from Indonesia also? My son is 17 months old now. Last month one doctor dx his with sensory integrations problem, and the other one with communication delay. But i cannot keep autism away from my mind. He loves to play peek a boo, play in the water and loves to hear people sing. But he seems not to understand what people say. He is not speaking yet, Some days he babbles a lot some times only few words but he does not use it intentionally. He used to toe walk when he started learning to walk, which is quite late at 15 months, then he stops, but tonight i notice he does that again sometimes. My main concern is, the first doctor suggest therapy, which i totally agree. But is is normal for the child to cry basically 45 minutes out of the 1 hour therapy session? He has done it 8 times, and it does not get any better. Can they learn anything there? Should i have the therapist come to our home where he feels more comfortable?
Welcome Alfi, I think it is normal (at least our son did cry) at the therapy sessions at first. In fact sometimes we all cried especially when the therapist had to lock him into a hold to keep him from hurting himself or her. But eventually he started to respond and then he stopped crying and started getting benefits from the therapy. Use your parent instinct to tell you if the therapy is beneficial but don't give up too soon. Maybe you dont want to stay through the sessions if it is too difficult but I always did because I wanted to see what she was working on with him. Again, welcome, Merry Hello Everybody, My name is Adam and I reside in the San Diego area. My son, Matthew, was diagnosed with Autism about 1.5 years ago at age 2.5. In some ways, my son seems high functioning and in other areas he seems to be lower. Fortunately, our school district has a specific toddler autism school where they address his direct needs. I'm a little concerned about his entry into kindergarten, which will not be until next year. The special kindergarten in our district is for kids with all kinds of disabilities, and I was wondering if anybody knew of a source where I can find a private kindergarten that work specifically with children with ASD's? Or am I too concerned about my son being placed in a more generalized education environment? Hi Adam,Welcome to the board. You may look up TACA's website. The have meetings in the San Diego area. They also have a parents forum as well. They have a great resource list. What I find is that parents like yourself in the same area usually have the best information when it comes to local resources. My son currently attends a typical Kindergrten with a shadow aide. I lilve in south LA county so any recommendations that I could make is generally for my area. Welcome and good luck.HI. My name is Dee. My son was recently diagnosed with ASD. We were told it was HF or Mild. Still learning what that means exactly for his prognosis. I also have a 1year old who so far is NT. We of course fear that 15-18M mark. I've always known something was off with our oldest from very early on and am relieved to get a diagnosis finally, but still feel a little sad and even numb. Hi, Leah was diagnosed with mild autism this past May. We delayed giving shots because we had heard between my older girls and Leah the dangers of them and kept going back and forth about letting her get any. She was 2 1/2 when she received her first two shots and immediately we noticed a behavior change. She knew all of her letters by herself at 2 (self-taught) and couldn't tell us but maybe 2 within a couple weeks. She began to throw tantrums and her speech went backwards. Talk about guilt!! She never received another shot.  She is still a joy to have and I couldn't love her anymore (as I am sure with everyone here :o) even if she wasn't autistic. She still doesn't talk much and is going to speech therapy and occupational therapy 2X a week, physical therapy 1X a week. She loves to cuddle for which I am very grateful!! Very imaginative, but stays in that world much of the time. She has an intense need to escape, which I found out is normal. We have had the police and over 75 people searching one time when she was gone 2 1/2 hours and found chest high in a creek. We are in the process of building a fence and have a wristband ordered for now. Our small town is in the process of getting Project Lifesaver and we will look into that. We know we have to watch her, but I want the piece of mind as a backup. My older girls do great with her and offer me some respite for which I know I am blessed! Though it is hard on them as well..... She can dismantle a room in nothing flat and continually destroys her sister's rooms. She can climb just about anything. I am finding after parenting 3 kids, I feel at a loss. I am not sure what is autistic and what is character problems. I am not sure what needs disciplining and what needs patience. I have learned to give her more time to change activities and let her know a couple times before doing so it can sink in. I am hoping to find some parents who know a lot more than me, figure out what to do to help her and just talk to others who understand. I am tired of feeling like I have to justify or explain everything, having it implied if I would just parent better, she would behave better. (I have 3 wonderful well-adjusted, well-behaved that everyone admires and loves.... I am the same parent that parented them!!!) Anyway thanks if you made it through this novel. I am not sure what I was supposed to put here I am going to do a bunch of browsing!Hello all--- My name is Lisa and I am a single mom of 2 Autistic boys, ages 7 & 10. I can't believe after living with Autism for over 10 years I just came across this site?! But I'm glad I did. Now I don't feel so isolated. All my best to everyone. Lisa
Hi everybody. I just joined the forum. I want to share about my project for Awareness, is basically a 24,000 mile trip across America to distribute at least 100,000 educational material to the public, about peope living with ASD. My web site is http://www.freewebs.com/acrossamericaforautismawareness/ . Please take a look and send your comments. As of right now is only me, my wife and the kids so everybody is welcome to help and join on this misssion. Thank you. Hello to you all from New Zealand My son was diagnosed with ASD at 2 years 3 months because I pushed and we were '' lucky" that he was 8 weeks premature as he was already in the health system and there was evidence from the beginning- easily overstimulated, spinning objects, obsessed with Baby Mozart type videos (all those lights and spining things!), slow to develop speech but once developed, knew alphabet, all shapes and colours and counted to 20 before he was 2. Now, as we watch his sister approach 2, we realise all the things he wasn't doing- pointing, understanding us, asking questions, imitating.... Jemma is a delight to watch because she is so different and neurotypical. Just as Riley is a delight in his obvious intelligence and great sense of humour. In our approach to Rileys therapy, we don't have a lot of choices in this country. The health system is public and intensive early intervention meant 1 hour per week We are lucky to have one of only 3 DAN doctors in the country in our city so we do an intensive biomedical approach- with diet and supplements and now into chelation. I am always reading and trying to find out more. I am a secondary teacher by trade and I worry for my son in secondary school. They are tough years for any teenager, and Aspergers kids are more vulnerable. Riley is doing extremely well and we have seen great gains. He is now trying to participate in simple conversations and is interacting better with his peers. He is learning quickly the skills we teach him (amazing that we had to teach him 'mine' but Jemma knows it now at 21 months). I look forward to gaining more knowledge from this board.
Well... my younger son is seven, and doesn't have a straight diagnosis yet. At this point they are looking at a combination of PDD, ODD and a little ADHD, and he's on .25mg of Risperdal daily which has saved his life. He developed normally as a toddler, so I thought his PDD characteristics were actually imitative of his brother. Also, I thought his violent over-reactions were a sensitivity issue. I knew he had sensory integration quirks and transition issues, and that he plays with legos and figurines by himself, or draws for 6-9 hours at a time, but I guess I can be very oblivious at times. I didn't want to be told he had ODD, but eventually I did get him a psychologist and a psychiatrist. Once a police officer stopped his field trip, called me and indicated he intended to put him in involuntary psychiatric care for 72 hours. I talked him down, and got Aiden to the dr. That day the drs finally realized how difficult he could be and prescribed the Risperdal. That day watching him wander in the drs office counting everything, I thought, "he's acting autistic". It was another 24 hours before I realized he's too young to accomplish that kind of act. Anyway, that is me. :) My name is Tammy and I am a parent of a 10 year old child with Autism. Unlike many, I knew something was wrong early on but others said, "no, he's just a boy." I had 2 girls before him. He would rarely allow us to hold him when bottle feeding him, would not eat any food or baby food until he turned one, he hated to be held and rocked, loved to sit in his infant seat or stroller. We had a terrible time at night time. He would wake up 7 times a night until he was 10 months old, and then 4 times until he was 2 years old. He crawled out of his crib at 10 and a 1/2 months old and climbed on top of the refrigerator during the night, so it was hard to keep in one place. I cried every night from exhaustion. I finally found a day care that would keep him. The teacher noticed he had a speech problem and recommended a place in town that would come and evaluate him. After a 2 hour meeting with the ST, the teacher and me, she said it sounded more like Autism. They said they could see the color in my face drain away. The ST recommended an Autism specialist and Zach received a diagnosis of Moderate Autism and ADHD at 18 months of age. He was a text book case. With lots and lots and lots of therapy- ST, OT, PT, Behavioral therapy, handwriting therapy, food therapy, at school and at a children's hospital, he has moved to High Functioning and Aspergers Syndrome. He still has major issues, but I feel priviledged to watch the miracle before me. I am a better person because of him. Welcome Tammy, You've come to the RIGHT PLACE...and you have certainly come a long way...with Zachary... Looking forward to your future posts... Hi, my name is Laraine and I am a step-mom to my dh's son who is 18 and has been diagnosed as PDD-NOS. I am posting because I need support for my situation and I don't even know if this board will help me. I have been married to my dh for a little over 6 years. DSS was not diagnosed until after we were married and this has put such a strain on our marriage at many levels. I am feeling burned out because I have no say in anything that pertains to my DSS but have to live with it on a daily basis. DSS is very high functioning but imho is very unpleasant to be around and is just rude. I know it's the disorder, but it hurts just the same. If I say anything (in private) to my dh about my feelings about his son, dh gets mad at me and tells me I am mean and selfish--sometimes in front of dss. Then I feel betrayed and it's them against me and I am the mean step-mother. We are a blended family--I have 3 of my own and ds has two other children. I think dh also has some traits b/c he is not emotionally supportive. I think all I'm looking for is validation that I am not such a horrible person and my hurt is based on reality. I can't envision spending the rest of my life living like this... Help please !!! I am the father of an autistic soon to be 14 year old boy he is currently on prozac and abilify medication was started about 2 years ago he is usually a very happy and non violent child before meds he would attack his mom biting her and knocking her down to the floor he has not done this in a long time and we thought he was over it but ysterday and today he attacked her again tonight just a bout a 1/2 hr ago how can his mom deal with this he does listen to me but a can't be watching all the time anyone else had this problem??Hi all, my name is Tracii and I live in Logan, Utah. I'm originally from Oklahoma, where the level of ignorance regarding autism is astonishing. My grandpa, father, brother, aunt, cousins, and myself all suffer from autism-like characteristics, but we've never been diagnosed and never will be. Forgive the negative attitude, but the frustrations of an autistic or otherwise special needs person in general here can break your heart. My roommate used to babysit a 14-year old girl with severe autism and seizures. She'd been abused in grade school after 1 week there, so her parents withdrew her and she obtained NO schooling or therapy for about 7 or 8 years. During that time, she was thought to be unable to think due to an inability to speak. My roommate gave her a piece of paper with the alphabet on it and, to everyone's amazement, this 14 year old girl who'd never been taught to spell, read, write, or otherwise communicate could spell perfectly. Not only that, but she also had the Periodic Table of Elements memorized and could tell you what you were thinking with frightening precision, though she never liked to do it or talk about it. She is an amazing human being, but was depressed and wanted badly to go to school. My roommate, after 2 years of babysitting and working with her, convinced her parents to enroll her in high school. During her time at the school, my roommate watched this girl and other handicapped children be abused, neglected, and humiliated by the special ed teacher. One boy was made to sit in his own vomit for 45 minutes because she refused to clean him up. Everyday something of this nature happened until, after a semester at the high school, my roommate quit her job. The girl still attends her school...only God knows what she endures on a daily basis. This story is not unique. Oklahoma doctors, educators, politicians, and people off the street do not CARE about autism or related disorders...unless someone they know is diagnosed. People are baffled at the mention of autism and have NO clue what it even is, which blows me away. My own mother refuses to believe that my brother's learning disabilities, repetitive behavior, aversion to change, anxiety, and other characteristics are in any way related to autism or Asperger's Syndrome. The same for me. I've dealt with feeling different, weird, isolated, inhuman, and alien my whole life and just learned about AS a few years ago. Websites and forums like this one are my only outlet for my feelings and concerns, and I hope I can share what I've learned through research and first-hand experience with those seeking answers here. I'm good at memorizing facts, but need help with making friends. Thanks for being a part of something so helpful to so many people. I am so happy to have found this message board because there are times my husband and I feel so alone. I am a grandmother of a 12 year old Autistic boy Kevin who is both a joy to have in my life now but at the same time it is so hard. You see Kevin's parents decided a year ago that they no longer want to care for their son so he was dropped of on our door step and almost forgotten. In april of 2006 we went to celebrate Kevin's 11th birthday and we discovered that for over a year he had been sleeping on a unfinished floor with only a 2 inch foam as a matress with one blanket and a pillow. Then if that wasn't bad enough we also found out that my son's latest girlfriend was locking Kevin in his room 15 hours a day to play on his video games. He was only allowed out to go to the bathroom or the door was unlocked during the night incase he had to use the bathroom. When I saw this I gave my son 2 weeks to straighten things out or I would report him to CPS. Well to make a long story short the father went into hiding and got into drugs pretty bad and the neglect got even worse. in July he dropped Kevin off on my door step and has come to visit him only a few times and the mother in all of this no longer wants Kevin in her life and she calls Kevin once every 2 months she says she hasn't got the time to call him because she is too busy collecting welfare and careing for Kevin's sister and brother. Kevin was diagnosed with moderate Autism with slight mental retardation. He has improved so much since he has been with us this year he went to school and did exceptionally well. He was at a grade 2 level this year when he started school Sept 25th but by the time school was ending he was at a grade 6 so he has done so well. Another good thing we have done is taken him from 12 -15 hours a day of video games down to only 3 hours a day on weekends only this is how we were able to find out that he has a love and a gift for music the music he plays is awesome and he has never looked at a music sheet. Of course being the proud granny that I am we bought him an electroc key board. As well as it has been and as much progress as he has made since he came to live with us I find life so hard at times because though I don't know much about Autism I know that for them life revolves around them and in a way I know that they are very selfish at times and it all has to do with the Autism. I don't know if I am doing this right or not but I am treating him as I would a normal child and if he swears at us he gets a little soap in his mouth if he hits us he gets punished and things taken away from him like the internet or his game cube for a few days up to a month depending how bad he is at the time.Another thing we do is he has chores to do every day like making his bed every day and keeping his room clean every day at the end of the week he gets 3$ and when he has enough money picked up he can buy himself a new game for his game cube which go for about 25$ - 40$ here in Canada We have given him a very loving home and we show him all the time how much we love him and how much joy he brings to us but at the same time we have given him structure I would even go as far to saying strict structure and it seems to be working so well because he is no longer mixed up he knows he has rules to follow and if he does not follow them he has consequences. Is there anyone out there that is going through what I am going through or who thinks that I can do something differently I would so appreciate the advice Thanks for taking the time to read this post :::: Tons of Hugs Alice
[QUOTE=mandyanthony]I just wanted to start by saying hello!! My name is Mandy, and I am the proud mom of a beautiful 4 1/2 year old son, who has just recently been "officially" diagnosed with moderate-severe autism and severe ADHD. I have researched myself crazy over the last 6 months, and found that the only thing that I need is moral support from others who understand the struggles that my child faces and the emotional aspect of being mommy. He is starting a pre-k program for special needs children this coming August in our local school district. They will be providing his education, speech and occupational therapy as well. Currently he is seeing a Psychiatrist and a Child Psychologist who specializes in Play Therapy. I am in NO way looking for ways to change him, only ways to better understand and HELP him. I look forward to being a part of this very large family of people who truly understand. [/QUOTE] Hi granny53, I just wanted to tell you that I think your doing a great job with your grandson and have the patience and love for him. Keep up the good work! I really admire the things that so many grandmothers do, with the children of their own troubled children. It sounds as Kevin in particular is doing wonderfully well! Granny 53, I hope you will read here often and post more on his progress!
Hi :) I am Teresa. I have a 7 yr. old Autistic daughter named Cammi who is such a gift to our family. I have been coming to this board for a couple of weeks now and have already used some of the ideas here. I wish I had found all of you YEARS ago..... oh, well :) . Here's our story.... Cammi has two older sisters - Chelsea who is 14 and Tori who is 8. Because of these two older sisters, her dad and I realized at a very young age that Cammi was "different". At around 6 months to a year old, Cammi began doing some things that caused us concern. She wouldn't give us eye contact like she had before when trying to engage in activities and play-time with her. She lost the few words she had learned (mom-mom, dad, hi, etc.), she began responding to loud or different sounds by screaming, she wouldn't respond when calling her name, among many other odd activities that developed over time. At two years old, Cammi's pediatrician recommended we take her for testing - because of developmental delays. In April 2002 she was diagnosed with Autism. That's when the research began. I began reading everything I could get my hands on about what we could do to help her. Everything I read always came down to - the more time spent with her in therapy, on-one-one time, etc. , the better she would progress. At that point my husband and I decided that I should take a leave of absence from my teaching position (I had taught for 12 years at that point and loved my job) and dedicate all my time to Cammi. We were very fortunate at the time that financially we could handle this - I know many people wouldn't be able to afford to do that. I also had Tori who was 3 yrs. old at the time and this way I could spend time with both of them. I finished out the Spring semester of my teaching job and then took a leave of absence. Immediately we started Cammi in in-home Speech and Occupational therapy thru "First Steps", a government program. She was involved in that until she started pre-school. We also had ABA therapy services which were very expensive because the only therapist we could find was in Lexington (a 3 hour drive for her). When registering Cammi for pre-school (it's called Headstart here), she was required to do a few screenings. One of the required screenings was a blood test. This was when a red light came on for us. When Cammi's results came back, she was shown to have 5 times the amount of mercury in her system that a child should have. Doctors told us that the only way Cammi could have this much mercury in her system was thru her vaccinations. Vaccinations had thimersol in them at that time to preserve the shots longer on the shelves (to save the gov. money, of course). We had just built a new house before she was born and there was no lead paint or any other way she could have gotten mercury into her system. (Of course they stopped putting mercury into vaccinations back in 1999 and the government has denied any link of thimersol to Autism or other spectrum disorders.) Mercury blocks brain receptors and causes the same symptoms as Autism and so a child is automatically labeled Autistic when presenting with those symptoms, even when mercury poisoning has actually caused them. No matter what had caused Cammi's Autism, we were (and are) of course going to deal with it the best we can and try to do everything we can to help her. Cammi attended Headstart for two years - going 3-4 days a week for 4 hours at a time. It was great for her. She loved being there and just like in kindergarten and 1st grade - she's mainstreamed into regular classrooms full-time with full-time assistants- and has really came such a long way. She reads, does addition and subtraction, and almost every activity all the other 1st graders were doing. The students are great with her and love her. The assistants who work with her are following the "TEEACH" program that the special education teacher was trained in before Cammi started kindergarten. Our school system has been great with her. She has a picture schedule (just like Temple Grandin she's learns best thru pictures) and follows that schedule daily. Cammi isn't what you would consider "normal". I don't know if she ever will be but to us that's not what's important. What's important is that we're doing everything we can for her in helping her get along happy and healthy in this world. Her main problem has always been communication. She really didn't get any words until she was 3. She still doesn't talk in sentences but has a special way of speaking that we all understand her needs. For example, if she wants pickles, she'll say, "No pickles." She didn't point until she was around 4. That really helped so much when she learned to point. She started using "yes" and "no" and making choices between two objects just this past year. Both of those accomplishments were so huge. Just knowing what she wants and needs has made us all feel so much better. To have those years when you just are guessing - it's really tough - especially when she's sick. She still has her times when you really can't figure out what is upsetting her but those are fewer all the time. We always looked at it this way - can you imagine not being able to tell anyone what was bothering you or what you needed? It would be so frustrating - all the temper tantrums, screaming, and crying were all caused by that. It's really sad for everyone because no one could help her. We were just trying to guess how to fix things for her. We've been really lucky with her health. We've had to visit doctors very few times. She had to have tubes put in her ears because she was hurting. Just last year, we figured out that the sniffing and screaming she was doing was from pain in her ears. We thought she was just aggravated because she was conjested and couldn't breathe thru her nose :(. Finally one day she pointed to her ear and said, "Ear hurt." It was SUCH a huge relief that she was finally going to TELL us when something hurt.... These things are small miracles for our special needs kids - I know all parents feel this way. To check her teeth was an ordeal. She had to be put to sleep in surgery to have her cavities fixed. A few weeks ago, we had to take her to the emergency room because something had happened to her eye. She had been sitting on the couch playing under a blanket and all of the sudden jumped up and screamed, running through the house. Of course she couldn't tell us what had happened so we tried to look to see if anything was in it and couldn't see anything. We had to take her to the emergency room. They were SO great with her. We didn't have to wait at all and they put drops in her eye to check for scratches. They had to look at her eye with a light and then flip her eyelid back to see if anything was stuck under there. She had scratched the cornea somehow and the doc said she should be all better in 72 hours. Compared to years ago, she does so much better going to the doctor, new places, etc. Before she would always hold her ears, cry or scream when walking into any new place or into a doc's office or hospital. Now we just talk to her about it right before we go (you can't tell her very long before we go because she keeps asking about it over and over lol), show her pictures if we have them of where we're going and she handles it much better. She doesn't hold her ears or scream or cry - at least until the doctor starts to touch her :) . It always seems like there's something that's bothering her though. Lately and for the past few months, she worries about daytime and night-time. She knows that there are both but on days that it's cloudy she gets so upset and whimpers and cries. She used to go into her room and hide under a blanket when dusk came until it was completely dark outside. She thinks when a cloud covers the sun that it's going to be night-time soon. It's not that she's scared of night-time - she's happy when it's finally dark. She just wants it to be one or the other. She hates the in-between cloudy times. I've tried over and over to explain it to her. I've got on-line and showed her videos of clouds passing over the sun and that doesn't help her either. We're hoping it's something that will pass just like everything else that has bothered her. I forgot to mention, I went back to work when Cammi started school. I lucked out and got a job as Reading Specialist in our county - thanks to a master's degree in that area - and this job is much less stressful than teaching in the regular classroom. I don't know how I would have been able to handle teaching, do it right, and take care of Cammi and everything else all us moms have to attend to. Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to cover everything. I hope to be of help to others and also to get some insightful advice about Cammi in the future. We love her some much and wouldn't trade her for a "normal" Cammi for anything. We just want her to be happy! Thanks so much for having me here! :) Teresa
Hi Teresa My name is Alice and I am the grandmother of an Autistic boy who is now 12 years old who lives with my husband and I now because his father (my son) thought it was more important to fill his nose rather that care for his son. In April of 2006 we went over to celebrate Kevin's 11th birthday they lived about 2 hours from here so we had no clue as to what was going on in that house. First of all the latest girlfriend decided that Kevin was too much of a handful so she decided that Kevin would be locked in his room from the time he got up in the morning till it was time to go to bed at night. If Kevin had to go to the bathroom he had to knock on the door so she would let him out. He was left alone to play his Nintendo games for about 12 – 15 hours a day with no contact from his brother and the girlfriend’s 2 children. The summer before his birthday he went to live with his mother because the father was working too many hours and it was decided that the children would live with the mother but only after 2 weeks the mother no longer wanted to deal with Kevin and he was sent to live out the wrest of his summer vacation with us. That is why apparently his bed was at his mother’s place so since that past summer Kevin had been sleeping on a unfinished floor on a 2 inch piece of foam as a mattress with a blanket and a pillow to sleep with. His brother Brandon had a bed to sleep in and the girlfriend’s 2 kids had also had a bed to sleep in when they came on weekends. So now his mother tells Kevin that she no longer wants him in her life and that if she sees him only once or twice a year it would be too often. Now Kevin is Autistic but he isn’t stupid. So in the summer of 2005 his mother throws him away like he was a piece of garbage in January of 2006 his father decides that he would rather do drugs than to properly care for him and his brother. I had to do one of the hardest things a mother has to do and that was report my son to CPS. Here in Canada laws are different and to make a very long story short after a few meetings with the CPS my son John decided that it was in Kevin’s best interest that he come live with other family members so on July 25 2006 he was dropped of at my daughter’s place and was there for only 3 days when her husband decided that he couldn’t do this and was ready to have him placed in a foster home. It didn’t take much talking or much convincing because on July 28th Danny and I decided to take Kevin in. It was hard task we were taking on but this special, beautiful and loving little boy whose life was turned upside down. His mother rejected him, his father neglected him, a few months later his father rejects him also and then his aunt and uncle also reject him His whole life was in turmoil and he is Autistic to top things off. When Kevin arrived here last summer he was 11 but working at a grade 2 level because of lack of stimulation he started School on September 25. It took a while to get all the papers in order but Kevin was put in a TEACH program. Because of all the turmoil in his little life what little he did learn the year before was all gone. Thank God for loving teachers and assistants because through all their patience Kevin started the first grade over and by the end of the year Kevin had gone through grade 1, 2, 3, 4 & half of grade 5. Another thing that we discovered is Kevin is extremely musically gifted; and he is a computer wiz kid. He can do things on a computer that a lot of us can’t do after years. We no have financial help with Kevin because I had to quit my job but we also have help from a home for special needs children like Kevin and with them we now have Kevin on a picture schedule here in Canada they are called pictograms. Kevin has simply flourished since he has been here with us but I think it’s because we have surrounded him with very rigid structure and about all the love this world can have for a child. He was so violent when he came to us and now I can honestly say since he has been on this pictogram and since we have shown him all this love his violence has cut down by 98% he still gets angry but he is not violent any more. Kevin is diagnosed as moderately Autistic with light mental retardation so yes we have our work cut out for us but he gives us such loving rewards that I would do it again in a heartbeat. As to the mother in all this she now calls him only once a month because she says she is too busy. As to the father he comes by to say hi to him about once a month when he is in town to visit the other 2 children and yes he is a deadbeat dad who pays absolutely positively no child support at all for either one of his children Well this is turning out to be a novel so you have a nice day and thanks for listening I am glad you made it to this board about the same time I did. Tons of Hugs Alice Alice, that boy is blessed to have you for a grandmother. I am sad for all theturmoil in your family's life, and want to tell you what a WONDERFUL job you are doing Hello, my name is Holly and I have a 16yo boy with autism. Everyone agrees that he has gotten much worse the last few months. I'm seeking support from others in the same boat. I also have a "neuro-typical" 6yo boy. They are my everything! But I can no longer go this journey with so few resources. It seems that each new school year brings more heartache! No one where we live knows how to help these teenagers. What's gonna happen to him when we're gone? My mom and in-laws are supportive but are at a loss as well. I hope to find some help here and to offer what I can to parents and caregivers of younger children with autism (I was a physical therapist assistant until disabled with degenerative spine problems--up until my son became a teenager we were doing quite well with him!)
Welcome to all the newbies!! We are glad you found us. Lots of resources & support. No worries on language, gabi.b, we have a few parents on here from other countries! Alice--your story is so very inspiring, in so many ways. You are an amazing woman! Welcome! My name is Stephanie and I have three kids, twin boys DJ and Trevor, and a daughter, Emily. DJ was diagnosed as ASD in Dec. 2006 just before his second birthday. He is a very happy, lovable kid so in that I know we are very, very lucky. He does have a lot of sensory issues and is severely speech delayed, as is his twin. My daughter is developing typically so far (she is almost 13 months old). I have glanced around a bit and am amazed at the helpful info here! And there is so much... THANK YOU from someone who is relatively new at this. Hi, my name is Amy, I have 2 boys, ages 5 and 3. Alan is my 5 y.o., Wyatt is my 3 y.o. son, diagnosed with PDD-NOS a year ago this August. We've been doing PT and OT since Sept of 05, and Speech started shortly after his diagnosis. Wyatt just had an MRI today because his fist has been clenched almost non-stop for 2 weeks now, since we moved. He is also leaning his head on his neck on the same side (left). I googled autism and fist clenching and found this board. I look forward to getting to know you all and sharing in our journeys together. I will post my autism story when I've had more sleep! Hi, my name is Gabi an i am from Romania IMG]http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/gabrielaba la/IMG_0032-1.jpg[/IMG] Hey Guys My name Is Brandy Phillips. I just feel so lost. My son was diagnosed with aspergher syndrome when he was four. He is now ten and he got retested and the test came back inconclusive. My son is a great kid. He has no friends but all he wants to do is learn. He is so smart. Straight A. Student just no friends. He would rather learn they be outside. He has outbrts when he doesn't know what you want from him. We have been told consitency is the key. That just doesn't work when everyday is a new day. I wake up not knowing if this is the day he will actually go outside or the day he will ignore me and stay in his room. The one thing I love about him is how smart he is you can talk to him in about a dozen different subjects and he can talk to you about each one. I learn more from him than I ever did in school. I am so glad I found this sight. I don't feel so lost anymore. Hi everyone! Welcome!I'm a mom of 2 kids. I've been trying to find out what is wrong my kids. Hi, my daughter has been showing signs of a form autism since birth. She would scream and cry from birth daily for no reason and the Dr. could not find anything wrong with her. She sucked her tumb from birth. When she was 1 yrs old her acted deaf (I've had her hearing checked 6 times)and was focused on bright colors She never slept and cried non stoped. She would only play with color flashing toys. She could not stand certain foods and would gag if given pudding other foods. She wouldn't wear clothes at 2-3 yrs old. When she peed her diaper, she could NOT feel the difference and smeared poo. Age four she started to have really had SID problems. She walks her hands and fingers. She does repeating over words ma ma mama mama mama ya ya ya. She have given the title developmental delay at was given a full day of pre-k by the stated of FL. Around 5 yrs SID ( sensory integration disorder) got really bad problems with touch and sound. We had to move to a new state transferred her an IEP BUT cut it too. She got OT, Speech, and behavoral therapy for K they refused to give her a full day and I even offered to pay for it. They didn't have enough funds for proper iep funding for a child with tax paying parents but non-peaking illgeals got a full day of k for free!!!!!!!!!!!They schools said she had signs of austism bec. of the way she walks ( walks on her toes both my kids do) and her body lang is off but not enough for funding? You can show signs and not have it? I found out my family history and my cousin has SID and aspergers. She now does this hissing growling thing just like my cousin . I put her on a brushing and hard input activities and it has really helped. I'll know in Sept is she does have it. I'm pretty sure she does. She does not understand jokes and she used to cry when hearing a joke. I've been trying to teach her joke but not working. She just learned to say to emotional words but does not understand them. (Hate and like) My son who is 2 yrs old . also is showing signs and he must have SID and maybe Austism. He smells his crayons and toys ,flaps, opens and shuts his closet for hours. They don't play with toys the RIGHT way. Hello, My name is Carmella, my husband is Dan, and we just joined the forum today. We are the parents of a 19 year old autistic man, (feels odd calling him a man, but he is no longer a little kid), named Mark. Mark became autistic when he was about 20 months old after recieving his MMR vaccine. Since then he has been diagnosed with epilepsy, as well as his autism. Fortunatly he has not had a grand maul, (sp?) seizure since he was about 5, but he has seizures in the form of spaceing out, and vomitting. The last 17 years has been a long hard road, with virtualy no help from any agencies, doctors, or schools, (will post our LONG story later). My husband and I are eager to meet other moms and dads of autistic children, especially those who's children are now teens and adults. From what we have seen so far, it looks like this is a great forum that will be a lot of help to us. Hi everyone. I am new to this, but very thankful for an outlet to share my thoughts, ask questions, and meet people like me in the same situation. My son will be 11 years old in August. He is moderately autistically impaired. I have another son who is "typically developed" who is 9 years old. I have raised my sons by myself up until two years ago when I got remarried. It has been a journey, a wonderful journey, but sometimes scary and very hard. I am having difficulties with my son as he is starting puberty and his behavior is out of control lately. He has never been a behavioral child, so this is very new. He has been hitting himself in the head. I have tried multiple medications and have not had much luck. I will touch on that in my postings. Once again, thank you for allowing me to voice myself, and I hope my experience can help other people.  Hi. I am new here. My name is Kathie and I have a 12 year old son with Aspergers, Adhd, and OCD. They also feel he has PDD. I also have a 12 year old daughter that I suspect of having Aspergers. I just had my son's annual meeting for special education and it gets discusting that I have an argument every year with getting him what he needs or get the school to follow what there is. I am so happy to find a site where people understand what its like. Hello and Welcome! My son is 19 now, and I have to say puperty was horrible!!! Once he was well into puberty, he discovered his "man hood", oh this has been the worst, because he will do what a normal boy that age does, only he wets all over himself! I don't know how to deal with it either. You don't want to tell them it's wrong or bad, because he don't understand like normal boys do. Needless to say, at 19 he is still currious and still wets all over himself.
[QUOTE=loveandhope]Hi everyone. I am new to this, but very thankful for an outlet to share my thoughts, ask questions, and meet people like me in the same situation. My son will be 11 years old in August. He is moderately autistically impaired. I have another son who is "typically developed" who is 9 years old. I have raised my sons by myself up until two years ago when I got remarried. It has been a journey, a wonderful journey, but sometimes scary and very hard. I am having difficulties with my son as he is starting puberty and his behavior is out of control lately. He has never been a behavioral child, so this is very new. He has been hitting himself in the head. I have tried multiple medications and have not had much luck. I will touch on that in my postings. Once again, thank you for allowing me to voice myself, and I hope my experience can help other people. Hello, Autism has changed our lives a lot. My daughter is 4 and I'm just now getting around to finding online support! We also have a son 2, with microcephaly(below chart head size but he seems unaffected by it) and suspected autism. We will be doing genetic testing soon. I think the biggest challenge in addition to the autism is that I have to be a stay at home mom. We tried daycare but it set my daughter back. Very happy to find this site, have many family members who mean well but nice to talk to people who live the same lifestyle. I'm a 37 yr old mother of 2 autistic girls. One born w/ autism and low functioning I gave up to her father a year after the divorce, She is now 15. The younger daughter wasn't diagnosed as autistic until over a yr ago at 13, she is now 14. She was classified as at risk of autism but not diagnosed until 13 as the symptoms weren't there. At 13 she withdrew socially, had imaginary friends and would not go to school understandably as she was incapable of learning or processing due to her deterioration. Up to that point she had been learning disabled so she was in special ed. At 14 I finally was able to get her hospitalized and in January they started her on Risperdal which has been a wonder drug for us. She's more friendly and normal/aside from mild mental retardation/than she has ever been before in her life! She gives hugs. Helps and encourages me. She shows concern and is learning things that she was blocked from before like how to count money. What more can I say? She's so "not autistic" right now! She says about the time she was "autistic" that it was like that song on the radio. "You had a bad day." I'm here in the forum because I'm writing a research paper for my online college class on the safe and effective use of risperdal and am trying to find out information about it that differs (or reinforces) from my experience. Hi. I'm a 32 year old mom of 3 kids. My eldest is 5 and a half, I first suspected there was something different about him when he was 7 or 8 months old. We started taking him to therapy he was 16 months old based on the informal evaluation of a friend of the family who is a psychologist specialising in autism. A little later he was diagnosed with MSDD, later that was amended to PDD-NOS. He now goes to a regular preschool with an aid for most hours of the day. He is a brilliant little boy, hyperlexic (reads at 4th grade level, self taught, in two languages) cheerful, everyone who comes into close contact with him falls in love with him - but I know how much work we needed to invest just to get him to learn to talk! My second child is a 4 year old girl, neurotypical, sociable from birth, I never had a moment's worry about her. She and her older brother are fantastic friends, I always say that she is his very best therapist. My third is a 2 month old baby boy. I know 2 months is very young, but I already suspect he may be on the spectrum too. I'm not happy with the way he tracks (or rather, does not track) objects with his eyes, he avoids eye contact, I don't think he smiles enough for his age. He's a very good baby, very calm, eats and sleeps well and he is generally healthy, so I don't know how seriously most doctors would take me. But I'm worried about him. Dear Alice, You are one of those angels who lives among us. Thank goodness you were there for Kevin. He's so lucky to have you. You have rescued him from so much. They say autistic children have no conscience of who loves them and cares for them but I don't believe that. Kevin knows. I'm sure that just like my Cammi, even though there are some really tough days and days you wonder why you did what you did (or maybe not with you -- you ARE amazing), the love they give back makes everything so worth it. They are such special people. Kevin probably doesn't thank you in words but I want to thank you for him. Take care and thanks for the reply. I'll be here checking on you and Kevin. Teresa
Hi everyone I hav just discovered this site and its great to b able to hear stories from people who understand.My 3 1/2 yr old daughter has just been diagnosed with PDD-NOS and although we love har to bits cant help worringing.At age 2 she was had all signs of autism but seemed to grow out of them.Any information wud b great cause i feel a wee bit in the dark here,but ya never know if its enough!! [QUOTE=Firefly]WELCOME NEW MEMBERS When your ready, please post a quick introduction and explain how autism/pdd affects you. Please check out the links in the newbies thread and feel free to post questions that you may still have in a new thread. We look foward to to getting to know you better! [/QUOTE]HELLO I AM MICHAEL A SINGLE FATHER OF A AUTISTIC 9 YR OLD SON JOEY,I LOVE HIM VERY MUCH.I AM PARTIALY DISABLED FROM BEING STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY WRECKLESS SIMI DRIVER 5 YEARS AGO,STILL LITAGATING.MY WIFE LEFT LAST YEAR AND THAT IS GOOD AS JOE IS DOING BETTER WITH MORE CONSISTANT LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING.WE ARE GOING THRU HARD TIME NOW AS SHE ISNT PAYING CHILD SUPPORT AND HASSTUCK US WITH HER BILLS.OUR CAR DIED AND WE ARE TRING TO MOVE.THERES A NEW SCHOOL IN TAMPA FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN.I JUST REFUSE TO QUIT AND HAVE FAITH THAT WE WILL PERVAIL.ALL YOU MOMS I UNDERSTAND YOU PLIGHT AS I AM THE EXCEPTION,THE FATHER STAYING WHILE THE MOM LEAVES FOR A NEWMAN AND LIFE.HER LOSS AS I KNOW JOEY IS A TRUE BLESSING FROM GOD NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT IT MAY BE AT TIMES.LOVE TO YOU ALL AND YOUR CHILDREN,GOD BLESS YOU.MICHAEL Hi all. Just want to let you all know that my son is in patient at the hospital AGAIN! 7 years old and 6th time! Trying to adjust meds - he had a bad reaction to a Neuroleptic med and it was down hill from there - weird thing is that he does so great in the hospial...why? So frustrating - nothing worked out with school yet for September...UGH! Hope you all are well. Amy maxmom - I'm sorry to hear about your son. I hope they figure out the problem with his meds soon. Take Care!Never posted before. Very cool to see folks from all over the world on here. My Aspie is 19, finished his first year of college in May. Don't give up hope. He was very very impaired. Still is. But a total cutie. I'm a lawyer too doing special ed stuff for indigent families. Wrote some humor pieces on Wrightslaw. Try to keep laughing. AimeeHi everyone I just joined this board and just wanted to introduce myself. My name is carol, I have 2 boys Michael 4 with autism, and timmy 3. They are quite a handful. I'm here looking for people in similar situations to chat with and also hopefully get some good advice on various issues. Talk to you all soon Hi! I just found this forum. My 4 yr. old son has autism. I have two other children, a 5 yr. old boy, and an 8 week old daughter. He was diagnosed March of '06. We have been doing speech and occupational therapy since he was 1 1/2. We recently began chiropratic and cod liver oil. I must say that it helps, esp. the cod liver oil. I work with him at home, as does his teachers at preschool. He has come a long way in the past year, but he still has a long way to go. I am interested in the ABA therapy through Turning Point, they now take insurance. My children are a joy. Glad to be here. sprianne Hello all! I found this board in searching for resources my youngest son -- 7 yr. He is high-functioning (now) after 3 years of ABA and lots of informal guidance.Both of my children (sons 14 months apart  ) are on the spectrum and both are high-functioning. They have made tremendous progress with ABA and other services through the school district.This will be a taxing year -- their dad is deployed with the military -- and the closest family we have is 10 hours away. I really hope to find support here and maybe some guidance where to find local support. BLU Hi, My name is Cindy. I have been lurking here for most of the night, and finally decided to join. I have one son, Daniel, who has high functioning autism. I am married. My husband is in the military, and is currently deployed. I am a combat veteran, and met my husband while I was in the military. I decided to become a stay at home mom, when my son was 8 months old, and I started noticing some unsual behavior with him (head banging, no launguage or pointing, no desire to be held, and a unsual obsession with opening and closeing doors). It took a long time to receive a diagnoses for Daniel. Because his tempers and head banging were so severe, when he was 18 months, one doctor thought Daniel might be bi-polar after spending 30 minutes with us (he was a horrible Doctor BTW and we RAN out of his office as fast as we could). I would definatly be one of the parents who were relieved to finally have a diagnoses. I knew long before it came, that Daniel was special, so unlike a lot of parents, I had plenty of time to adjust to the idea, before the official diagnoses ever came. I did bawl like a baby though, after returning home from ds's one year well baby, when ds's regular ped. agreed with my voiced concerns that ds might have autism. So now we finally have a definate diagnoses through a developmental Ped. so I am in the process of getting ds's treatment plan layed out, his IEP done, and doing an Exceptional Family Packet though the school and his doctors for the Army. Plus looking for playgroups for autistic children, or some sort of support system. I am sure you all went through this along time ago... lol. I am finally getting more organized and feeling less overwhelmed though. Other than that, not much to tell. Hi, my name is Jen & I'm from Boston. My husband & I have 2 children. Brian Patrick is 9 and has PDD/NOS and Victoria is 7. We have been married for 12 years this September. I'm not sure what else to say, so I'll leave it at that for now. I'm glad I found this site and look forward to poking around and getting to know you all! Hi All...I'm new, but looking forward to sharing. I have a 15 yr old son, named Danny who has AS. He's been struggling lately with aggression brought on by anxiety and over stimulation. I've just started him on .5 mg of respirdal nightly. Not seeing much change...but it was a last ditch effort considering he got into trouble at school...elbowed a teacher and the police were called. It's a specialized school for kids with AS/ADHD, etc. Hope he will do better soon. May have to increase dosage somewhat. Some days are tough for me...as you all have experienced. The sadness can be painful...but I do try to be hopeful. I am writing to reply to an inquiry that I found on a Google search regarding Montessori schools and Autism. The inquiry is below and I don not know from whom it is from. However, I hope you get this message.__________________ Michelle hello, it's almost over a year now since you posted. I am in the same situation with my 4/12 year old son w/ HF PDD. Can you please let me know what you ultimately decided to do and how things worked out for your child over the past year? Thanks so much. I, too, have a 4 year old w/ HF pdd. He has been in special education in a pre-k 3 (non category) class. He is getting very bored with the curriculum b/c he reads at 3rd grade level. Teacher says he is not ready for regular pre-k because he has no abstract thinking or social skills, but feels he is not being challenged in her class. We feel that private school is the only option, but nobody will take him b/c he is not toilet trained and isn't interested at all. Should we mainstream him SOMEWHERE or keep him in class with much more disabled children that will never even speak much less read? Please reply with any thoughts. We live in a small town in Louisiana that really doesn't have many options. I certainly don't have an answer for you, but just reading ahead of his peers should not make him bored. At his age, there is SO much more to school than reading. The fact is that, as adults, lack of academic ability has never held a higher functioning autistic child back. It's the lack of social skills and language pragmatics. No one likes to be talked AT and that is what happens with the language of many Asperger's kids. Also, the social skills can be SO abominable they keep the person from getting and holding a paying job as an adult because they keep getting fired for their poor social judgement. If it were me, I'd concentrate on shoring up your son's weakest areas and my guess is that that would be best done in a special environment. _______________________________________________ Your son sounds quite a lot like mine, who now 6 and entering first grade in the Fall. PLEASE, PLEASE do NOT keep him in a special education self-contained classroom. He will be bored and fall further behind. My son at 4 was reading at the 4th grade level but had language delays and social delays. We mainstreamed him kindergarten with a one-to-one aide and his language skills blossomed. He made friends and was invited on playdates with NT kids. If he were still in Special Ed, he would be mimicking bad behavior and copying the non-verbal sounds of his classmates (he was one of 3 verbal kids in his class). The bottom line with your philosophical thinking is the you only improve your tennis game by playing with someone better than you. Your son is bright. Please allow him this chance. My son's skills are still not as savvy as his peers, but he is charismatic and somewhat of a novelty, in that he can read, write and spell well above his classmates. My bet is that by the end of first grade, he will be holding conversations with the best of them. Good luck to you. Jeannine Cordero - Chicago Hi all I am a parent and an educational specialist, my son was diagnosed with 3 terms which is so odd First, one said he is a mild cp The second he is a child with autistic tendencies The third one was he is pervasive developmental delay Any way, I am not trying to be a teacher or instructor with my son …. This is my profession. I am just trying to be a father. Hello- My son Joshua was diagnosed with autism 2 weeks ago, and we're getting our very first home visit from a specialist today. He's 2 years old, and they say that we are blessed that this was caught early. The program is through our local school district and the hospital. My daughter is 7, and she's beginning to understand that her brother is not developing the way others do (we have a large network of friends with children, and it's painfully obvious to her when someone half his age is hitting milestones, whereas Joshua is not. She's becoming understandably frusterated. We have so many questions, and the people who are working with Joshua give very vague answers to our questions. I want to dedicate myself to understanding this, and approaching every concievable treatment option with zest and vigor. I just don't know where to start. Joshua is such a beautiful boy, so much curiosity and a love of everything (especially if the wheels spin). I want to learn so much. My boy is the greatest, and I want him to have all the opportunities and experiences as anyone else. Thanks for listening, Jason Jason,Sounds like you're off to a GREAT start. Welcome to the board. Hello my name is Nancy Clyne. This looks like a great forum. I am a pastor's wife. I have 3 children, 2 boys and a girl. Both my boys Jordan 19 years old and Taylor 16 years old are autistic. We have a 4 year old little girl that we adopted from China. Although my children are older and I have been living with autism for a long time, I find that I still have so much to learn and the internet is such a great place for resources. Hello everyone...new to the site, but not new to the topics. My son, V, was born 8 weeks premature after I went into pre-term labor and had an emergency C because they couldn't stop the contractions, then my water broke, his heart rate dropped dangerously low and he was coming whether we were ready or not...enter my beautiful angel, and this is where the roller coaster began. For the first year, all the delays, problems and set backs were blamed on the prematurity and I kept being told by my pediatrician, supposedly the area's premier specialist with respect to preemies, that all was well, not to worry. Being a first time mom, who was I to question? And of course, had no idea that I could refuse those vaccinations that they insisted on doing starting when he was 2 months, barely out of the hospital, because his system was "compromised," and we didn't want to take any unnecessary risks...(well, of course, now, wondering which was the bigger risk?) So, I ambled along, completely oblivious to this thing called autism, but knowing in my heart, something wasn't right...he was hitting right on all the percentiles, but there wasn't the eye contact, the tracking, no verbalizations other than the ocassional laugh, no real interest in toys. But again, kept being reassured that sometimes it took preemies up to 2 or 3 years to catch up to their peers, that this was nothing to be concerned about. He didn't walk until he was 20 months, and still no vocalization, no "goo-goo," no "ga-ga," nothing, but still, being told that this was nothing to be concerned about. Of all people to finally clue me in, it was the adminstrator of the day care center, within the first week of my son being there, who told me I needed to contact ECI. I'm so glad I found them when I did, but it still saddens me to think what could have been different, had I known sooner, or known then what I know now...about vaccinations, antibiotics, etc. So, we moved during this time, and got a new pediatrician, who again, wanted to play the preemie card when I asked for some references for speech therapists, etc. He told me I was overreacting, that it was too early for that...huh? I was told to have a hearing screen done, as problems with their auditory will stall any language development, so I did, and his hearing was fine, but he was having chronic ear infections, like 5 or 6 within a 5 month period, so finally tubes were put in his ears...this seemed to help with some of the general fussiness, so feeling guilty now that my angel was probably dealing with pain all that time and had no way to tell me, but now, much later, also feeling guilty about what impact the rounds of antibiotics had on him developmentally? Enter ECI, and this is when the world changed, and I slowly began to realize, that life was going to be a trip to Holland, instead of Italy (as the famous poem goes, which BTW, my ECI coordinator gave to me early on, and I, of course, wept uncontrollably, as I do about many things, while reading it)... So, my son started therapy with an OT, PT, and speech therapist from ECI, as well as work on cognitive, 4 or 5 times a week. We had small successes, which I was thankful for, we started to get some verbalizations, and he finally tackled stairs after much resistance. But a lot of the time my son was just generally disagreeable with the whole process....I thought, wow, so this is what my life looks like from now on? I practically became a prisoner in my home because I was afraid to go anywhere, for fear of a major meltdown at the most inopportune time, or the most inopportune place. One of the best pieces of advice I received from my ECI coordinator was that you just have to push through that, you can't let it stop you from living your life. So I learned, as many other posts on this site have indicated, that you just go into activities and outings knowing that you most probably will leave early, or that things will not go as you plan, and be prepared to deal with things from that perspective. ECI suggested that I take my son to a developmental pediatrician to get a formal diagnosis, since it seemed to them that was what I was after. I really just needed a label or a name for whatever was going on with my son. Maybe it was for my own selfish reasons, to somehow explain away the bad behavior, the tantrums, the fact that he didn't talk, or play or act like the other children his age in church, at play groups, etc. So, off we go to the developmental pediatrician, after a 4 month wait to get in (don't get me started there!), and only to be told, "well, he shows many of the signs, but we can't do a formal diagnosis until 3 or older, so, come back in 6 months"...huh? I wanted answers, and I wanted them now, I didn't wait 4 months to be told to come back in another 6...but, nonetheless, we never went back because he had the eval from the school district at age 3 and they confirmed what I already suspected by then...PDD-NOS...before then, I didn't have the specific name, but I had been given every indication by therapists and the developmental pediatrician that it was some form of autism. Then he started in the PPCD program through the school district. This is where he really started to make some progress and blossom. This will be his second full year in the PPCD program and he has progressed leaps and bounds; we have sentences now, albeit short ones, and the meltdowns are much fewer and farther between. However, we are still working on potty training - that has been a long road...LOL Unfortunately, I have been on this path much on my own, as my husband was completely in denial, and still is, to a large degree...only after the diagnostician from the school district looked him in the eye and told him, "Mr., this isn't something he's just going to grow out of," did he finally get that we were in a fight for our son's quality of life, and his concern about what "handedness" he would end up with was so miniscule on the larger landscape. (my soon to be ex-husband actually chastised me on several ocassions for putting the eating utensil in the wrong hand, because if he's [son] left handed, it will ruin his chances of playing Major League Baseball...huh? Notice I said soon to be ex-husband?)...ummm, how about we just hope like heck he ends up actually able to use utensils at some point, how about that? So, my son is now 4 1/2 and yes, he does use utensils, although it typically involves him picking the food up with his hands, and then putting it on the fork or spoon...LOL...but he continues to amaze me every day, and while he might be lacking in some areas he far exceeds in others. He has taught me patience beyond what I ever believed I was capable of, even though there is still much room for progress. I have learned to let go of a lot of things, and just appreciate today for what it is. I now enjoy much simpler things in life, seen through the eyes of a child. Most importantly, my perspective on what is really important in the world has forever been changed, for the better. He gives the best hugs and kisses a mom could ever hope for...miles ahead of when he rarely even would allow close contact around his face! I am still waiting for the day when he says "I love you, mom," but at least now I have hope that some day it will come...if you had asked me 2 years ago, I would have welled up with tears at the thought that it was never a possibility. So, thanks for letting me share, I know this is a long read and probably disjointed beyond comprehension...but it's been such a long trip, it's hard to put it all down, and I'm sure I've still left many parts out. Hi, I'm new to the board and am enjoying all the great information and similarities that we share. My son, Ryan, is five and has mild Autism. He is the love of our lives and we struggle every day to make sure he gets all the help he needs. I thought you might like this song I wrote for him. I am a part time composer and Ryan has been very inspirational. You can find it here. http://talusmusic.com/MarkMathis/Shine/Songs/Shine.mp3
Best regards Mark mathis@ry-con.com www.ry-con.com Hi. I am Jennifer. I live in Northern California. I have 3 kids ages 5, 3, and almost 2.My 5 year old dd was just dx with PDDNOS. She has been in speech since 27 months and has come so far. I started having PDD concerns when she started preschool. Her social and sensory issues really started to stick out at that point. If you see her individually or small group you might think there is nothing wrong, but if you get her in a large group you can really see she has some social and communication issues. She will be starting in a mainstream K on Weds. My 3 year old ds was in speech from 15-26 months. He is fine with speech now, but he is starting to display some tactile sensory seeking behaviors. I am going to get him evaluated again. I do not think he is on the spectrum, but I do think I need to get him on a sensory diet to nip these things ASAP. he starts preschool tomorrow. My youngest will be 2 in 2 weeks. He just qualifed through EI for speech/language delay. He starts services this week. He only has about 15 words/phrases right now. I am least concerned about him as far as autism is concerned . He has a few sensory seeking behaviors, but not enough or frequent enough where I am currently too concerned. All the autism rating scales I have done on him show him not on the spectrum at this point. Hello There my name is Christine. And I recently moved to Okinawa, Japan. I have a 8 year old son who has been diagnosed with PDD NOS whatever that is, And has just today been started on meds.. Last couple years they told me he was ADHD.. And begged for meds.. Lets see how things go. I just Had a baby boy who is now 5 months old and does not show the signs that he showed as an infant of possible Autism. Looking through these posts i caught alot of abbreviations to things that made no sense to me. This diagnoses being a year old is still new.. and pretty vague. Hope that helps.. Thanks for having me.. BTW is Concerta ok for kids? christine Hi everyone!
My name is Mindy. I am the proud single mom of an autistic teenager. My son, Grant, just turned 15 this summer. We currently live in Ontario, Ohio. I've moved around a bit, to get Grant the best education I am able to provide for him. He attended The Carmen B. Pingree School in Salt Lake City, Utah as well as The Autism Academy Of Learning in Maumee/Toledo, Ohio. Grants dad and I divorced when he was only two. I knew before he was even two years old that he could possibly have autism. His father was in denial until Grant was finally diagnosed by Dr. Rothner at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, at age four. We have had our struggles, but I wouldn't change my life for a minute. Of course, if I was given the choice between my own life and a cure for autism...I would gladly give it all up for Grant to lead a normal life. At the same time, I can't imagine him any other way...in MY eyes, he is perfect. I don't think it is possible to love him any more than I do already. There is certainly no doubt, that God blessed me with my best friend and greatest teacher in life...all in one child. (Bruno Bettelheim...if you were still alive I would dare you to call me a "refrigerator mother")
Thank you for allowing me to join your message board. Have a wonderful day!!!
HI - I'M NEW I HAVE 7 YEAR OLD TWINS WITH ASPERGER'S. EVERYONE (MY HUSBAND WHO IS THEIR FATHER) THINKS THIS IS A DISCIPLINE PROBLEM. I FEEL ALONE AND HELPLESS. ANY SUGGESTIONS? nkwak -- PROPS TO THE STAY AT HOME DAD!!!!! Hi everyone, I've been lurking on this site for months. There is so much useful information here. I have a 4yo dd (ASD) and a 2yo dd (NT). I've joined the boards for advice and moral support.represents parents in special education matters in New York State. I formerly taught special education law at the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. Hello friends and neighbors, My son is 15, and we just got a diagnosis about 4 years ago. He is highly verbal, but is quoting lines from movies, plays, and books that he thinks can "work" in the conversation. This can lead to some pretty far out exchanges, even if you are expecting something unusual. I have not been working due to lack of care after school. Worked as a substitute teacher in the next county, where James was an honor student, but he was unable to stay there due to his poor FCAT "no child left behind" test scores. Seems that new england states are getting the most reccommendations and reports. How long does it take to become a "resident" in these places. Have already started selling furnioture, and have the house up for sale. My daughter Kayla, 6, was diagnosed last fall. She has speech delays, though she has a good vocabulary. She's an angel.I have read some on this board and think it is a god send to find you all. My 4 year old was diagnosed last May and we are learning all the ins and outs of everything. It can be overwhelming at times but we finally have help from "the team" with the early intervention services. Me- I am mom to my little boy and 3 girls ages 25, 20 and 10. Yeah, I spread it just a wee bit. Anyway, thanks for being here. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you all. Knowing that others just understand is a wonderful feeling. Tricia WELCOME ALL OF THE NEW MEMBERS!Hello Everyone. My name is Heather. We live in Kansas City with our 4 year old son who was diagnosed with moderate to severe Autism at 22 months. He has since made enough progress that the severity is likely to change but I am less worried about his label and more concerned with his progress so I haven't pursued a rediagnosis. I knew from an early age (about 10 months) that Corbin was too quiet and happy, he also flapped his hands alot. He has been in public early intervention from 18 months (3 times a week) and since the age of 3 has been in preschool 1/2 days. He is now labeling objects and has about 20-25 words that he uses when he feels like it. He is also pointing and his receptive language is coming along. It used to be like talking to a brick wall but now he really understands. To complicate matters Corbin has Hemophilia Type A Severe. This means his blot doesn't clot. He has to have infusions (in the vein) of a medicine twice weekly just to keep him from spontaneously bleeding internally. As you can imagine it complicates things. His lack of understanding and fear for his wellbeing are magnifide by the ease of which he can be hurt. I also have an 8 year old daughter who is very smart and healthy although she feels a bit left out at times and tends to act out a bit because of it. My husband and I have been married for 13 years and I don't know how I would manage without him to help. My battery on my laptop is low so that is it for now. Thanks for listening! I just got back from vacation so I have been reading all the latest Introductions. It has been many years since my boys were diagnosed with autism but while I was reading some of the posts it brought back alot of memories. I remember those feelings of denial, anger, frustration just plain being overwhelmed. Although that feeling of being overwhelmed still does exist just not so much on a daily basis anymore which I guess when you think about it, is quite an improvement. Well I am glad to be apart of this forum and although I have been living with autism for along time I know I still have lots to learn.
This is a response to Sarah2000s post. Fathers always seem to be in denial much longer than the mother. I know that my husband was at least a year behind me in accepting the diagnosis of Autism. You need to be very firm with your husband in telling him that Autism/Asperger disorder has never been nor will it ever be "just a discipline problem". Infact discipline has been one of the few problems that we have had to deal with our two boys over the years. hi my name is Krissie. I have three children. I have three year old twins, and a two year old. My twins were born 14 weeks early and were very tiny. Ryley who is twin A, shows signs if Autism. He does not communicate, does not interact with peers, has no pretend play, has intense meltdowns, hates crowds, watches Sponge Bob over and over. Now I notice that he hits his head and is mean to his sister and little brother. He also has a fascination with strings, and likes wheels. He is getting tested in November. I was just wondering if this sounds like autism. I would like to talk to other parents, and is there any other advice or information I should know? Or anything else I should try to watch for? I greatly appreciate any advice.. Please email me at KrissieHoward@Live.com with any ideas or advice. Once again thanks[QUOTE=Firefly] WELCOME NEW MEMBERS When your ready, please post a quick introduction and explain how autism/pdd affects you. Please check out the links in the newbies thread and feel free to post questions that you may still have in a new thread. We look foward to to getting to know you better! [/QUOTE] hi my names rachael i have a 4 year old with mild pdd nos i also have a 18month old son displaying obvious asd signs yet to be assesed my husband is mild asd asperger i came across this site by accident ,im glad i did i read all the goss and pic up great advice thanks every one who cares you are a wounderful group of caring humans cheers from australiaHi Everyone! I'm Rebecca, mother of Dezarae (Desiree) who is 3. We do not yet have our diagnosis, but we are on waiting lists. From all of the research that I have done about ASD, I am fairly certain that Dezarae will be found Autistic. We just finished our MFE with the school and the appointment to go over the findings is on the 30th. I am hoping that she will be able to start in the Special Needs Pre-school soon. Dezarae is just the light of my life. She fills my world with joy and love, and I could not ask for a more perfect dd. Right now it is just so frustrating not being able to help her on my own. While I am on all of these waiting lists I feel like each day is a precious opportunity lost to be getting her real therapy so that she can be making progress. I already know what the docs have yet to tell me, and being patient and waiting for them is very difficult. I have been reading these boards for a while now, and I am so greatful for all that I have already learned. It is so comforting to know that I am not as alone in this as I sometimes feel. I look forward to contributing, and to getting to know you all better! Welcome to both of you! I have found so much comfort and caring here. I know you both will feel the same. Glad to have you as part of the family.
God Bless, Kelly Hi, I am from far away Singapore. This is such as a wonderful site full of interaction and sharing of experience. I am happy to stay!Hi there!My name is Dawn. At the moment I'm nine years into the joys and stresses of raising a child with autism. I'm the author of The China Doll, a picture book designed to teach children in grades K-3 about autism, particularly in general education classrooms and other social settings. (The first print run quickly sold out, and the book is temporarily out of print while I find a new publishing house.) I also have a story in A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Autism. To cope with the challenges of dealing with people who don't understand autism, I designed informational handout cards and t-shirts for use when I'm out with my son, and in 2005 I started Autism Gear to offer these and other awareness items to others who might find them helpful. I enjoy every chance to chat with others who know what it's like to have a house locked up like Fort Knox, and I look forward to being a part of this forum! Welcome Dawn! You will find a lot of comfort, understanding and answers here. The people here are amazing. I just wish this was face to face! I would love to take a look at your books. I love that you had the initiative to do that as well. Kudos to you. I am 14 years into the spectrum, with all sorts of different challenges. I didn't know anything about autistic traits 14 years ago, and didn't realize Asperger's in my 13 y.o son until just recently--because he was diagnosed with DS (a form of CP) and I went with that. It wasnt until just recently I remembered all the things he did as a child, that pointed to autism-maybe cuz he wasn't as severe as his friend from EI that was severe, like taylor. It wasn't mentioned that he had Asperger's traits until recently and it all clicked in. My 10 y.o twins are on the spectrum, at different levels. taylor is severe while Colin is on the higher functioning, lower end of the spectrum. Each day is different, as you know. I wake up in the morning, put my feet on the floor and say, "Okay, God..youre in charge cuz I don't think I can do this alone again". He hasn't failed me yet, and it's a good thing cuz, there are days I feel I am failing, only to come here and realize, I am not. :) God Bless and hope to hear more from you, Kelly Hi, Kelly! Nice to "meet" you!Thanks for the warm welcome. I just sent a message to the admins--looking back, I realized my original message might be misconstrued at trying to sell my books, but as one is out of print and the other doesn't earn royalties, I hope anyone looking at this realizes sales weren't my intent at all! My message was simply intended to let you know who I am and where I'm coming from, and everything I shared is all a large part of who I am. I'm not myself if I'm not writing or creating something. Sounds like you've got your hands full! You're quite right, every day is different, and it's always nice to know we're not in it alone. It also helps when others remind us to step back on occasion--sometimes I'm so close to the situation, I lose perspective and miss the obvious. People often tell me they're amazed at how well I deal with my son, which always surprises me because I don't feel I'm nearly as good as other moms I know. I think those occasional feelings of inadequacy and frustration are just part of the job. Thanks again for the welcome, and I hope to see you around the board! Hi, my name is Tina and I will be 31 soon. Cody is NT but has speech therapy and OT for his ADD (which is clearly now under control). John is a long story but in short, he was not supposed to make it, he suffered brain damage in utero due a malfunctioning placenta, was deemed mild CP and he is clearly exhibiting signs of PDD-Nos and we are heading towards the diagnosis now :( At first they thought he had Angelman's Syndrome but the DNA/karyotype came out normal plus he started speaking shortly before we got the test done so we knew he didn't have it (AS kids do not typically speak). I am in a state of shock right now, trying to wrap my head around this new diagnosis and I hope I can get loads of information here. Thanks for reading, Hi I am Craig. My daughter Allie was diagnosed with PDD-NOS in February of this year (2008). This forum looks like a great place to talk (vent) and read about others that understand us. Our daughter is 5 and has just started Kindergarden. She barely talks and does not know how to communicate her needs. She often wakes up through the night and does not want to go back to sleep for hours. She is very picky of what she eats and only eats a handful of foods. My wife worries constantly about her while she is in school as she cannot communicate. She has taken this whole thing pretty bad and has become obsessed at being angry at God and the world. Sometimes she tells me that it is my fault that Allie does not speak, because I am farely quiet. My wife is a different person, and is always mad and complaining at everything now. I don't know what to do or how to help her. She now sleeps with Allie (It helps Alllie sleeping through the night), but I end up sleeping by myself. I feel that I am losing my wife. Allie is a wonderful child and I love her so much. Hey all, I'm Elaine My son, Carson is 5 years old. He was diagnosed with Autism (High Functioning) a year and a half ago. He has since improved tremendously with his communication. He not only speaks well now, but he reads at a grade 3 level. I got him encouraged with writing (since there was no interest whatsoever) by giving him a nintendo DS (combining his computer skills with no writing skills - and making it work). Within one hour he knew how to hold the stylus pen and work the games. He has since written letters (not clearly but not bAD!), and reads encyclopedias, coffee table books on Nascar, and all sorts of other stuff that's way ahead of him. My newest concern is his lack of attention to his hygiene, and no help with people at his school. He is in SK and sometimes comes home with pee all over his pants/socks etc. It seems as though he gets no reinforcement or encouragement to follow through with instructions. I'm more worried about his social abilities and improving on that. I do also worry about him being so smart he will get bored. I'm happy/proud and excited for him, yet it's still so frustrating, even on our good days. My daughter is 2 years old, and he loves her to death... she recipricates! I love my family. :) Hi my name is Donna I have a son who is 20 years old he has Autism and its been a rough road for both me and him he brings me more joy than heartache and I wouldn't change him for the world he is in the special olympics with a number of gold medals we live in Newfoundland Canada I'm very proud of him Donna Hi, my name is Karen and my son has just been diagnosed at autistic at 5 1/2. I am really glad to have found this sight. I have never done this before so I may make a few mistakes, but then I have never had an autistic son before and I think I'm doing ok so far. I have found it hard to find other parents with autistic children to talk to, so hopefully I will find some here. At the moment we are having hard time teaching Alex to be gentle with new puppy, even thinking of giving it away, the puppy that is lol. He just does not understand the meaning of someone or something being hurt. This is driving me mad, so if any one out there has any tips, I am listening.Hi, I am Fatima, and my son Y will turns 3 and 5 months on the 17 th. He is my youngest after having 1 DD (NT) and 1DS (NT) Y was dxd with ASD (classical autism). When he was dxd at the age of 33 months old he has exihibted a language delay (he had around 100 ~150 words) and even though he could use two words sentences he did not really use them daily (he had just started requesting but no shared interest). He was very difficult baby (hard to fall asleep and hard to calm down if he got upset-usually we did not know the raison for his meltdowns especially after his first birthday). But we never suspected autism, because he looked very happy and he was and still very good at imitating (he used to dance to music and laugh when we play with him). further more he started to be fassinated with letters and numbers at a very young age (by 2 he knew all the alphabet and could recognise small and big letters and also could count to 20) but he had only two words (for water and juice but no mamy nor daddy until he was almost three(I think that my son has hyperlexia on top of his autism dxs). Now that i rememer when the odd stims showed up or perhaps became more apparent -looking while turning his head to the sides or looking from different angle(at around 30 months) at that time also we noticed that he really was ignoring us especailly his siblings and my DH. We really don't know if the vaccines have any thing to do with his autism but we do now think that his real regression started at around 12 months and regressed further later on. He did have mild fever after being vaccinated them (being too busy with his siblings I now blame myself for not noticing any thing was wrong untill that dreadful day). When we accidently heard the word autism (a mother I was talking to told me that her daughter was just diagnosted with autism while she was hoping that she will be told that it is a language delay)-That was the shock of my life -MY GOD That is what my son has, he does not have a language delay We started ABA privetely(and still do for 10 hours a week)4 months after we relised that our son might be autistic by that time he had already 100 words that he used only to label. With ABA he learned mostly action words and to play more functionnely for his age (I hate that word A freind that I met on another discussion forum directed me here and I am really liking it (i has been 2 months since I started reading your posts). We live in Montreal, Canada Thank you for reading PS: really sorry for the long and rambling message (English is not my first language) My name is Angie I have 4 children my two youngest are on the Autism spectrum. My DD is 6yrs old and was dx with PDDNOS in Feb of 2004. She is in Kindergarden currently and doing fairly well with everything. She has a lot of sensory and personal boundry issues. My son who is the youngest of my 4 has a dx of autism with regression. He is 2.5 yrs and was dx in July this year. I have 2 older daughters who dont understand autism. My life is my kids, I get stressed out and upset by things they do but manage to handle it all well.. We have had genitic testing done on our son and also a EEG, EKG and MRI. They have found no genetic causes at this point we are still waiting on some more in depth test resutls. They did find he had an arrythmia during his EEG and there were some white spots found on his brain during the MRI but they arent worried about them. I hope to talk with you all more.Hi. My 6 year old was diagnosed with Aspergers 6 months ago. I have questions about IEP's, detox and allergies. We are in regular 1st grade classroom but having issues with staying on task, and absorbed by current favorites (drawing monster houses, indiana jones). He is academically on par, but teacher is requesting an aide so he does not fall behind. I am searching for answers on IEP's and Pennsylvania wrap around services, how to enroll, which are good/bad, etc. We started the GF/CF diet after a tonsils/adenoids removed in May and have seen some improvements with social skills and insight (ability to tell me why something is bothering him). I am also searching for a DAN doctor in Pittsburgh. We have been doing this on our own -we are ready to start enzymes, probiotics, detox and want some guidance. Also just started hive breakouts - 5 over the last 2 weeks. Blood panel came back negative for all the usuals (peanuts, wheat, dairy, soy). I have a hunch the soy is causing it so we removed soy now too - running out of things to feed him! Help! Anyone out there? Hi I'm new. I'm coming over from the Babycenter Boards because they've changed. My son was diagnosed with PDD seven months ago. He's four and in a PPCD as well as private pre-K with a shadow. He also does ABA with two therapists in our home two hours each day and we have an ABA consultant from Dallas who comes once a month to provide supervision and additional training for us. We started the GFCF diet six months ago and also elminated peanuts and soy because of allergies. We're doing a number of vitamins/minerals and also probiotics. He's always been a very verbal child with very few stims, but lots of disruptive behaviors (hitting, screaming, kicking, throwing, screaming). Since last spring we've seen some good slow steady improvements in behaviors, but they still flare up on a regular basis. During the past six months ABA and school has helped learn several letters of the alphabet, the ABC song, how to ask the "w" questions, how to write a couple of letters in his name, and most of his colors. I'm excited to join this group and learn from the vast experience of others! Hi all my son is rather young, 9mo but is exhibiting some "red flags". Are ped has suggested we work on these area now rather then wait for a dx. I can't wait to meet you all and learn from you Hello! My name is Shannon and I have 2 beautiful daughters: Katelyn, 27 months, who is being evaluated for autism/pdd, and Ashley, almost 5 months. I am so grateful that I found this forum because we are trying to help Katelyn before her evaluation so that we do not waste any more precious time. Hi there. Today we were told by our speech pathologist that our beautiful son William had a number of signs of autism. My heart sank - because I don't know enough about it - and it tears us up to think that our little boy who is nearly 3 is going to have to do it hard. I thank each of you for your comments - they help me understand and learn Welcome to all newbies. I haven't been over to this side and just noticed new names. Rho--welcome. I have 3 on the spectrum...I am sending you HUGS! Glad you are here. Choc--welcome to you too! My oldest boy has SD (Spastic diplegia), which is a mild form of CP. We don't know the exact cause. I am being contacted by specialists in law now, since I went to one site and signed up to their newsletters, trying to get me to find out the reason behind it--not sure if that is what I want to do or not. It's been 14 years and, really--I don't want to go through anything legal for money--I just want my son to do well, so I have been avoiding their emails. Tiger--Welcome! I found the best teacher for us is our kids. the spectrum is so broad and no two are alike in every way. Feel free to ask questions when you wonder if anyone else is going through what you do, and advice--I have followed so much on here, and tried new things, thanks to so many sharing and letting me know what worked and didn't work for them--then I find out what works and doesn't work for me--my kids will have no problem letting me know--sometimes, in unpleasant ways..lol Blessings to all and welcome again, Kelly
Hi Just wanted to introduce myself. I have an 8yo autistc son and live in Kentucky.
I am new here too. Good luck to all of us. Hi all my name is heather.. and My son David was Dxed with ASD with Non verbal Dyspraxia. he is 4. he currently attends a wonderful center based program that uses the TEACHH Method. We also believe in 'being out there'.. and do alot with him 'in the community. I also run a mommy-group.. so he regualry attends plydates and events with NT kids. He is making def progress.. He is non-verbal.. But is def becoming more aware.. We also are GFCF.. and use some supplements. i found this site by accident. and am def glad I didhi, my name is Krissie. I have a son whom I think may be autistic. He is 3 1/2 years old. How did you know the signs or symptoms that he was autistic. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.my son ryley is a twin.they were 14 weeks early. i had no problem bonding with them. Ryley was a very fussy baby. He cried all the time for no reason at all. He walks and does all the normal things, well except for talking. He points and grunts and babbles and he gets very upset when we and others don't understand what he wants. He has also passed all of the hearing test. So I finally told the pediatrician I wanted him to be evaluated because a three year old is suppose to talk. His moods change for no reason at all, one minute he is fine and at the next he is on the ground having a meltdown for no reason at all. He definitely hates change and has to be in a routine,, and if the routine changes, he has a meltdown. He is mean to his little brother and twin sister, but very loving to us. At school and at home he would rather play by his self and watch spongebob over and over, and when yo turn it off, he gets so mad. Did you have trouble with potty training? HE screams every time we sit him on there.Also how do you deal with the people who stare? Being a mom to special needs children,cause people to stare like no other.His twin sister has Cerebral Palsy. Now you know a lil about him. So any advice or help. In your opinion does it sound like autism? also he refuses to sleep at night, and he sometimes screams in the middle of the night while asleep, and he hits and kicks as well. Sorry for writing a book, but you know what it is like, to where a lot of others don't. It also helps to talk to others... I have now noticed that ryley hits his head with his hand and screams constantly. at times it is worse at other times it is okay.i've heard about the gluten cassein and wheat free diet.what are your ideas on this? at times i just want to scream. I talked to another mom whos son is autistic and i told her the things that he does, and she said that he has it. Also he is extremely scared of water, and can't stand to have his hair washed. his teacher said that he has sensory issues. my mom said he acts better there, but she said maybe because there are no other kids there. could she be right? my mother in law said that she has always thought it was autism because ryley never smiled and it has to be dark b4 he will go to sleep, and he is mean to his siblings..help???advice???anything please/ He gets evaluated in November, and I am nervous a lil scared. I am not sure what to expect. You can leave your comments, ideas, suggestions to KrissieHoward@live.comThanks krissie also i was wondering if some days were better than others, because today was a good day except for him getting upset and he hit his head once. Hello to everyone on this board..I am very happy to have stumbled upon this site! I am a mom to 4 kids..2 boys and 2 girls. My oldest, Trenton is 7 and has been dx with PDD but awaiting an official dx of Aspergers, with the possibility of a comorbid dx of bipolar disorder. The diagnosis has affected our family. I'm sure much the same way it affects everyones family, there was a time of fear and uncertainty followed by sadness and an overwhelming feeling of grief, like the loss of a life, or the life that you had envisioned for yourself and your firstborn son. Now however, 5 years after original dx we are at peace for the most part I have learned how to laugh at every joke and cherish every smile and enjoy watching my beautiful son grow and change just the same as his siblings and I thank God every day for blessing me with such a kind hearted creative fun loving little boy.Good Morning Everyone, I am a 48 year old Nana of 6 (counting my husbands 3). I am fighting custody of my 4 year old grandson who was diagnosed with autism about a year ago. I have had him in my care for 2 years now. Tyler is our life now. I will admit, it's hard and I'm tired, but thankfully we have found a Church based Pre-K4 that just adores him and does everything in their power to help him. He really doesn't have a problem sleeping at night. He is on 60 mg of Vyvanse and Risperdal(I can't remember the dosage) which he takes twice a day. Our two biggest problems are his tantrums and being self sufficient. He expects everyone to do everything for him and if not then we go into melt down mode and this could last 45mins to an hour. I'm really not sure what to do. Do I continue to do it for him or let him have his melt downs? I have been wanting to talk with someone living with autism, but I think then it makes it real, but I want to do everything in my power to see that Tyler leads a normal life as possible. I'm really glad I found you guys and I hope we can all help eachother. Hi, this is for the people waiting for evaluations. You are doing the right thing! If your child has sensory issues there are ways for occupational therapy to help with that. I resisted the diagnosis but now that I see how the techniques have helped my child, I believe it. Also I had a good experience at a workshop on behavior management at the YAI organization, look them up. They talk about ways to get changes in meltdowns and all that, it helps if you try to notice the patterns of what triggers him and what happens afterward, called ABC analysis, then find a way to meet the need without the foul behavior. For my son it has gotten easier to have him reach goals for rewards, now that he is 6 and has been in a great program at school for over a year. They teach "let's be flexible" and let the kids practice adjusting to changes when they are relaxed/in a fun context, which you can do at home--such as let's pretend it's morning and have breakfast for dinner-- then when the child is successful at handling that change, you can remind them of it in different contexts, work your way up to actual necessary transitions. I think it's called SDI. We are still struggling with him about going to sleep alone and leaving the house with a 20 minute warning (!) on a non-school day, but I feel like I have some tools for that now. With him it's certificates or coupons that he can trade for a prize when he gets a certain number of coupons (just post it notes with the date that he succeeded at the goal). It took a long time to get there. You will know best what makes your child tick. I think it's okay to use sweets or whatever kind of bribe as long as you save it for those times when you get the behavior you want first. It gives them success and later they learn to crave success above craving candy. About self sufficiency, deep down most kids want to be proud of what they can do for themselves but our kids need a little more time and support, so the goals have to be broken down into small steps, more like what you would expect from a younger toddler even. As far as being a 48 year old grandma, you can do it, I am 45 and my husband is 54!! Talking to other people is worth it. Sorry to write a book or sound like Miss know it all which I am not, I just wanted to say that there is great hope for improvement. It happened here and it can happen there, the big thing is that you are not just fretting about it, you are addressing it and asking questions, more power to you. Kwamesmom, I don't feel like your a know it all. I really appreciate any feed back that is offered. I don't feel like I have the best support system. His pediatrician is in and out so fast and does nothing but change his medication. I have been taking him to a Genetics specialist for other reasons but not the autism. I really don't know where to go for help. I see alot of talk about ABC analysis and I'm not even sure where to go for that either. We were referred to a psychologist whom we spent 20 minutes with and he never once talked to Ty and diagnosed him PDD. We then attended ARD meetings at the public school system and they spent hours testing him and diagnosed him Asperger. So I honestly don't know what type he has and need all the help I can get. Hello my name is Bill and Im going to try and articualte my son the best I can Billy was dx with PDD NOS (I think they should call it TDK, They Dont Know)when he was 4 ish , he is now 6 and it has been a very trying time for my wife and I. There is so much that happens here that it is hard to know where to start and where to end.Right now he is having a meltdown for of course no reason. the crying will last for 10min but it will feel like 1 hr. I am here for advice, tips and tricks to help my son but I need s plsce to go where I can vent too,cause NOBODY really understands what we go through. Hey all i am Gavin.I have worked with people with Autism for the last 7 years and also have a stepson with Autism. I run a Autism social network here as well http://www.autismnetwork.co.uk. I hope it is ok to put that here. Hello, everyone. I'm a mother of 7 and 5 boys. The older is dxed with ASD, anxiety and with ADHA features, the younger is awaiting the offical dx, possible with the same dx as my older one. Oh, I forgot my older one has eating disorder, too. I'm new to this board, but not to Autism. It has been two years from the time when my older son suffered a huge regression, and all signs of autsim suddenly showed up. My younger's speech stopped developping around 3ish, and some regression after he started early intervental preschool becasue it was not for kids with PDD. My older boy is making great improving since last year with the right placement. Now he is a PDD special Ed based on ABA with his younger brother who is starting make some progress. Now, emotionally, I have to say, I'm finally on the other side. I've found ways to deal with autism. I barely care what other people think of us. I don't give a damn for their dirty looks when they see my older son flaps his hands in public when he gets excited. For me their anxieties it is the hardest thing to due with, of courses, beside fighting the right services for them. They shut down completely when they are in fear. I'm a believer of ABA. I've learned as much ABA as I can from books. I run my household based on ABA and good old fashion time out. My kids see time out as "jail time". They take that very seriously. Our home life is happy with some short meltdowns, usually due to anxiety. Lucky us, We can travel without many problems. We can dine out, go to shopping, the parks, but no moives. Our family life is good. They are not on any diet, drugs and supplements. It seems all the conventional treatments, OT, ST, PT are working fine for them. However, I think they can be doing better if they can get more often of those sevices. I don't think PDD is the right term for most kids with autism. Their developments are uneven with some skills ahead of their age, some skills are delayed and some skills just right for their age. And alot of behavioral problems are due to their inability to commucate and lack of understanding becasue of their language impairs.I've become a mind reader and collect data about their meltdowns. Often conclude that "they need more STs" Life is not perfect, or even close to what I had in mind, but it's very rewarding. I'm lucky, even I don't get any help or support from my family, I have a great husband. We keep our vows for better or for worse. Autism breaks up alot marriages, but also makes some marriages stronger. I wish more people understand what is autism. I think it's just as important to educate people to understand people with autsm and their family as educate people about the signs. Well, it's a long post. If you new to autism, try all the conventional treatments frist like ST, OT and PT, and remember a new treatment at a time. My goal is intergate my kids into world with little alternations as possible. The turth is the world will not change for them. They have to adapt to the world. Good Lucky everyone. my biggest concern is the school system, they are just so unwilling to do anything for my son, he had wetting accidents at school too, and he has a very hard time with fine motor skills, nothing comes easy to him and they just don't want to help, although the same is true for my daughter who is almost 7 and has ADHD and vision problems, their solution was to put her in the back of the classroom!! Hi I'm Lisa. My 12 year-old daughter has ADHD,ODD and a new diagnosis of PDD-NOS. I live in MA and trying to get help but I'm running into walls.She goes to regular middle school in a TLC Program and has an IEP,but I'm always wondering if she'd be better off in some kind of specailized school.How can I help her,at times she needs care like she's a toddler and other times she appears very grown up.She can be very difficult and aggressive. Any help would be welcome.
Hi, nanabooga -- I would recommend posting your question to the Education forum as you are more apt to get a reply that is meaningful. Other than that, welcome and I hope you read a BUNCH here! I ahve learned so much! Welcome to everyone, whether you be a parent and/or a worker that helps our kids. You will find support here, big time and glad that you found our board.Hi there..I am a mom to a 16 yr.old son with Autism. The last couple of months have been horrible. He is acting more "autistic" than he has in a long time. He keeps telling us to "shut-up" and has even started saying a bad word. We have tried talking with him and it isn't doing any good..we are now in the process of getting him into a dr. to help with this. My question is...Has anyone else had this issue? Is this normal in teens with Autism? It is getting really frustrating !! He has been doing so well for so long and so it makes it harder to deal with! I would love any advice or information anyone may have!! Thanks, lori Hi, I am new. My name is Tina, and I am blessed with two wonderful children. Jasper is five years old and just started kindergarten this year. He is all boy and loves airplanes, friends, school, singing, and Spongebob. My duagher Makena is almost 4, and she is all girl. Everything has to be pink, and she loves dress-up, princesses, Dora, ponies, mermaids, etc. I love my kids to bits, and they are a real blessing in my life and I am thankful for them everyday. October 29, 2007 Makena was diagnosed with PDD-NOS. She is about a year or so behind but is making leaps and bounds. It was a tough process emotionally, but we all felt very much relieved when she was finally diagnosed and we could get her the help that she needed and move on with all our lives. I think that once I figured out that despite her "label", my sweet little girl hasn't changed...she is still the Makena I love so much, I was able to accept it. She is funny, smart, beautiful, she has big brown eyes, dark brown hair, and oh yeah, she has autism...and that really is the way it is. I am glad that I found this place so that I can find other's who "get it" when I am happy that my almost 4 year old daughter is able to put a sock on her foot! I hope to make some friends here and I look forward to getting to know everyone. :) Welcome JASMAK We are all here to help you.....Welcome Hi everyone, My name is Dene, and I have to children. DD is only 2 months, so don't know if she's on the spectrum, but DS is 2.5 and although we haven't had an offical dx yet, we're pretty certain he has autism. Our family has just moved to Canada from the UK, so still getting used to life over here and looking into services available etc. How has autism affect my life? Well, I have a cousin who is 8 with autism, and thought I knew a lot about it... until I started suspecting my son had it! Having your own child with autism is so completely different. I also tend to research things I'm interested in A LOT, so I guess autism has taken over my life right now - researching and learning how to deal with and help my son, learning what the future MAY hold, etc. I have been reading this board for a few weeks, and it has been so helpful, and everyone seems so lovely. I am looking forward to joining in and getting to know you all :) edited for content I am really happy I found this website. I have a 2 year old daughter diagnosed with ASP and we just started testing and early intervention. She does not talk or respond to any noise. At the present time we are scheduled for ABR, MRI and brain wave testing. I look forward to reading and responding to your posts. My six-year-old grandson has been diagnosed with PDD with autistic tendencies. Everything has been delayed for him, but with good resources at school and wonderful therapists (speech and occupational) he is making progress. The 'tendencies' are arm-flapping and constant droning of a humming noise which goes entirely too tedious at times. After having been his caretaker for over two years, I've become accustomed to it, but my sister, who recently moved in with us is going crazy. I've tried explaining that I can't break him of it, but she insists I can. Has anyone had this experience? If so, how did you handle it. I call him on it several times, but he goes right back to it. He only does this when he's playing with his toys. He can watch TV for hours and never make a sound, go to the Movies, but video games and regular toys cause the arm flapping and noise. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance, Ginger Hi, my name is Jeni and I am new to the board. My oldest daughter is 9, and was recently diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, Sensory Modulation Dysfunction, Developmental Dyspraxia, and Auditory Processing Disorder. We have reason to believe she has other issues that might put her on the autism spectrum, and I have come here to ask some questions before she is evaluated for that. I also have 3 other children. My second oldest is 6, and has a borderline ADHD clinical diagnosis (94th percentile, just under clinical diagnosis). My 3 yr old and 14 month old are neurotypical. My husband very likely would have been diagnosed with HFA or Aspergers as a young child. He continues to have auditory processing issues, sensory processing issues, and has trouble reading people and in social situations. Glad to be here! Hello, my name is Amy and my 19 month old son Joey was diagnosed with PDD-NOS. I just had another baby five weeks ago, another boy. I became pregnant with him right before I started noticing the signs of autism with my older son. Although I am scared I may have two children on the autism spectrum, I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that my second son was meant to be here because I don't think I would have had another child if I had known that one was on the spectrum. Hi everyone I am the father of a 10 year old Autistic son who is non verble and also has Moubius syndrom He cannot smile of blink his eye's so it is very hard to see his emotions. My wife and I have been together for 16 years and do everything we can to help our son Dylan. I am happy to find this site and will contribut as much as I can.Hi everyone . Im mum to three beautiful children . My youngest son was diagnosed moderate autism at 2yrs old just over a year ago. He currently has a place in a teacch preschool nursery and so far hes been doing really well . This forum seems like a great place for friendly advice Hi Everyone; I just found the site & it asks that I say something about how autism has effected my life. Let's see...as an adult autistic who has an autistic son (and two other great children who are not), as well as a person who is enormously submerged in autism research, I suppose that I could offer a few insights as to how the ASD's look from the inside. If I were forced to reduce to autism experience to a single word?...Terror. Constant terror. (Ok, that's two words, but it is more accurate.) The upside? Your child CAN learn, without medications, to manage an almost-bionic form of anxiety disorder. This learning process can take years an can get a bit ugly/messy at times, but what in life that is worth learning doesn't have a hideous, geeky, monstrous-zit-on-nose stage? Hi All- My name is Sheila, and I have a great little boy named DJ, who turned 3 in October, and was diagnosed with ASD in March. He was involved with Birth to 3 until October, and is now in an Eary Childhood class. He is very smart, but has no language - although he has said words - they are never repeated. He loves jumping, swinging, playing outside, and crafty things. He's great and seeming to be learning new things every day. We still have a long way to go - and he is finally on the waiver waiting lisrt for therapy services - but it is a long wait. My biggest issue, and what I need support with - is my husband... he is in complete denial about DJ - and thinks that autism diagnosis these days is just a way for specialists to make money. He thinks children have to be REALLY impared to ACTUALLY have Autism. He does not want me telling people that DJ is on the spectrum, and says he does not think that theer is anything wrong that time won't fix ("kids just develope at different rates"- is what he says - "he'll talk when he's ready" - is another one of his faves). I've tried to show him things, and research, but he's just so stubborn. He does not interfere with what I do with the therapists in birth to 3 and now EC, but he doesn't think DJ needs any of it. I get very frustrated sometimes. Sorry to talk everyones ears off - I was probably not supposed to get so in depth in an intro thread - but I've never done this before. I'm new and I'm hoping for fellow parent's support. the Military has a new program for special needs to get services for active duty familys ECHO provides respite and therapys not covered by tricare any one getting services under echo?Hi, I am seeing a lot of names ... ONLY here! I hope you will all spread out and ask questions and tell us more about yourselves and your kids, in other areas of the forum ... Gray matter(s) -- your experience sounds quite like mine. Anxiety was my constant companion until adulthood -- my thirties, in fact. The paralyzing kind. do share more! Hello all,We have a 5yo son with ASD and a 1yo son who is deaf, but god, they are the most beautiful children in the world. No seriously, they are, I have the certificate that says they are. I am glad to have found this site, I am also happy to know that we are not alone in the world. Anyway, thanks for being here and we will talk to you soon. LoGaN n' HaYdEn'S Dad Hi Everyone, I have seven children and 2 of them have been diagnosed with ASD. One is 4 years old and the other is 2 years old. I am deeply appreciative to have found this site. This is totally awesome. I applaud all parents who continue to fight for their love one who has any form of Autism. Hello, I am Rafaela, the mother of a 4 year old boy with PDD. We live in Spain because of my husband's work, I am from Peru and he is from Atlanta and we moved here when our son was 8 months. At the beginning we thought that our sons problems were "normal". He was shy, but we saw it logical because his only contact was mom and dad (and we don't talk much). By 2 1/2 he did not speak more than some words, but I am a stay-home mom so I thought it was because I covered all his needs and he did not feel the need to speak. We began to send him a couple of hours to preschool so he would begin to be with other kids. He began to be less shy and enjoyed playing with kids, but he began to ignore us when we talked to him, sometimes as if he didn't hear us. We again thought the reason was that I speak to him in spanish and his dad in english, and at school because we lived in Barcelona they speak to the kids in Catalan. It's commonly stated that children in bi-lingual households speak later than normal, so we thought it was okay... Finally around his 38 months he began to stop looking at you in the eyes most of the time and began to play opening and closing doors... so we took him for an assesment, we have now two different diagnostics SLI and PDD. He began speech and cognitive therapy and since the past month he began 20 hours of Lovaas therapy at home, plus some time of preschool. He is showing signs of improvement. I don't want to make my story longer.... I just want to say that I am glad to find this forum and learn about others' experiences and maybe try to help somebody with ours. Is anyone else currently using Lovaas or some other ABA therapy? I'm very much interested in learning as this is very new for us. thank you Rafaella
Hi, My name is Collette and I have two daughters, Hannah, 5, and Isabella, nearly 2 1/2. We are awaiting an official evaluation but are pretty sure that Isabella is on the spectrum. We are glad we found this board and look forward to learning and sharing. Hello! My Name is Meggin. I am a mother to 2 boys -Elijah (4) and Jordan (3). In March 2008, my sons' daycare provider told me that she felt my youngest - Jordan may be autistic. She gave me the appropriate numbers to call, and I began my journey. The first initial home visit went terrible. He wasn't pointing, looking, or responding to the interventionist. When it was over she went over what she saw. She felt that he fell on the spectrum, and would be diagnosed with PDD-NOS. So the vigorous schedule started, seeing as they had less than a year until he was 3, and would then transition over to the school district. Jordan has come a LONG way the past 9 months. He's a new child! It's amazing, and I am loving every minute of it. He still has his issues - mostly behavioral. His vocabulary consists of about 40 words now. He finally said "Mama" just a few weeks ago! I've waited 2 years to hear it, and now I hear it every 5 minutes! This past Thursday Jordan had his official assessment/diagnosis. He did fantastic. He had a great day - the best day he has ever had. The downfall of this good day is that the doctor scored him at 0 - all the way down the chart. She is putting him in the category of having a speech delay. She doesn't feel that he is autistic what-so-ever. She told me to work on his peer- peer relationships and his speech - that's it. She told me to put him in pre-school. At this point I am frustrated because I know he is PDD-NOS. He is SOO borderline, and I feel because of that he is falling through the cracks. I know he's not emotionally ready for pre-school because he doesn't have that "self- direction" that most pre-schoolers have. I fear that if I just put him into pre-school he is going to have problems, and be labled as having behavioral issues - which is not the case, but because the doctor felt that he didn't fall on the spectrum, there's going to be "no excuse" for him. So I am very frustrated, looking at getting a 2nd opinion. Are there any other parents out there that this happened to? I feel in my gut what he should have been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, but I have a doctor telling me something very different. hi Sams mom just looking for tricare info if there are any military familys out there. Hi all, I think my situation is probably quite different from most here. My daugher, Hope, is 34 years old--born 1974. She has never had a proper diagnosis. At 3 months of age, pediatrician said she was "mentally retarded." I had her eyes checked & she began wearing glasses at 5 months (far-sighted & astigmatism). Later found she is deaf in one ear. At 4 years she was evaluated at a diagnostic center. Diagnosis was "Neurologically handicapped." Was told that was a 'Catch-all" term and they didn't know specifically what she had. She didn't speak until almost 5, didn't walk until almost 2, etc. The evaluator said she "lived in her own world" based on tests they gave her. Autism was never mentioned, and in 1974 I had never heard of it. No one mentioned it again & Hope was in Special Ed throughout school. Her Sr. year of High School she told me she thought she was autistic--they had studied it a bit in class. By that time, I'd read about autism and knew she was autistic... Currently she lives at home, (has never left home or had a boyfriend) can not drive, ride a bike, have a job, cook, etc. She was denied SSI on appeal as there is no history of treatment or diagnosis. I am very concerned for her future. Hope is a delightful person. She does need predictable days--is self-disciplined or organized...a Star Trek fan, loves to read, need zero to little interaction with others. I learned a lot all those years without help about how to help her deal with bullies, how to accept touch, etc. Socially her interests are at times about 8-9 years old, & some interests are more age apporopriate. She still likes Hello Kitty and child-like clothing...anyway, glad to find you and would like to find if there is a diagnostic facility in Central CA or anywhere in CA where they evaluate adults. Hope has 1 more chance for SSI--but only with tons of paperwork and it will be her last chance and before a judge. Thank you all & would be happy to communicate with anyone who has a child, or an adult child, with autism. Victoria hi, my only child TJ will be 5 next month.I have been told he has autistic characteristics but the specialists he has been seen by believe there is something else contributing to his major delay.He began walking at 3 1/2 and is nonverbal.He also has the double hair whorl side by side going in opposite directions on the back of his head..I was wondering if anyone on here has a child also with severe delays, the hair whorls..and if so does your child have any other physical signs as TJ does,such as single palmar crease on both hands, and preauricular pits in both ears(they look like tiny birthmarks?)TJ has had cat scan of the brain, and genetic testing done twice,with no answers..Hi, Everyone! I've been watching this site for a few months now, and am only now bold enough to join. I have been thrilled many times over with the helpful information I have found here through other parents and through the links frquently provided. I am the proud mother of 2 children, Matt, 18, NT, and Paul, 12, asd and possibly mild mr? My children are my life, but I must say, I never expected the challenges and changes that come from having children, most especially a child with special needs. I'm a terribly disorganized person, despite my best efforts to change, so this has really been a difficult course. I have tried at various times over the years to find more info and to link up with other parents of children similar to Paul, but until finding this forum, knew no one who was going through the same things, although I do know a couple of other parents with children w/ a dx of asd. But they share few of the traits that Paul happens to have, so I couldn't help them, and they couldn't really help me, except for understanding the "down" days. Anyway, sorry so long. Thanks for being here! Aloha to all,I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself. My name is Michael E. Robinson, Sr. and I am a father of a 15.5 yr. old boy with Autism. He is non verbal but is emerging from that with about 250 randomly used words daily - normally they are 'demand' words with him asking for something but he also echo's a speech device he uses that speaks as a teenage boy after he plugs in the sentence(s) he wants to use. He was diagnosed initially in the living room at approx. 2.5 yrs of age in early 1996. Although I faced a very large 'denial' crowd with my ex wife and both of our families I decided to start an in home program for him immediately. After U.C.S.F. diagnosed him as ordered in a Due Process hearing (I represented myself/son) slowly some came around and realized he wasn't just 'slow', he had regressed. After that due process other parents in the district I lived in were in need of Advocacy but faced few local advocates that charged almost as much as an attorney. I had gone through the same thing and was/still am not able to find it within myself to create a 'fee schedule'. If parents can't pay for costs I still do. Non attorney Advocacy for parents needing it and Self Advocacy for those that can handle it on their own are key issues that need to be further recognized. Of course they aren't the number one issue as we await the news in the A.M. regarding the possible request of a Ban on Time Out Rooms/Seclusion and Restraint - lets hope our P&A gave an accurate account. The brief on it was that it would be 'disturbing', but I'm not quite sure it's as disturbing as my inbox. After getting input from parents and individuals on the spectrum over the last 90 days I put together what I was hoping was a Legislative Act that would please every 'sub group' we have within our community nationwide. That piece called ' The Autism Reform Act' is now under legislative review. The biggest issue within it as far as Health and Safety was the request to Ban Time Out/Seclusion/Illegal Restraint. This is because through the journey of Advocating across the nation I found that time out rooms would exist even in the best of areas/states. Pocket areas that are generally rural were the biggest culprits. From Kelseyville, Calif. where I closed the first group of time out rooms (barbaric 5x7 cells with no windows, light, ventilation, or monitoring - the rest of what I've seen in this regard would sicken you), all the way across the country to rural areas's of PA, all over TX, GA, and on and on - these rooms existed and some still do - hopefully for a very short time. The fact children had to die in these rooms - 2 instances of them hanging themselves with teacher provided rope or electrical cord..one from a door and one from a vent - is completely unacceptable in the society in which we live. My son hasn't been the unfortunate child to be illegally restrained or put in those rooms.. except for once with Restraint. Legal Action immediately handled that problem. In Kelseyville, Ca. it was a different scene altogether - parents and a psychologist from Lakeport, Ca. contacted me as I had gone to High School there and was known locally from racing cars and my fathers business. I moved out of that county as my son's regression began...but I still came back when I was called on this. Through the course of my sons education (his name is Michael also), I have had the displeasure of filing 6 due process actions. 2 were withdrawn after the district 'changed their minds', 2 were mediated and 2 went on through the system but were never heard - both were settled with damages paid after the district spent 10's of thousands attempting to redeem themselves through attorneys. That didn't work too well for them. My son still has an after school program with a 1:1 aide that introduces new things to him constantly in every place you could imagine to generalize. He still has S/L therapy 3 times a week, and will have a 'district paid for' speech device until he turns 22, then whatever device he uses shall become the property of the regional center and they will pick up the cost on anything new. By setting a strong foundation with his initial district in 1996 I believe that I was able to, without a better word, 'force' the next district into complying. I found other area's of non compliance with other children. One district went so far as to 'introduce me' to other kids in a potential classroom setting for my son.. going on to tell me 'about individual diagnosis', etc. for the other kids.. Can anyone say " FERPA " !! As my son has grown into a very interesting young man that I am very proud of, I have grown as a Spec. Ed. Advocate as well to tune into the needs of the community of Adults on the spectrum and as well to look heavily into transition... but I keep getting side tracked..... How ? Parental complaints of time out/seclusion, restraint, and other abuses in the schools have skyrocketed especially in a few states. I used to average about 30 or 40 emails a day.. no spam ( I live in Hawai'i so No Jokes !!), now it's over 100. Much of this is due to the Autism Reform Act, but I still am getting feedback from my asst. telling me that about 70 percent or a little more are from parents with kids being restrained, etc.. Hopefully we get good news tomorrow that will effect all of our kids. My son lives with his mom and sisters in Northern Calif., although we were divorced a yr. after diagnosis we stay close for the benefit of all our kids. One important thing that we have done with Michael is to allow him to be a kid. No matter what kind of behavioral intervention was being used, etc. we still allow him to be himself. Contrary to the outside worlds belief he was always a very loving boy that only had poor eye contact at that early 3-4 age when the stem comes out and you see the 'corner gazing', etc. . I'm thankful for this very diverse group and hope you don't mind that we added it as a link to the website for The Office of Autism Advocacy..formally known as The Office of Advocacy for Autistic Children. Thank you all and take care ! Hi my name is Lyssa. I am 14 and have depression,anxiety,social anxiety, and PDD-NOS. I am here if that is ok with everyone. I will provide help form my life. Hi Tanya, I saw your screen name on the board a few minutes ago and was trying to figure out what the heck tiddlypee could stand for (sounds a bit obscene - lol!). Never heard of the Hoobs.Anyway, welcome to the Board - I'm sure you'll enjoy it and learn alot here. Hello, My name is Sarah. I have three boys Jon (age 10) who was born with a right arm malformation which he wears a myoelectric prosthesis for, he also has Growth Hormone Deficiency. Nate (age 5) is my middle child, no issues with him other than him being stubborn. Then there's Zach (33 months old) He has speech issues, and is receiving speech therapy for that, we had a suspicion that he was dealing with more than just speech issues though, because he doesn't deal well with transitions among other things. He was just diagnosed (this past Friday) with PDD-NOS and Sensory dysfunction. Hi, my name is Katie. I have two sons. Samuel is 4.5 years old and was diagnosed with ASD March 8, 2007, he had already been diagnosed by the school with educational autism and SID, it just took quite a while for a medical diagnosis. Simon is 16 months old and appears to be NT... though he does stim, we think it's him copying behavior he sees from his brother. I'm lucky to have reaquainted myself with two old friends who have also had a child diagnosed with autism... but lately I feel I need to reach out further. My husband has lurked on this board for a while and suggested that I should join. Lately Samuel's behavioral issues have been increasing and he's regressing into behaviors we'd said bye-bye to over a year ago... biting and headbanging being the worst of it, and I don't get a lot of computer time, but I hope to become a part of this wonderful community.
my name is sherri and my son mattew is 11 years old. i was on nreathine from the time i was 5 months pregnant. i went to pre term labor with him at 5 mos. they gave me shots after shots of this medication. i was wondering myself if this has anything to do with what is wrong with him. from the time matthew was born i knew something just was not right. all he did was scream scream. i have been fighting for years to get them to dignose him with autism... he is verbal but he has a hared time... he hates high places, i have to still help him get dresssed and tie his shoes... if you would like to talk future please drop me a e mail hugs matthewsmom sherri My name is Rebecca, and my husband and I just found out that our 3 yr old is Autistic. Of course, we knew something was up...but honestly thought our little guy just had some delayed speech. We were stunned and crushed when the developmental pediatrician told us he had classic autism... Our lives have not been the same since that day in January. This is still very new for us. We don't know a single other person who has Autism. We have him on GFCF which worked like a miracle at first, but he is not making the big strides that he was weeks ago. We have also had a school evaluation, but it is taking forever for them to get back to us and get him into the school for speech and occupational therapy. I'm looking for a miracle. Hi there. My name is Dana and I was turned on to this site by Jalensmom and I am really glad she tole me about it. My boy is a twin and I strongly suspect he is on the spectrum. His brother is typical. He was really stuck in a shell until my husband and I forced him to start interacting with his brothers and family. He now sees an aide twice a week and the changes are noticable to say the least. He has started using and responding to sign language which is huge for me because the speech therapy isn't helping much yet. I look forward to swapping stories with you!!Hi everyone. Today, my son Jake, who will turn 9 on 6/1, was diagnosed with PDD-NOS. Jake was born at 33 weeks & was eligible for and received early intervention for most of his initial 3 years. We knew from the onset he was delayed. One of his initial diagnosis was Global Development Delay. It wasn't until (or so it seemed) he was around age 7 where he would put three words together in a sentence. The adults who interacted with him daily (family, teachers) could comprehend him by just his one word answers! Had had his own language, we thought it was cute, unknowing what it really meant. He was dx with ADHD a couple years ago (tho the Dr. today said you can't have 2 dxs per se). He gets obsessed with objects. He's had his tics. I stumbled upon this site when a relatively new friend of the family suggested PDD. As soon as I read up on it via links, filled out a questionnaire, I knew. Now, looking back, a lot makes sense. His actions, behaviors, impulses, compulsivity, tantrums., sensory issues, lack of eating, attachment to weird objects,.. I am saddened that not one specialist/teacher/professional could figure out what someone who just MET Jake could, almost immediately. I am comforted knowing others share the same "whatever we share!". Sorry for rambling. I have so much stored in my head I need to get out.
Hi My name is Stacy. My son Tommy was finally diagnosed on the spectrum when he was 4 after years of my trying to get someone to agree that there was "something going on." He is high functioning with a great sense of humor but behavior issues that cause alot of stress (mostly at school). Tantrums, fixated on objects and lots of OCD issues. It's getting easier at home as we know how to help him become the person we know he can be but school is another issue. I know with love and lots of work he can do anything. I'm so glad I found this board. Just one day of reading has made me both laugh and cry. You guys get it because you live it.
Hi everyone! My name is Cindy and during the last five years we were told that our son had ADHD, OD, I/C, and bipolar. That is what he was being treated for. Recently they told us he has PDD. We have gone through five years of heartache. I have lost so many jobs due to his behavior and have been struggeling. I am so glad that this group exist. Dmitry is now in the hospital and will be coming home soon. His behavior can be very aggressive and he directs it at me most of the time. He is going to be eight in a few weeks. We are hoping that with all of the therapy (and continuous therapy) he will do much better. I love and miss him so much. At this time I do not have a job again and I have no idea where I am going to get the money for the services he needs. Can anyone point me in the right direction. I live in Florida. Thank you, Cindy
I am so glad to have found this forum…it has been so informational already. I am the Mother of a 6month old boy who I am fairly certain is on the spectrum. I know that it may be “too early” to diagnose, but the symptoms seem so clear. I imagine that it is going to be a long road to a diagnosis, and I HOPE that I am all wrong. Some of his symptoms are: Resists being held/cuddled Frequent back arching No spontaneous laughing No babbling No imitating Frequently fussy LOTS of hand flapping/leg kicking Gross motor skills on target but seem to be developing per Teitelbaums theories Moderate eye contact Social smiles if initiator is very dramatic Very Gassy Doesn’t want to be held, but doesn’t like to be put down, either! We were referred to the Birth – 3 Center for an evaluation. He didn’t qualify for intervention (speech, anyway) . We then filled out a sensory questionnaire, but haven’t heard back about that. My next move is to contact the UW Autism Center, as we are Has anyone else tried to go down this road at such an early age? Is beginning programs at this age worth it? (From what I have read, it is) Anyway, thanks for listening, I may re-post this as a new thread about early infant autism- Thx C [QUOTE=denise62]Hi my name is Denise I have a question for you guys I have been reading about medications given for pre term labor I was given Magnisium sulfate for 18 days with my daughter and she has always had developmental delays and I was wondering if anyone out there has a child with problems that just had magnisium through an IV Iam really concerned this my have caused the problems or has anyone heard of this medication causing this kind of problem in children[/QUOTE] Denise, This is a great question as I was given something to stop contractions too (not sure what it was called as it was 11 years ago) and I think you should post the question over in the Medicine section as I think you will get more responses there. Thanks and welcome!! Merry Hi everybody. My name is Nancy . My husband & I have 2 beautiful boys age 5 and 2. Our oldest son shows some of the signs of autism/aspergers . When he was a little baby,he was fine during most of the week until Monday morning . He couldn't be comforted and seem overwhelmed.Since we go to church on Sunday , most people said that he was tired and sored , but I didn't think that was the reason. Graham was a good eater and spoke a few words until age 2 . At age 2,he wanted only to eat meats and sweets and stopped speaking. His ped. recommended EI for speech and continues to have speech now that he is preschool. Other signs are very little eye contact, needs to have a schedule , transitions, playing with other children , sensitivity to light and touch-didn't like to play with playdough or shaving cream. He didn't like to get his hands dirty and until recently would cried if you tried to get him to fingerpaint. His teachers think that he might have HFA/Aspergers and wanted to know if we wanted to get him evuluated . We say yes but haven't heard from the school yet. Our 2 year son is a very bright boy who loves his brother but is very strong -willed . He is verbal and good eater. Both boys are affectionate,loving , and are joy for us . Thanks for allowing me to join . Graham's Mom
Hello everyone! My name is Alexie, I am mom to one son, Joshua, he is 5yrs old, soon to be 6 in May. Josh so far has been dx with Sensory Integration Disorder and ADHD. He was evaluated at the Emory Autism Center earlier this month so we are awaiting further dx. Josh is in a mainstreamed Kindergarten class in a public school. It has been an extremely long and hard year for both of us so far. He has made friends but has been disruptive during class time and has trouble focusing or sitting still for any length of time. He started taking Focalin (5mg) last Friday. I am hoping it will help with the attention/hyperactivity. His speech is delayed but he is very understandable. His fine motor skills seem to be the most delayed. He receives OT/ST through the school system. I'm not sure if I will stay with public school next year, I think he might be better served in school geared towards exceptional children. I'm looking forward to participating on the board. Hello Everyone,My Name is Lynne and I have a beautiful 4 1/2 yr old son named Allan. He was diagnosed with Autism at 2 1/2 years of age. He is so beautiful inside and out. He doesn't talk at all. I just want to here him say, "I love you Mommy." With the grace of God I hope one day I will here him say that. I am looking forward to talking with all of you. I am glad I found all of you. Lynne :) TahmirsMom- Thank you! Hi. My name is Amy. I am the single mother of a 4 yr old boy namned Payton. I am almost sure he is undiagnosed Asperger's. He meets every single diagnostic criteria there is. Looking forward to meeting other mom's that face the same challenges and educating myself. Thanks.Hi- I'm Lynne, single mom to 7 year old Gillian who has recently been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, ADHD and SID. I was so excited when I found these boards yesterday & am looking forward to see what everyone else has to say. Thanks! hello everyone..... my name is nina gibson and i just joined so i dont really know what i am doing or if im doing this right....lol well my story starts off i have a little boy who will be 3 on march 7..... he was diagnosed as autistic when he was 2 and a half yr.s old... so i am a new mommy with dealing with autism.... i actually have two kids my oldest is my daughter who is 4 yr.s old and my son is my youngest..... i am still with there daddy which is really great especially dealing with the issues we deal with him and each of our families who dis agree with him even being diagnosed but on the plus side of it we have friends who are with us and are great supporters in this well his name is zander gibson he is a smart little boy and a beautiful child he is very active by his self and will beat his sister up if she doesnt leave him alone although when it comes to women adults he is a little flirt as you can geuss he is an adult communicator he would rather be interactive with an adult then a child but really he loves to be by hisself.... he starts school on march 10 after he turns 3 right now he is going through a great program called first steps and is actually working with him he si progressing good going through there therapies.... well we have problems with his tantrums they are getting worst as days go by..... he is behind with his speech, social, cognitive and adaptive skills, on top of all that he has a high or non tolerance with pain in other words he cant feel any or little pain.... well advice for a family who is just starting out with autism and him being very young i am up to any advice or storys u can give me.... we laso have family who we are haveing a hard time for them to deal with this...... Hi everyone! My name is Karen and I have a wonderful son who has PDD. I really am thankful for this board and everyone that is here. I look forward to getting to know you all. My husband and I live in Minnesota and Austin is 3 years old. This all started for us when Austin was 18 months old. It truly has been a rollercoaster. I have dealt with family telling me that I am over reacting and there is nothing wrong with him to friends telling me I need to how to learn to parent and he wouldn't be this way. It has been frustrating but rewarding at the same time. Austin is currently going to our local school district 4 days a week for 3 hour classes for early intervention and I also take him to a private speech therapist on Saturdays. He has made so many improvements and is doing well. Again, I look forward to getting to know everyone! Karen, just wanted to tell you I totally understand about people telling you you're crazy, not parenting, etc. etc. i have had a similar experience w/my almost 5-yr-old son - not diagnosed with a particular label but I personally think he might be in the future. it is so frustrating to hear other people judging you and you think - why don't you try to walk in my shoes for a day! i have tried every bit of advice that is out there - and he does not conform or go along w/virtually any of it!! just had to tell you - i have been there - i understand!
Hi Karen Welcome to the board! Colombiamom is right! Remember - never ever let anyone tell you or imply that you're a bad parent!!! ASDs / PDDs have NOTHING to do with parenting. No matter what people say! Glad to hear Austin has made so many improvements, and I know you'll really love it here!
Hello everyone! My Name is Alli and I am a Mom to twin boys, 14 years old with one who has autism. I am curious to talk to people about having a late diagnosis. My son was diagnosed with mild to moderate MR when he was 5 along with AD/HD. Through the years I had a few people tell me that he had Autistic characteristics. I was finally sick of fighting with the school district to get him the help that he needed so I requested an independednt evaluation be done. They agreed and he was finally given the diagnosis of Autism at the age of 12. Has anyone gone through this? I feel some sort of resentment and anger towards all the doctors that have overlooked this (and there have been many). Alli Hello, what an awesome board!! I have some concerns about my son who is mason and he is 3 and half. Something kinda hit the other day like a ton of bricks. I have come to realize that something isn't clicking with my son. Take for instance it's almost like he cannot grasp basic skills. He is showing some aggresion,and now he is starting to bite. His temper tantrums are getting worse. He only interested in Thomas and the televison progam noggin..which is can memorize any of things in a heartbeat. He repeats himself all the time or something he has heard. He's always had a food texture issue..which i never understood..and he doesn't sleep much..unless he is very very exhausted. Things just seem to be getting worse. He's verbal skills have devolped in the past 6 months. But you cannot have a conversation with him..like if you ask him how school was..you have to prompt him. please help alicia
Alicia, what you're growing through with Mason is exactly like what we went through with Daniel who's 9yrs old now. When he was 3, the temper tantrums were VERY BAD. He was also interested in certain TV programmes only in a particular channel. Then, it was Hey Arnold from Nickelodeon. Later on it was Teen Titans from Cartoon Network and finally his current favourite, Thomas the Tank Engine. (It's called Thomas and Friends here) And what about the toys.... I'm sure a trip to the mall may be equally stressful when he starts to clamour for the Thomas trains!!! Oh! Daniel loved Noggin too !!! His repetitive speech, called echolalia is ever-present, even till now. BUT I'm sure your boy's verbal skills WILL DEVELOP... as mine did. True, they can't spontaneously describe to you the events in school but at least on prompting he can answer... THAT'S A GOOD START !!!! Pose a question on this Board and I'm sure there are many who can help you. Till another time... Ta Ta ... what type of autism does your son have. i'm new to this.
thanks alicia My boy has High-Functioning Autism or abbreviated as HFA in some posts you see... Autism really is a spectrum of presentations and high functioning/low functioning is used to differentiate those who are able to communicate better especially verbally. Yet, being HFA does not mean being better because they may be lacking in other aspects. On the other hand, low functioning may also present vast improvements in other areas of capabilities... You might want to throw this question in the Parents section... Hope this helps. hey everyone i'm a student doing a research project on autism and the effects it has on families. if anyone would be willing to talk to me and answer some questions it would be greatly appreciated. i'm particularly interested in talking to parents of children with autism and siblings of someone with autism whether it be a child teen or adult please pm me if you are interested in helping thank you Hello! I have 5 1/2 year old son that has been DX with SPD, OCD, Tourettes, Dyspraxia and ADHD... although, I'm convinced he is autistic - I believe its Aspergers. The neurologist made that DX the 2nd time he had seen him and he didn't even spend that much time with him. I am getting him re-evaluated but in the meantime, its good to know that I can come here to share my concerns and stories and really understands. I've already posted one problem I have under "Autism Education". Its titled "Long, but I need help!" I'm sure there will be more concerns or questions I have so I look forward to talking with you all more. Therri Hi welcome to the forum. My son is 13 nd his diagnosis is Aspergers, OCD, ADHD. He has been on Abilify since 11/06 and for the first time in years he is "stable" He still has his moments but they are few and far between.I've never heard of Abilify - but my son started taking Tenex in August 2007 right before starting kindergarten and he started taking Focalin in October 2007. Immediately, we saw changes with both of them. And we can definitely tell when he hasn't had his medicine. From what I've heard, Focalin is one of the more mild ADHD meds. Like Kathie (the mom who commented above), we still have our moments but they are nowhere near as bad as what we were dealing with before. Before he started the Focalin, he was coming home with notes from school almost every day. Once he started the Focalin, he started getting stars in his behavior folder every day. My husband and I still felt that maybe we weren't doing the right thing by putting him on meds so we tried an experiment and stopped giving his meds for a week to see how he would act and see if we had made the right decision. That week, notes home everyday. He went back on his meds the following Monday and he's had stars ever since. If your son is having trouble focusing in school, its definitely worth a try! Good Luck! And let me know how he does when he starts taking it. Hello everyone, This is my first day here on the site... My son age 7 is newly diagnosed with PDD - NOS. With traits of Autism, ocd, and adhd. We saw a child psych. on Tuesday of this week and she gave him rx for Abilify, and focalin. I would love any feedback from anyone with the same sitch. or good or bad dealings with these meds.
I am so happy to have found this site and hope that I can chat with some of you soon...
Bridget Hello, all. I am Jane, mom of Jake, a 13 year old with PDD-NOS. We are very proud of all of Jake's successes and strides. He is in mainstream classes, takes karate, fencing and guitar. I can't tell you tickled I am that those activities have finally replaced all the afternoons in speech, OT, movement therapy, music therapy, Tomatis, Fast For Word, socialization groups, you name it. He still has sensory issues and his speech is a little offbeat, but he is a different boy from the little guy was first diagnosed in 1996 who wouldn't speak or meet your eye. Being mom of an autistic child is not easy, but the rewards are amazing. Peace and love to all!G Girl
WELCOME WE ARE GALD TO HAVE YOU HERE. Hi, Lynnie.My son didn't talk until he had a bilateral myringotomy (tubes to drain fluid in his ears) when he was almost 4. He hadn't been speaking at all and then he said he a full sentence. After that, the doctors told me it would be "fun" to watch his progress. But he didn't acquire speech at the pace of a NT child. In fact, although he spoke at home a bit, in kindergarten, he didn't speak until after January of that school year. We did speech in school five days a week plus speech out of school four days a week. That made a big difference over time, but day to day the progress was subtle.(Also, Tomatis therapy in 3rd grade did a lot to bring out of his own little world and into ours.) By the end of first grade, they were removing him from the self-contained class and mainstreaming him into a regular class once a week for art. He participated in that class' graduation show--they pretended to be a centipede doing a kickline to "New York, New York." Anyone who knew Jake was in weeping with joy to see him participate, even the principal. His speech lags even now in terms of clarity and correct use of words, but if you get him on a topic he enjoys, he has plenty to talk about, particularly if the topics are rock and roll or video games. Also, kids on the spectrum use language differently, so he is sometimes poetic without meaning to be. As for the toilet training thing, that took a while. He trained by the end of kindergarten, but we found that changing his diet was key. He needed to cut down on juice and dairy to be able to control himself. The GI specialist recommended cutting juice with water and it made a big difference. We also started serving soy milk instead of regular milk. I know what you mean about your son being a beautiful soul. My son is sweet and kind and my husband and I used to dream of having a conversation with him. I would recommend getting your son as much speech therapy as possible. Also, Samonas therapy was helpful. (You listen to classical music through headphones.) As for school, our district is small and there is no self-contained program in the elementary school after second grade and none in middle school. All spec. ed kids are in in inclusion models. Happily, Jake rose to the occasion. He works hard, but he gets good grades and the routines that spectrum kids are known far serve him well in terms of budgeting time for studying. I am very proud of his hard work and success, but it really comes in baby steps. Be patient and stay strong, Jane
I am new to this board, but a veteran to the world of special needs. I have 3 children 18, 15 and 12. The 15 year old and 12 year old are both on the spectrum. Diagnoses and the school's special education system have take years off of my life, I am certain. It was a living nightmare. We are also a foster family. Currently have two children in our care ages 2 and the other is 7 months. We are beginning the process of having the 2 year old evaluated for ASD because she has been in EI since she has been 1 month old and has made slow progress yet things constantly come up that just can't be explained any other way. I'm here to ask tons of questions since it has been many years now since I went through this. I'm so glad to have found this sight. I have been lurking for a couple of nights and can sooooooooooooooo identify with so many of these stories. I look forward to the wisdom!!! WELCOME HOME EVERYONE WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE QUESTIONS, VENT, CRY, LAUGH DO WHAT EVER GETS YOU THROUGH.....
Hi. My name is Sunny and I have a 3 year old son that is quite a little fireball. LOL. Suns:) Hello Jane (toodycat)I am curious to hear about your son. My son, who is autistic, will be 5 in July and he still doesn't speak. How old was your son when he started talking? Did you have a hard time potty training him? My son is not potty trained either and it seems like it is never going to happen. He is such a beautiful soul. He does understand me when I talk with him. I just want to his his words. Did you ever think your son would be in a normal school setting? Anxious to hear from you. Lynnie Thanks Jane for writing back to me. How did you know that your son needed a bilateral myringotomy? Did your son hold his ears a lot? My son does that and sometimes he just starts crying like he is in pain and then stops just as sudden as it came on. I have taken him to the doctor's and sometimes he has ear infections and is treated with antibiotics. He totally flips out when I bring him anywhere he is not familiar with so it's been a struggle. Why did your son start talking afterwards? Did he not hear at all? Did he look at you when you called his name? We haven't had much luck with speech therapist. He is not seeing one at the current time because there are none available. Did you do certain speech techniques for him by yourself at home? What is Tomatis Therapy? Your son sounds like he has accomplished a lot!! You must be so proud of him! What age did your son go into kindergarten?Welcome to the board to all of the newbies! Now that you've introduced yourself - bring some of those questions to the open board. A lot of us "older" members don't check this thread as often as we probably should. But, we do check other posts a lot! And there are a lot of other people here who have great advice, experience and support to share! Again, welcome to the board - looking forward to hearing more of your stories. Hi, Lynnie.Jake had a bilateral myringotomy after countless ear infections. His pediatrician was all about "going with the flow" but when I took him to an ENT specialist, he said Jake's ears were filled with fluid and that he couldn't really hear properly. And, yes,Jake did cover his ears and pull on them a lot as a toddler and he often didn't turn around when you called him. After the surgery, the doctor told us Jake had been practically deaf because of the fluid which, of course, explained a lot about his delayed speech. On the way home from the hospital, Jake's reactions showed us that he had never heard brakes, horns, sirens or planes before. He was a little freaked out by all the new noise. Then, as we were about to sit down to lunch that same day, our cat jumped on the table. I said, "Claudius, get down!" and Jake said, "Claudius, get down!" It was his first sentence EVER. I would definitely get your son a hearing test and have an ENT check for chronic fluid, too. Even when a kid doesn't have an active ear infection, their hearing can be impaired by leftover fluid. I was always able to get speech for Jake via early intervention, special ed or my health insurance. Did you check to see if you can get your insurer to cover it? Sometimes that works when the school district isn't up to the task. Tomatis therapy was a big undertaking. We had to do six weeks of it in total for 2 hours a day after school and it was about an hour and a half away in Manhattan. Kids listen to Mozart with special head phones and do certain OT type exercises at the same time. (It is ridiculously expensive, but I have generous parents.) I don't really know how to explain why it worked, but it made Jake more conscious of his surroundings. He would make more comments about his environment and not be in his "shell" so much. Our developmental pediatrician calls Tomatis "the big guns." Must go help with homework now. Jake just got a bad grade on a social studies open book test because he didn't use his notes, even though it was an open book test. Ah, the unpredictability of the ASD child! Jane Hello, so happy to have found this forum because it is just comforting to know how many other parents are going through the same thing, it is unbelievable how many little ones are afflicted. I am the mother of beautiful 2 1/2 year old little girl. Peyton was born 3 months early, severly jaundiced, 2 lbs, tear in her lung, chronic lung disease and valve that was not connected in her heart. My little fighter made it through, everything " corrected itself" and she was released from the NICU two months later. She has always been a happy, mellow little girl, she does have mild Cerebral Palsy so she was late at everything. She was diagnosed early with global delays and CP, so she has been getting therapy for speech, OT, and Physical since she turned one. She started a Pre-K program for children with delays and learning disabilities this year and has made alot of progress. But for the past year I noticed numerous signs that she was probably Autistic but could not get anyone to believe it was anything other than delays from CP and Sensory Intergration issues. She has always fixated on certain things, rocks, spinning toys and lids, shadows, lights on toys, shiny CDs, water and sand, and although she does interact with us and has good eye contact, when she is fixated she is pretty much lost in her world and does not respond to us unless we get right in her face. She has never developed any speech, except for babbling and every once in awhile you hear something that sounds like DaDa and Mmmm for mama. Up until Thanksgiving of last year, she was a horrible sleeper, usually up 7-8 times a night, ugggh, finally we decided to put her in a twin bed and started off slowly in our room, now she sleeps all night in her own bed and room. She also is a picky eater, especially when she started to feed herself, took a long time since she has alot of tactile issues. Her new Neuro Ped told me " I just want to watch her play" at our last appt, and finally someone saw what I have been seeing for the past year. Peyton was so wrapped up in flicking her shoe up and down and obsessing about a CD that she didn't notice anyone had even entered the room until 25 minutes into the appt. Her doctor said I think we need to have her tested for Autism. I knew it was coming but it certainly hasn't made it any easier. Instantly I felt a huge dark cloud looming over our home and family, I feel it every night I go to bed and every morning I wake up. I have started her on the diet, she is seeing a DAN doctor, and I have signed up for ABA training, and of course she has been getting therapy for the past year and will continue, I may have to increase her sessions though. So, I am hoping for the best like all the other parents, trying not to let the fear take over so much that I can't think clearly.... I just wish for one week I could really enjoy my baby without constantly worrying what the future holds, I have never been able to do that since the day she was born... but I am blessed with this little angel who I love more than life itself, she is alive and happy.... Thank you for listening and wishing all the parents the best of luck and happiness!!!
yet I see her suffer in school and at home where she some times does "wild " behviour and has uncontrolable rages , she wants to join groups of young adolocents and make freinds , my daughters plight and saddness is terrible for me , I have read about the Chellation cures & Epsom salt / vitamin c etc could you help and guide me mehernosh Shroff Dear Mellissa, How dare your family call your beautiful son a demon!  That is such a hurtful thing to say and so untrue! He is an innocent child that did not choose to be born with Autism, that is just who he is. Children and adults with Autism are extraordinary people. There is a reason that he is part of your life and reasons that you are in his life. We come into each other's lives because we have something to teach and/ or something to learn. Even though Jacob may not speak, he is sharing with you, and you are learning truly valuable lessons by sharing your love with him. He is aware and though he may perceive the world differently than you or I, he is an integral part of it. He brings important things to each and everyday. Maybe you are suppose to share the lessons that you learn from him. Maybe you are his interpreter for others to experience a greater understanding. Maybe he is the one who will teach you who you are. We live in a world where so many can talk so easily and so so little, this is an opportunity to hear someone who means the world to. I too have a son who will be 5 in July and does not speak. He signs alittle and uses some pecs cards. He will probably never be on his own but he brings me great joy and love. I have had him on everything and tried everything too. He learns things and loses what he learns also but you must not let that get you down. Enjoy who your son is and don't worry so much over the little stuff. I know it's difficult but life is practice, when we can embrace all the parts, we grow. ds will be 9 at the beginning of June, is high-functioning autistic, has verbal apraxia and SID, is homeschooled, sees a pediatrician and psychiatrist regularly. Current medication: Strattera (helps a LOT with focus and concentration) and Melatonin (for help falling and staying asleep...it's a natural supplement)
Look forward to sharing experiences and learning with all of you. We are a family in the southwest suburbs of Illinois. We are a foster family with two beautiful foster daughters and we also have 3 wonderful biological children. My middle son was dx'd with Aspergers (by a neuropsych) after years of total frustration with the school system. I'm sure many of you can relate. After proper diagnosis and specific intervention, he is doing well in high school. No extra services needed and he has learned to adequately cope. But those behaviors are still there. But you wouldn't know it unless you spent a great deal of time with him now. Now our 2 year old foster daughter is in the process of a dx. We have known things weren't right from the time we got her. Starting the roller coaster all over again and realizing I'm just too old and tired for the baloney of trying to get a straight answer. I'm here because I never found this sort of specific support when we went through this with my son many years ago. I'm so glad to be here!!!Meant to say, southwest suburbs of Chicago. Hello, I am new AS. My 2 1/2 year old has been delayed since he was an infant. He has been in the EI program for 6 months now with little verbal progress. He only has about 5 single words. We finally got our Neurology consult and saw him yesterday. He said that Drew has AS and PDD. We are awaiting testing for other possible problems. We never even considered that Drew would have AS or PDD because he is pretty social and his eye contact is okay. But he falls into the spectrum because of other issues...including his delays in speech and gross motor. I will know more about my sons dx after his MRI, genetic testing and swallow study have been done. We will see the neurologist again to discuss the test results and what is next. I just wanted to say hello and tell you all that I am so thankful for a place to come and just talk about Drew's issues. Hi, I live in Arizona and have a 3 year old boy who I believe is somewhere on the autistic spectrum. He hasn't officially been diagnosed yet but he has a lot of autistic traits & behaviors. He has had hyptonia & sensory integration disorder since he was an infant. We've gotten early intervention involved since he was about 15 months and he's made a lot of progress since then but still has a long way to go. His biggest delay right now is his talking, he may have verbal apraxia as well. He's a very happy kid but it's been a tough road so far. He's in special ed preschool and it's been helping. I was told about this website and I'm looking forward to learning more about my son. Hi, I live in Louisiana and have an 18 yr old, 2 yr old, and 4 mo old, all girls! My 2 yr old was dx with PDD on the 3rd of this month. She has curly light brown hair and beautiful blue eyes that light up my soul! I also live in a small town with very limited resources( as in none right now) and so I'm doing the best I can. I read what I can and look for dvd's to show me how to do things. Allie is non-verbal so right now I'm looking into pecs to see if that might help. Anyway, glad there's places like this to go to. I get pretty overwhelmed alot and my husband is kind of in the denial stage. Thanks for being here! My name is Amanda. I have 2 children Logan is 6 and affected
by autism, he was diagnosed at 4. Presley just turned 1 and so far there are no signs of asd, but I am Hi, I'm Meg, mom to 4 kids. My son Elijah is 5 and almost a half and has PDD-NOS..he was diagnosed at 3yr 8 months. He's an utterly gorgeous and sweet little guy and we adore him. He goes to a special needs preschool right now and will start with a special kindergarten in the fall. His school here in gainesville, florida is really terrific and we're very pleased with the programming he gets there. We also do RDI therapy with him, and we call it our miracle therapy. Eli has done the most and improved the most with this therapy program. We are thrilled with it and though we struggle to pay for it, it's worth every penny. Lastly he is GF/CF..this is medically necessary as he is completely intolerant to both of these things..he's been on the diet since he was 3y old and no end or healing in sight so I imagine he'll be staying on it indefinitely. I'm going to look around and get comfortable now..:D
Hi, My name is Harriet. I have a five year old son, Ravi, who is severely autistic. I also have a three year old daughter, Stirling, who is not on the spectrum. I have been lurking here for a few months and finally got up my nerve to register. It's nice to know I am not alone in the world.
Welcome Harriet, and other newbies!
HI MELLISSA15, I READ MY INITIAL EMAIL THAT I WROTE YOU AND FOUND A TYPO, I DIDN'T WANTED TO SAY (We live in a world where so many can talk so easily and so so little) I WANTED TO SAY WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE SO MANY CAN TALK SO EASILY AND SAY SO LITTLE. PEOPLE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND AND DON'T SUPPORT PARENTS WITH CHILDREN WITH AUTISM ARE IGNORANT. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE GO THROUGH IN A DAY AND WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR DREAMS FOR OUR CHILDREN. IT'S A STRUGGLE, FAMILY AND FRIENDS SHOULD BE WITH US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. IF THEY HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY THAN THEY SHOULD SAY NOTHING AT ALL. I HOPE SOMEDAY THEY WILL COME AROUND FOR YOU AND YOUR SON. YOUR NOT ALONE THOUGH, YOU HAVE ALL OF US!! Hi, i can't believe i have not found this place earlier, i have 2 sons that have moderate pdd and as we live rurally, find it extremely hard at time as even our daycare center cannot get the funding to accomadate my three year old, my five year old started prep this year and is having a lot of ups and downs alot to do with the teachers having to learn how to accomadate my child Knowing you a not alone in the world makes a difference, nat
hi my name is Catherine and my son is servely autistic. we are happy with our public school autism program. i am really interested in the question "meljako" asked. how do other people feel about jenny McCarthy? is there another thread on here which people are discussing this topic? i don't know too may other moms of autistics and i'd like other veiw points.
catherine
Well, I went to go see a woman speak about how those shots and the CF/GF (basically everything McCarthy did) recovered her son. I am very happy for the families this method helps... I hope that their recoveries are indeed permant for thses childrens and families sakes...... But I have to wonder were they autistic at all....Or did the have a disorder that represents itself as autistic like behaviors. I hate to poo-poo their efforts. But I must say it doesn't recover every kid.... (my son went to a school for autistic childern and almost all the kids were on these strict regimines, and they were all still autistic, and all had the same behaviors) none of them had recovered. We have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars seeing that kind of "special doctor" that gives the same treatments, and we asked how many kids had been recovered and she said very few b/c the parents cheat on the regimine so its not effective...... We left very upset, it was convienent to blame failed methods on the parents so they can stay in business and continue to give false hope. But hey they DO help some kids and i'm thanful for that. ummmm, didn't mean to sound so jaded there ;) I do continuely pray for families effected by autism recovered or not. every special needs family can get all the help they need ;)
Catherine Hello Mellissa, Have you been able to get Social Security for your son? I called and they told me that we wouldn't qualify. We have 5 children, Allan being the only boy and youngest, and it's hard with everything that goes with raising children. What did you do to get help? Thanks, Lynne Hi Catherine,I do agree with the shots and cfgf diet,and you are right it doesn't work for everyone.My son has been on this diet now for over 2 months and I have yet to see a change.My son has not been through cellation though because not everyone can request this.He had lead poisoning with levels of 27 and they still wouln't do this for him,and I do believe that if you are to go on this diet your body needs to be detoxified,but again the won't do this for everyone.I think that everyone should have the chance to try these things and not have to have the money to do so. Hi Lynnie, I am recieving social security.You should be able to get it by just applying and showing doctor records.It does take a few months.If you don't qualify then try again,because they usually take you the second time,it does take a few months to get,but it is worth it.Mellissa, Do you file for it on line or do they send you something? Do you ask for a certain package? thnx, lynne Mellissa, Is it based on you and your husband's income? I think that is what someone told me once. Have you applied for Medicare too? Katy Beckett? Mellissa, Celexa (6mls in the AM) worked for several years to get him to where he wasn't bouncing off of walls, hurting himself or others or even property. We JUST took him off of Celexa aka citalopram cold turkey almost a week ago. J's been very physically aggressive towards mostly me, but his dad, too. At almost 9 years old and 109 pounds he's stronger than I am now and that scares me. Moved from KY to FL about 8 months ago and found a pediatric psychiatrist and J's on Strattera (60 whatevers each AM) and it helps him focus. He takes Melatonin (5 whatevers) about 7-7:30Pm and we ask that he has lights out by 8pm. He sleeps through the night with that. Although there are times when the Melatonin seems to STOP working so we take him off of it for about a week then start back at the 3 whatevers dose. Justin was put on depakote at one point...he ended up smashing his head, repeatedly, on concrete, walls, me, tables, anything he could..VERY self-injurious behavior...stopped it. J used to take Risperdal/Risperdone at night for sleep...otherwise he'd sleep 2 hours (after taking HOURS to fall asleep) and be up for the day at 2am. (this mama needs a good 8-10 hours of sleep to function well!). HTH!
[QUOTE=Mellissa15] [/QUOTE] In my humble opinion, I don't think the GF/CF or Feingold or other diets will work with just any child...but if your child shows signs healthwise that he needs this diet it will work. My son is still autistic and will probably always be, but his gut healed and he started growing again and he got much healthier when we did the diet (we still do) and he had warning signs like gut issues and so forth. If your child has a medical reason for doing the diet, DO it. Otherwise, don't expect miracles for anything..you have to try things when you can and hope. For us, RDI has been the miracle. It has given us our son back. Yes, he is still moderately autistic and has a long road to go, but he is with us. He is standing here right next to me right now asking to get into my lap. He is WITH me, you know? I have virtually no behavioral problems any more either because now that he desires to be with me and DH all the time, he also listens to us. If I give him a command like stop or stay or whatever, he listens. 1 year ago he did not listen. He was not present, and he was constantly escaping the house. It was a very scary time..and I felt helpless and lost and school and OT and ST did nothing. We tried B12 too. Nothing. I think you really just have to try whatever therapy you can to see what works because all of our kids are so different. For us and Eli it is RDI and a good school program :D Hello Mellissa, Your Doctor is giving you wrong info. He doesn't have hard stools because he has gut issues not because he eats so many fruits and veggies. If you heal the gut, colon, intestines, etc than you will see a huge difference. I thought that too at one time because my little guy never had hard stools but when I brought him to his DAN Doctor he said that isn't true and went into what I just told you but in a lot more dept. He put him on UNDA products and a really good probiotic and his little tummy has pretty much healed. He finally had solid stools. Occasionally he will have a soft poop but nothing like before. Do you give your son Cod liver oil? That is really good for him too. Talk soon, Lynne Megmama, what is RDI? Hi Lynnie,Thank you for your input.I never tried cod liver oil,but now I deffinetly will . What are UNDA products?I know he has gut issues I tell his doctor all the time.The DAN doctors are alot of money and I don't work,they are not covered under my insurance.If you have any other options,I would love to hear them.Thanks!Hello Mellissa,Do you have a regular email address, I can send you some stuff. If you don't want to post it I will give you mine. Lynne Hi, RDI, is Relationship Development Intervention, a therapy program which has the parents doing the therapy. It is not very different than Floortime except it is parent led and not child-led. Basically, the idea is to go back in the child's development and fill in the developmental holes and help them grow socially and relationally. If you want more information on this, I suggest the main website: www.rdiconnect.com We are in florida and use these consultants who also have a wealth of information on their website and a link to the TV spot we did locally: www.florida-autism.com lYNNIE i FORGOT TO ANSWER YOU BACK ABOUT SOCIAL SECURIT AND YOUR FRIEND IS RIGHT THEY DO GO BY INCOME.I DON'T WORK AND JACOBS DAD DOES.
Hi Everyone Our son is eight years old has PDD and we found out in late October 2007...meanwhile he was diagnosed with so many other types of issues that sometimes I feel we wasted five years trying to find out exactly what it was and how to help him. We were so upset with the previous doctors for not recognizing all the "RED Flags" giving him the wrong dia., wrong medicines and acting like they could not find an answer for all of his issues...then the light appeared and our doctor this time a Neuropsychiatrist, and just a wonderful and compassionate man...we just LOVE him. So here we are. Dmitry is getting better every day. He is very high functioning and requires one on one attention. Since I am not working at this time I have the most blessed job imaginable. I get to see Dmitry off every morning at the bus stop for school and meet him every afternoon. Unfortunately we have not been able to collect SS for him and based on all the comments I have viewed online, I will be going to their office in Orlando Tuesday to try again. It has been tough financially and now I am faced with the need to go back to work. Anyone from the Winter Park/Casselberry/Longwood area know of an after school care program I can enroll him in when I do get another job? Our special kids need an understanding and helpful organization to work with us, we have not been able to find one yet. Melissa, did Jacob go to a school in Sanford? If so, I think we have met on a few occassions, if not, I just love your input here. Everyone has had something really valuable to contribute. Sometimes I just feel so lost, most people just do not understand our children and are really quick to jump to conclusions. Our family has said many "stupid" things about what we go through and what we should be doing. Or my cousin whom I do not speak to since she made this comment, you have been working on his behavior for years, nothing is going to work with him, give up. I would love to hear from anyone that has any recommendations. Thank you, Cindy Hi, my name is Leasa. Mother of three boys, Bryce, Evan & Ayden. Bryce (11) and Evan (4) are brilliant. They could both read at very early ages and are very musically talented. It took me a really long time to get my youngest son Ayden (3 and also brilliant) diagnosed. Even though there were a ton of signs, I found (and still find) many of his autistic traits refreshing. After having two boys that talked so much and needed me to pay attention to their every whim, I loved that Ayden could occupy his self and was quiet. As a baby, he could bounce in his Johnny Jumper for hours. I was so busy with my other two, I let him. Sometimes he would just bounce himself to sleep. He is very active. Most of the time he is running, swinging or climbing. I always say that when he grows up, he will probably climb mountains. He was diagnosed with Autism at 2 years 10 months. We started out on this journey doing a Son-Rise program. It was helpful in building such a strong bond, but after reading the book, Let Me Hear Your Voice by Catherine Maurice a few weeks ago I have just changed my program to have more of an ABA approach. We are one week in and I am so excited about the major accomplishments I've seen. I love reading the boards. I don't know any other parents with autistic children, so I like reading about others who understand the difficulties I face. I would love to know if anyone knows of any D.A.N docs in Mid-Michigan. Thanks, Leasa Hi,Leasa, My son Jacob is also into music.We can also relate to the running and climbing,he is very active.What is a son-rise program?Are all 3 of your boys on the spectrum?I agree with the brilliance of all of our kids,they are so smart.Jacob is 4 he cannt read or speak,but is great at matching,puzzles and piano playing. Cindy,Hi.I can relate to people saying things all the time.My family can say hurtful things to me.These kids are so innocent.Its funny because sometimes I wish I can be like them,not talk to anyone and just not care about the world around me.Jacob did not go to Sanford,but he did go to school in FL and in CT.We live in Naugatuck,CT.Hi Melissa, Thanks for the reply. Only my youngest son is on the spectrum. You can find out about Son-Rise at my website. www.aydensworld.com. It definately has some benefits. However, now that my son is so bonded with us, we want to challange him more. That is why I am doing ABA now with a lot of the principles I learned from Son-Rise. He acually enjoys the interaction and praise. Thanks, Leasa Melissa, I am happy to hear that. They recently did some webinars that are interesting to watch. I disagree with some of the ideas. I believe that with each child being so different, that different techniques need to be used to help them. So for me, Son-Rise is not the best and ABA is not the best. The combination of principles seem to be really helping my son. He is on fire this week. It seems that he has learned more last week than the last 6 months. Such a wonderful time for us. I loved the books by Barry Kaufman. I found them right after our diagnosis and it totally changed my views. I started off devastated and after reading the books and going out to MA for the startup, my husband and I were so happy. The book "Happiness is a Choice" revolutionized my whole way of thinking. I still occationally forget everything I learned and get really depressed when I have a hard day chasing my son, but in general, I am happy with how everything is progressing for us. The best thing I learned from them, is that there is no such thing as false hope. Let me know what you think if you read any of Barry Kaufmans books or watch the webinars. Hi Leasa,Jacob is like a puzzle,hes hard to figure out,not only for me but for the doctors,therapists and teacher.This is why we try new things all the time,they work at the begining then I think he figures it out and is not intrested any more.He can only sit for 3 minutes,then has to run or do something physical.I will deffinetly give son-rise a chance and tell his therapists,but hes had ABA for a few years now and like you said it doesn't work for everyone but were still trying and hopefully one day he will come out of it.Jacob is very attached to me and I feel that I am the only person that can make him come out of it,because he is affectionate twards me and noone else,this makes me feel special.Now Jacob is on medication to help calm him but I think it makes him worse and tomorrow we go and see his nuerologist and I am gonna ask him to stop all meds and figure something else out.Anyway,I haven't read any books by Kaufman but I have heard of him.I read books by William Stillman, Chantal Sicile-Kira and just recently read Jenny Mcarthy's book. I have read the books and LOVE them and I also saw the movie when I was young, I think it came out in the late 80's, and it was very good as I remember it. Of course back then I had no clue I would someday have a son with autism but I found it to impact my life, even then, I suppose God knew what was in store for me. You can get the movie, as a lone, from the Option Institute as it was never released on video or DVD for the public. There is a rental fee that is returned when the movie is returned. I have heard this but I haven't had a chance to contact them to get it so I don't know the particulars. Welcome to all the newbies!! Merry
Mellissa http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079933/ is a link that talks about the movie. Mellissa, your son sounds so much like mine. I feel like I am the only person that can do the work sometimes. He is such a mamas boy. I acually get angry with my husband sometimes because his two hour session turns into 20 minutes of my son trying to get away from him. I need a break, but I can understand how frustrating it must be working with a child who won't cooperate. For me he is an angel. He isn't very receptive to food rewards but loves me to make silly faces and sounds. So everytime he completes a task I have to stick my tongue out and be silly to make him laugh. When we are not working he is all over the place. Forget about cleaning the house or having window coverings. My parents lovingly call him their little tyrrant. My house is Ayden proofed, so it only becomes a problem outside when he runs for the road. A few weeks ago he was about a foot from getting hit by a car. It sent me into a three day depression that was only highlighted by having to call 911 when he choked on a toy. Luckily I was present enough to realize that my depression was self defeating and got back to work. We had a stellar week and I am so excited about the progress. Leasa I was wondering has anyone tried Homeopathic remedies? May God Give you great strength , please keep on Praying " thank you God for healing jacob " when ever my own child has tantrums i and my wife pray " God thank you for healing Nicole" we say it with all our might and mental strenght and the Nicole Calms down right now we are using Vitamin C and Espom salt applicaitons on the body , there has been a slight improvement please keep on praying and keep positive attitude Mehernoss Shroff Mehernoss,You and your wife are So on the right track with what you believe in and doing. If only other's would have as much faith. There is something here bigger than we can comprehend. These children are sent here to teach us not to burden us; they are angles in disguise. :) Mellissa....beautifully said.......
HI LYNNIE,I HAVEN'T HEARD OF ANY HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES BUT AM INTRESTED IF YOU GET ANY FEEDBACK.I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW THINGS TO TRY.THANK YOU
[QUOTE=LYNNIE]I was wondering has anyone tried Homeopathic remedies? read 'impossible cure' and had some good results but too expensiveand drained all my resources I have read the book and it's very good. My son Allan is currently on homeopathic remedies and I was wondering if anyone else has tried it. We are still working on the right remedy for him but he does seem to be more clearer. It's a slow process but if you hit it right it can produce wonderful results to the point of a cure. I have been in contact with a women (she's a total sweetheart) who brought her son out of his autistic world and lost his diagnosis with this. She's been helping me a great deal. You can read all about her son's journey on her website. http://www.recoveredfromautism.comMellisa, you said you couldn't find a DAN Doctor because of insurance reasons. I too was in the same boat but finally found one close to my area that does take insurance. Keep calling all the ones around you and ask if they know of anyone if they don't take insurance. You can check out my Doctor at: southernmaineintegrativehealth.com Maybe you can send him an email and ask if he knows of any DAN Doctors in your area.
Hi everyone my name is Tina i am 28yrs and mum to 2 beautiful children. My eldest Jayden who turns 5 in a few days is on the spectrum, he is non verbal at the moment we are confident he will become verbal. I also have a baby girl who is almost 4 months, so i am still figuring out how to balance 2 kids. We live in a small country town with limited services and very little family support, so we struggle with meeting his needs, we do the best we can with what we have. Like all families we have ups and downs, trials and tribulations, good and bad days, but all in all hes a pretty good kid, hes happy most of the time although meltdowns have recently started and we are still learning what triggers these and what to do about them. "look on the bright side of life" thats my motto.... hes healthy and making progress everyday. So I'm a newb... I don't know where to start, what to do?? He is in speech therapy already, and developmental therapy also.. We will soon be starting behavioral therapy too.. anywho, we are in ontario, canada. Hi Everyone. I found this message board yesterday and wanted to introduce myself. My son is 20mths old and the doctors have said he is on the ASD spectrum. They are mentioning PDD to me too which I know is on the spectrum but as you can tell I am still baffled by all the terms! He has started speech therapy as he has never really spoken other than babbling. He was saying Mama at 12 mths but then it dissappeared. He is also getting OT once a month for SPD. I am putting a brave face on for the rest of the world but inside I am one minute upset, next scared of the future and then ok again. I love my son so much and as long as he is happy then I am. I don't really have much else to say except I will keep reading all the posts and its great to find a place where people will understand me. Hi, my name is Jo, I found this Board through a Google search on researching for a court case I'm working on for my kids about the TEACCH Program. I'll be upfront I'm not a big fan of TEACCH because of the way improper the school district is using it. My kids! I could write a book on my son Don alone! The short story is that he was finally diagnosied about four years ago when he was in 8th grade going into 9th. He is now going to graduate from HS and we are hoping that he is going to go to Chapel Haven in CT. My little diva, Rachel was diagnoised right around that 4 years ago also is now 14. Both of them were first diagnoised with speech problems early on. When I'm not dealing with school issues I like relax with my goldfish tanks.
Hi, I have two beautiful daughters. The eldest has just turned 9 and has also just been given the label at an IEP at the school last week as a high functioning autistic with possible aspergers. The youngest is 3 and seems to developing normally just has her big sister had been at that age. My husband is terminal with pancreatic cancer and although still living with us, he and I have been estranged for just over a year now (long story and not the topic of this message board). Anyway, he was our eldests primary care giver until she was eight. She was six at the time of his initial diagnosis when her behaviors seemed to immediately become more apparent and pronounced. I find myself overwhelmed and really not able to cope well with all that is going on. I really want to do right by her and am really glad to find this additional resource. Hello. I have 2 children on the spectrum. My daughter (9 -- soon to be 10) was diagnosed with mild PDD-NOS in kindergarten, and my son (5) was just diagnosed with mild Asperger's this month. My daughter is very creative and loves to tell, write, and illustrate stories. My son is the family math wiz. Welcome EVERYONE!! My son hasn't been diagnosed with any disorder yet but I believe he has an autism spectrum disorder. He is 20 years old and had an IEP through out his schooling. He didn't graduate but has passed one of the tests for his GED. He is a genius with computer graphics and makes awesome 3D images on his computer, spending hours creating his pictures. He was diagnosed with a learning disability at the age of 2 but the diagnosis was never refined to anything particular. He is high functioning but struggles with some basic personal skills such as daily living skills. His physical features are different than the rest of the family. His eyes are deep set and he has a long slender face, hands and feet. His voice sounds as if he is in a tunnel. He is extremely lovable because he wants to please people and he does things that make him endearing. He has a drivers license but can't find his way around town except to places he is familiar with. He worked for almost a year for a computer place where he transferred pictures from movies to computer CD's but he got in an argument with the owner when he wasn't able to work fast enough and he was let go.
My problem is how to approach him about seeing if we can get further tests to see if we can get him help. My fear is what happens to him if something happened to my husband and I or even in old age when we die. He isn't capable of living on his own at this point and I'm not sure he ever will be. I don't believe he even has that desire. That is why I want him to be tested. If it weren't for those fears of mine I would just continue to work with him on daily living skills and perhaps buy enough insurance so that he would have money the rest of his life. Perhaps even talk to his siblings about who would take care of him if something happened to us. Im new to this board, just stopping in to say hi.Hello! I am new to this journey and am humbled by the strenght and hope I have observed by the parents who post here. I hope I can stay as strong. I have three children - two NT girls 11 and 9. And a DS who has a DX of PDD NOS. He will turn 2 next month. We are scheduled to go back for testing in July - when it is possible we will receive a DX of Autism. It seems ironic to me that everone advocates early intervention when in reality it is very hard to find people who can work with a baby younger than 2! Howdy from Wyoming!
My name is John and I am a daddy to a wonder/energetic/loving little eight year old boy who is living with autism. I am really happy to have found this forum, and am looking forward to meeting many of you.
johnbigjohn.com Hi Everyone,My name is Mellissa and I have a 4 yar old son,Jacob,who was diagnosed with autism at 15 months.He is very happy and has been through alot.He is nonverbal and tries to use sign language and pictures,but gets confused and fustrated easily.He is very attatched to me and I can't ever leave him with anyone,it is very tramatic for him.At times he is happy at one minute and sad or screaming the next,I just can't understand why.My family doesn't really understand anything and try to tell me things like hes crazy,hes a demon,and so I can't really listen to them,even though I try and bring him around as much as I can,and I just block everything the say out.So I am looking for people that can relate and want to give me advice.I've tried different medications,diets,vitamins,therapies since the age of 15 months and he progresses the looses all that was taught.I want to ask if anyone has any advice on getting him to talk,I know he can ,he makes lots of sounds.I would love to talk to moms with similar stories..Its nice to be on this site. Hello, I am new here. My name is Jessie and I have a 3 year old son named Gabe. Gabe was just dx'd with AS/PDD last Tuesday. It did not come as a huge shocker. Gabe has been in therapy for almost 10mo now for apraxia of speech and sensory issues. He does not have any significant gross motor delays but seems to get tired with some fine motor controll things, like turning pages in a book. His social skills are lagging and we are going to be starting him in a social speech class to help him gain better social skills with kids. He does engage adults and some children but is not consistant. I am very excited that a friend pointed this forum out. Wow there is a lot of great info on here. Howdy. My husband and I have two beautiful little boys. Our oldest, Jackson, diagnosed with autism last spring. He's 4 now. His little brother, Noah, is two and NT.I've found that having a little brother has been one of the best things to happen to my ASD son. He naturally avoids playing with other children, but his baby brother REFUSES to be ignored, by anyone. He seems to have drawn out his big brother, and they actually play together some times. They mostly fight over toys, but hey, it's interaction! Hi, I'm a 25-year-old teacher of high school students in the Moderate to severe autism range. I also teach a daily social skills class to HFA and Asperger's kids. My main interests and knowledge is in: instruction, behavior modification, and mainstreaming (educational issues). I also dabble in social skills instruction and communication skills development, but I have to run everything by my speech pathologist because she is far better educated in that arena than I am. I am amazed by this world of Autism. The professionals, the families, and the amazing kids fill each and every school day with a fun, excitement, and inspiration. I enjoy this world so much, that I want to do everything I can to constantly make it better for everybody who has the unique and exciting opportunity to be a part of it! Hello Im creating a piece of graphic design based on the learning of the alphabet with autistic children. Any help appreciated! (I started a topic on the educational thread) adz Hello, I'm new to the board. I've been reading & thank you all for taking time to post...I feel blessed knowing I'm not alone and there is help out there. I'm Kim, an at home Army wife and Mom. We are currently stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. I have 2 wonderful boys....Jacob 6yr dx--Autism/ADHD...and Joshua 2yrs dx--developmental delay, red flagged possible Autism. Jacob was only officially diagnosed in Nov. 2007. Each day I try to learn a little more. Joshua was referred to ECI at 18mos. This one totally turned me for a loop....not only did I have one child with problems...but yet another. I know I can't set around and worry...I've gotta stay strong for my boys. They are my life and have been since birth. Thanks again to everyone for their posts! Melissa, I can so relate about the depression. I pray and read my bible and try to keep the faith. I can stay so positive and focused and then all of a sudden I will burst into tears over something little. Usually when I try to be normal and do normal things and I realize I can't. For my anniversary, I got a room at a hotel near home for my husband and I. I thought we could take the boys swimming at the hotel then take them home and have the night to ourselves. My son had a melt down and all of a sudden decided he wouldn't swim. He just screamed (normally he loves the pool) So I took him into the hotel room and he was pulling leaves off the fake trees, jumping on the glass endtable, etc, etc. This little trip sent me into a week long depression. I always bounce back, because I know staying in that place won't help either of us. On the other hand, I think it is completely o.k. to grieve the loss of normal from time to time. We all love our children and they are wonderful and perfect in the way that God made them, but none of us chose this new life we have.
OMG! You just described my son Jake! He turns 9 this weekend. He was born 7 weeks early, did the EI until 3, held him back in kindergarten as his language was severally limited. He's never shown any CP like symptoms, but everything else you describe is spot on! TV Cartoons, limited focus (put him on ADHD medication for school), no appetite when on meds, picks his fingers when on meds. When asked questions, rarely answers & changes the subject constantly. Although does not have accidents, I have to beg him to go to the bathroom (he waits until the very end I suppose!). He has no close friends and migrates to younger kids due to his verbal limitations. He gets attached and absored in a few tangible items. After initially being diagnosed with ADHD, we were not happy in that we KNEW there was much more to it. Someone that met him ONCE suggested he could be PDD-NOS and We recently had him professionally assessed. Sure enough, he was dx as PDD-NOS. I could write so much more, but I'm pretty sure they'd mimic your son Luke! Hi! I am the mother of a 9 year old boy who was born at 26 weeks weighing just 1 pound 6 ounces. He has been given the diagnosis of PDD-NOS, dyslexia, Combined type ADHD, Has mild spastic diplegic CP. We had him in the local early intervention program pretty much from the time we brought him home from the NICU until he aged out at 5 and was mainstreamed into the local school district kindergarten. We had him in school from kindergarten through 2nd grade with PT,OT, ST and para support. During his 2nd grade year I really did not feel like he was excelling like before and the teacher was just pushing him through whether he was getting the lesson or not. We had him medicated for the ADHD so they could have some control over him in school. During his IEP last year for this year they started pulling away with his services for PT, OT, and ST for his 3rd grade year. They assigned his para with 5 ADHD kids and she did her best just keeping these kids quiet and in their seats during class. My husband and I researched other options and decided this year to homeschool Luke. I do good by getting him to sit and work on lessons for an hour to 2 hours a day. I loose him after that and we cannot get anything done. I have decided not to stress over this and teach him at his pace and if it takes 2 years to do 3rd grade then we will do that. He is a very loving child, but he has trouble developing friendships that keep. He really can care less if he has other kids around to play with. He is in his own little world most of the time. He loves the computer and video games and several cartoons on cable. We thought we had him toilet trained last year and he has regressed back to having accidents and not taking the time to stop and listen to his body and go to the bathroom when he needs to. I gave up on real underwear and have him back in pull-ups most of the time. When we try to explain the reason we do things the way we are doing them he really doesnt hear a word of it. He has this stare that goes right through you and he quickly changes the subject. He does not like loud noises however he turns the TV up to the highest volume level. I dont understand that one? Anyway this is just a snip of our lives and I am just looking for some support in this. Oh and the ADHD meds only made him not eat and he felt like bugs were crawling all over him so when we brought him home to homeschool we have been trying not medicating him. Which accounts for the shorter attention span but if it doesnt make him feel like bugs are crawling on him and he eats thats a better toss up?Thanks Momtoluke Hi all, I sa new to this message board and have a 2 1/2 year old dtr dx'd with pdd-nos. I am recieving the ABA OT and speech therapies. I was wondering if anyone has heard of and has tried the sensory learning program based on the the Bolles method ( Mary bolles in Colorado developed the treatment). Basically it stimulates the vestibular, auditory and visual senses simultaneously in a controlled environment. the treamtent is intensive 30 days with use of some home light machine, and cost $3,500 (ouch). Their website reports great result with asd and adhd etc and the testimonials are amazing (of course all on their website). I am looking to see if anybody has heard of good / bad results and unbiased testimonials. My dtr has a huge senory component to her disorder, ie hand flapping and body rocking, sensory motor seeking and I am looking for some alternate sensory treatment other than the OT we are recieving, any input?? We are also trying to eliminate dairy first from her diet then gluten. thanks, mom to Amara Hello, I am new here. My son, Jaden, was just finally diagnosed with PDD-NOS today after fighting with doctors in two countries for three years! We are military and had been stationed in England for the past three years and met with insane resistance to help for him. Today, we met with an amazing doctor here in the US and he set us on the right path. I am just looking for support and a place to bounce ideas off people. Talk to you all later!Hi everyone! I am a single mom and have been the whole way through. My son just turned 8 and has PDD although I have been told by another parent that he may have Atypical Autism. Whichever it may be, I love him to death. He had a seizure disorder when he was a baby called Infantile Spasms (although he was older than 1 when they diagnosed him for it) that went away when he was 3 after medication. He has recently started having seizures again but a different type (thankfully only about once a month and lasting 10-15 seconds). I have yet to have him diagnosed for this because get this- the neurology center does not have the resources to put him to sleep during an eeg. So I'm trying to find other avenues.But I am mainly in need of parent to parent support in regards to my son's behavior. It is extreme and I know I am not alone. I have been to many autism online support groups and all they offer is facts. I don't need facts as I already know my son in and out. I would just like to know I am not alone and that perhaps finding out how other parents deal with their child's behavior could help me with mine (real life experiences somehow help me more than facts from a book, you know?). I think there should be a day in honor of parents who get beat up by their children and who take it with patience and a smile. Anyhow, this site looks promising. If anyone is in the same boat, please send me a message! I am all ears! Hi,kimbakim My son Jacob is five and has the same behaviors.He is always pinching and biting.He just started to get seizures about 2 weeks ago.We set up an EEG and it was unsucessful because Jacob will not sit still and screams the whole time. They will not put him to sleep to do this,but they want to try again.I definetly agree with you on a day in honor for parents who getbeat up. My family is always saying that one of these days hes gonna seriously hurt me.I talked to doctors about this and we tried many things but nothing so far. WELCOME to the Board kimbakim !!! Also a belated welcome to firewifey03, rene439, MomtoLuke and ajcush... and even those who appeared in the earlier pages on this thread. kimbakim, if there's one difference you see on this Board... it's that it offers not just facts, but lots of inputs from parents who are in the situations that you have in mind. They've gone through it, done it.... and still come out ok, and still alive But like b9st8 mentioned, it would be great if the subsequent issues at heart with our kids(or ourselves) are mentioned in the designated areas. Parents of Children Living with Autism is a good place to start. Then there's also Autism Education Issues, Treatments or even Hangout with Friends. Check them out... and with time, you'll feel the family atmosphere we have here as we seek the best for our kids in this long and challenging journey that we face. My name is Audy and I have 4 kids. None of which are vaccinated. We try to eat mostly organic and natural foods. I am a Christ Follower and a Pastor's wife. Oh, and I am so human. I'm Laura, Mom to Cameron (6.5 yrs, dx ASD @ 5), and Evan (4.5 mos, the suprise!). We live on the lovely East Coast of Canada, in Halifax, NS. I belong to several other parenting/general interest/mom related forums online, but I'm only now branching out to look for an autism board. I find with the new baby, things have gotten a lot harder very quickly. We're looking for answers.. where previously we've been able to cope and get by, we're now struggling to keep a handle of day to day life. Looking forward to getting to know all of you! :) Need help with my daughter Nicole she has aspergers and ADHD , per periods are very irregular and she is like a cat on hot tin roof and can lash out at us , if any parent of a Aspergers with ADHD and same problems like us can help us please let us know thank you hi, everyone. well my name is lisa and my son's name is Tiger. Tiger hasAutism. I am married and have another son. My son was diagnosed when he was 3 (we knew since he was a baby) and now he's seven. He attends school. He is starting summer class (3 hours a day, 4 days a week, for 5 weeks). I need help with other parents that are going through the same thin that i am going through. I don't have money. I work full time. And the only help i get is through the school. OT did not help. He is currently taking Abilify and clonedine (Not sure of spelling). It brings him from a 10 to a 9. His doctor does not want to change his meds. We have tried many. None work. Muy son pinches, hits (us and his head) and bangs/kicks wall doors tv's. Is thre anyone out there that had a child that was like tiger. I am losing my mind! I've also tried the expensive diet of wheat free, dairy free. No help. Help! Welcome new members! lisatiger - I saw in another post that you were asking was "ds" and "dd" stand for. DS is "dear/darling son" and dd is "dear/darling daughter." You can check out other frequently used abbreviations at the following link. The abbreviation thread is found at the top of of each forum. http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=20856&am p;PN=1 I also have a 7 year old son. He is not on any meds, but we did see aggressive behavior this past year. We dealt with it by having a Functional Behavioral Assesment (FBA) done and getting a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) in place at school. You may want to pose this as a new topic in the Parents of Children Living With Autism forum. I'm sure you'll get several responses from parents who have had similar experiences. < =text/>_popupControl(); Hey there.I'm new here :) My name is Barb and I have 3 kiddos (see pic below). My oldest is almost 19 now and was vaccinated, my almost 8 year old was selectively vaxed and my son, almost 5 was never vaxed and was recently diagnosed with PDD NOS - with " features of autism spectrum which would be more consistent with the spectrum of Asperger's" per the eval. We are just getting started on this journey. Trying to get an OT eval and discussion of sensory integration therapy. School is out here for summer (I'm in Arizona) so am hoping to talk to someone in the special ed dept asap about an IEP meeting to get services in place so my son can do either half day kindy or get a classroom aide or something since the big issue is his agressiveness and inability to function in large groups and follow social rules - he either refuses to participate or gets aggressive He is also incredibly bright, loving, creative and amazing. He swims, he climbs, he love video games - but he wont' sit down and let me teach him to read and he wont' even let me put the headphones on to try the music an OT friend gave me. We recently started a casein free diet and will probably go gluten free as well. We've already been limiting hfcs and artificial colors - eating as much organic as we can afford. We've started a behavior chart and I'm looking into weighted blankets and some other things that sound interesting and possibly helpful. We're also Christian (I'm actually messianic, a Jewish Christian, but thats a story for another day) and we've practiced gentle attached parenting with all three of our children. Glad to be here , to meet you all and to learn everything I can from you who have already been on this wild ride for a while. Thanks for having me I've been lurking for several days and I have posted a few times. So I guess I should officially introduce myself. I have 2 children, one of whom is "normal" (whatever that means). The other is high functioning autistic, and he is a blessing. My "normal" child isn't really that at all. She has life threatening food allergies as well as some sensory issues. I suspect she would fall onto the spectrum if I had her evaluated, but she also borders on being gifted. I don't want to "fix" what isn't broken, so to speak. I figure she is functioning through life just fine at this time. My son is receiving services through the school system this summer, which is limited right now. We just moved so I am looking for a private OT for extra help. He stims alot, rarely makes eye contact with anyone, but he has become very verbal at home. He is a riot. My sister and I get so tickled at the things he does. My mother says it is sad and we shouldn't laugh. Personally, I'm not sad and neither is my son. He is very happy with who he is and so am I. He is very smart and is building a substantial vocabulary, thanks to therapy. I am enjoying the forums for now and soaking up all the information I can get. adzz, What kind of help do you need? There is some cool stuff online already. Search youtube (alphabet song). I do web design and we are getting ready to make a flash program for my son. He is three and loves computers. Currently I have been working with him with object identification. I used my digital camera to take pictures of everything in our house and then just play it in a slideshow. I did the same thing for people he sees regularly and he has mastered that program. Also, what has really helped my son with his abc's, is the "Fridge Phonics" from Leap Frog. I think that thing is awsome and fun for kids. I feel like a lot of good material is lost in this thread. For example, SSA and diet experiences. They would be easier to locate and get more focused responses if placed in the designated areas with the topic stated clearly. Hi I am a teacher for students with severe disabilities. I also have a nephew with Autism. He is going into the 3rd grade this year. I would be happy to give suggestions to anyone. I have many professional years of experience with junior high age up through adult.Wow. Not sure how far back to visit all these posts...
I'm Michele. Think I've posted here before, but can't remember. I'm making the effort to be more involved now. I have an almost 10 year old with Pdd-NOS. Currently going thru some complete med changes and doing ok, except for unprovoked aggression. Anyone in Kentuckiana area?? Mellisa, You need to look into alternatives to the meds such as ABA and the many diets. I know these can be expensive but I don't like the sound of so many meds for a 4 year old. Maybe you have already tried these so if you have then I hope you have good doctors (Psychiatrists and Psychologists) who are experienced with working with ASD's.
meds, diets. He still hits, pintches, bangs doors, and yells bloody murder. I'm scared that they will take him from us. We had the police called on us. Of course they saw my son was diff. Its so frustrating. They never work. They just want you out the door. I've tried aba, ot diff meds, diets. He still hits, pinches, bangs doors, and yells bloody murder. I'm scared that they will take him from us. We had the police called on us. Of course they saw my son was diff. Its so frustrating. Hi, I am Sarah and I have a 4 1/2 year old girl with autism. She was diagnosed 1 1/2 years ago, in Dec 2006. I have been doing biomedical intervention with her since then. Hi everyone, I just found this board and look forward to using it. I've been looking for a board similar to this for some time. I'm a message board junkie at times. Anyways, I have 4 children and my youngest Hannah was diagnosed with PDD in April even though I knew something was going on long before then. Hannah is 3 1/2 and pretty much non verbal. She's not potty trained and a long ways from it. She also has seizures and she's a little hypotonic according to her neurologist. You wouldn't know the low muscle tone by the way she gets around. Anyways, she's definitely a handful. At this time she goes to ST twice a week and OT once a week. I'm seriously considering the GF/CF diet. I'm reading a book called Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, Allergies, Asthma and ADHD by Kenneth Bock right now. Hope I got that title and author right. Anyways, this book really has me thinking esp since she has lots of EIs and now my ped is reccommending allery meds. I just don't want more meds at this point. She already takes two anti convulsant meds as it is. So, I'm going to be looking for lots of input on the diet. We tried the ketogenice diet last summer for her seizures and it didn't work, so I figure this one can't be any worse. Ok, guess I've rambled about Hannah enough for now. My other 3 kids are Victoria 18, who just graduated high school, Robbie 15 and Laura 11. None of them are on the spectrum or even have any of the 4 A disorders. I look forward to posting here and getting to know you guys. Kelly
Melissa and Lisa, I do understand because our son was non-verbal until age 4 1/2, hyper, couldn't sit still, threw things, hit me (I had many bruises, fat lip....) and his sister, couldn't be toilet trained...... But believe it or not it does get better and easier with age. Expose them to many people and experiences, typically developing children and children with asd's. Just keep on working and don't give up as it is worth it. If you feel the meds are too much then talk to the doctors and if they don't listen to you then maybe you need to look for different doctors. You know your kids best and your gut instinct is so important. Anxiety is your childrens biggest enemy so help them however you can to feel comfortable. Good luck, Merry Hi mu name is Amanda and I have three boys 19,8 and 9 all dx with aspergers. Oh and my hubby believes he is undx AS as well. I homeschool the younger two and the oldest is first year at uni. Life is certainly never boring in our house. Amanda Hey all, my name is Becki and I am the mother of 3 beautiful children, two boys ages 8 & 4 and a girl who is almost 6. My youngest son was offically DX with autism about 6 months or so ago. I have known deep down in my heart that I was dealing with some form of ASD or PDD since he was about 18 months old. He was doing OT thru the First Steps program for a physical disability (he was born with a clubbed right foot and has had 2 surgeries to correct it) and we started noticing alot of autistic tendencies. We went ahead and started treating it as such on our own because I was told that they would not offically DX him until after he turned 3. We started first by teaching ASL for all his basic day to day needs just to help him be able to communicate and not be so frustrated, because the more frustrated he got the more frustrated I got naturally. That helped ease his temper and agression quite a bit. He probably knows about 30 or so signs now. He was very stubborn about it (which I have to say he gets honestly) and would refuse to learn new signs. We out smarted him by teaching them to his brother and sister instead and when he saw that it got them what they wanted he started doing them too. We would sign and say the words at the same time and that has also helped his vocab a lot too. I was critisized by a lady I worked with one day for teaching him ASL when he wasn't deaf, doesn't that just show how ignorant some people can be? Anyway our biggest things now are bath time and it seems that his agressive side wins out a lot more lately. Bath time has been a big issue for over a year now, he tolerated baths when he was littler but now he would like you to think that I am beating him to death when I ask him to go to the bathroom and get into the tub. I finally one day decided to go to Wal-Mart and get a detachable showerhead and just give him quick 2 minute showers instead of making him endure sitting in a tub full of water. That doesn't seemed to have helped much but it didn't make it worse either so I feel like I am ahead there at least. His aggression has become a major issue over the last few months. I know part of it is typical 4 yearitus but he has gotten to a point where he will chase after the person who made him mad and either hit or try to bite them. He is very smart little guy but you can tell that he is so frustrated that he can't seem to get out what it is that he wants you to know. He is also very animated and one of the most loveable children I have ever met in my life. He is always the life of the party in a manner of speaking. My name is J.J., my second child, Ryan was just diagnosed, and I am totally lost! He is 7, but he has struggled wih different problems his entire life. He was born 4 weeks early, with water on his brain. Thankfully, he did not require a shunt to be put in to help control the pressure. He did not talk until he was 2, did not walk until he was three. He had pneumonia and jaundice and rsv within months of birth. Getting this diagnosis was a struggle for us, since so many of the other problems 'masked' the issue according to the physicians.He has one brother older, one younger, and a baby sister that seem to have adjusted. The problem is his dad and I. I am consumed by guilt. (the guy diagnosing didn't help...he must have come up with 5 different ways of asking me if I was on drugs when I was pregnant. Of course not...) His dad won't admit the problem and argues with everyone who tries to point it out. (He is NOT THAT bad, he is just misunderstood.) We have struggled with teachers and daycare help, so maybe finally we can get some understanding, but I don't think so. Mostly, right now, we all feel like we entered a new planet, and no one provided us with a guide for this new foreign place.
He does attend school in a contained classroom and I have had to fight every step of the way to get him what he needs. He has actually begun to want me to read to him and then he tries to read to me We moved into a bigger home with more land last year and we had problems with 2 neighbors who felt like our son had no right to be out of the yard..At first Braxton was escaping with the dogs and thsi led to neighbor calling CPS everytime. CPS finally told him he could be charged with a gross misdemeaner for false reporting and that stopped..However, this neighbor has come to my yard calling su names, etc. We have no idea why. He told his kids that Braxton was stupid, etc..We go on walks often and make a point to say hi to them, etc..I think he may be mellowing down some now, but it really affected me as Braxton's mom. I just thank God that my son is sheilded by his autism... Anyway, Braxton is doing pretty well. We are having problems with tantrums when saying "NO" and trying to deal with this. Hopefully, someone has some ideas to try. Sarah Just a quick hi from me - my name is Erin, and I live in Raleigh, NC with my husband and 3 children, ages 6 and under. My sweet little man, Marcus, (will be 4 in Oct) was dxd with classic autism this past February. He is currently attending a small private ABA school in Cary and is making progress. He is verbal and has a tremendous vocabulary, but is very echolalic and we still aren't to the point of having a real reciprocal conversation... my dream someday. My quirky fun-loving only daughter and oldest child, Jordan (age 6, entering 1st grade), has oculocutaneous albinism - a rare genetic condition. I used to worry about her so much and then we got the autism diagnosis. I'll now take the albinism diagnosis any day. Finally, I have a cherub of a boy named Brendan, who will be 2 in Octoer, NT. He's a ham and a flirt all rolled up into one. Looking forward to getting to know everyone and networking with people who understand. I can't believe I'm just now finding this forum... hey there, my name is Jamie, I have a 3 yr old daughter named Jordan. I am going through the process of having her tested, I have known since last yr something was a little different with her, she asked a kitten its name and when she got no response from the kitten she put it under a wooden box lid and proceeded to jump up and down, the kitten ended up dying due to breathing complications, i was going into panic mode, near hyperventalation myself, while she sat and laughed the whole time. I questioned over and over in my head, what could be wrong with a child who is so emotionless? That was just on instance. She actually has a lot of other behavioral issues and her family DR seems to think its ADHD< but her therapist seems to thinks its Aspergers, of course its a long process to get things figured out. She has been tested to go into the early preschool program locally, she tested out as being smarter than many mid-range 4 yr olds, only just turning 3, in most areas, but her social and speech were def holding her back, she has an extensive vocab, but has difficulties with many words.She did get accepted due to delay of social interaction and some other social issues, so Im glad for that! So I guess Im rambling, but I just wanted to say hi and tell a little about my situation. I am having some other issues I wanted to discuss, but I will take them on out to the forums. thanks for listening! Hi, my name is Barbara and I live in Fort Worth, TX. I am 53 yo, mother to three grown children and grandmother to seven. I have serious concerns about my grandson, Ian. He will be four on Aug. 20. I have suspected he has some form of autism since he was about a year or so old. My son (27) is in severe denial, regardless of the fact that Ian is not potty trained, does not speak in sentences, only has about a 40-50 word vocabulary, echoes everything that's said to him, throws violent temper tantrums when things aren't just so, loves to line up his cars in rows, will only stack his Legos according to size and color, doesn't want to be touched or looked at, so on and so forth. He thinks disorders like this are to easily diagnosed (ADHD, so forth) and the doctor's answer to things like this is to throw medications at it. My DIL is realizing (finally) that things aren't as they could be since the birth of their second son, now five months old. I have concerns for the baby's eventual safety when he gets to where he can crawl around. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can work with Ian when they come to visit? Any suggestions as to what else I can say to my son that might help convince him Ian (and his parents) need help? Any words of advice and support will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!Hey Barbara,Sorry about the situation- but I will say this- my parents first noticed my sons autism long before my husband and I did. They mentioned they thought he was different, and maybe needed some more help when he was only a year old, but he was our first son, now in a way that benefited us- because we adjusted to communicate with him however we could. Anyway- it took til he was 2 before my husband and I finally agreed that it was something, as in something that we should pursue further (we had mentioned autism at his 18month appointment, but more as a "minor" concern). Finally at 3 he was dx. I will say that the big thing that pushed my DH and I to get him tested further was our second son coming along, so I'm sure your DIL will find the older her second child gets the more she can tell there is something about her first. All I can say is keep trying, see if they will enroll him in head start or some kind of preschool as the teachers there will be able to see he needs help, and maybe if they hear it from a source of "authority" they will listen. Tia- Mommy 2 Ewan (3) PDD-NOS, and Liam (2), and Kian (due in Nov.) Hello Everyone. I kind of already introduced myself before I saw this... LOL A quick recap, my name is Carrie and I live in South Dakota. I have a 3 year old son, Tyson, who is very very advanced for his age, and I have a 20 month old daughter, Kyann who has not yet be dx'd with autism, but I know we are headed in that direction. For a long time people kept telling me she was fine, but seemed behind because Tyson was so advanced. Her normal ped is JUST NOW admiting that she does appear to be behind, but doesn't want to 'worry about anything' until she's 2. So far I've gone above my ped and gotten Kyann into the early intervention program. We're about 5 therapy sessions in and we get the results of her sensory profile today. I also went above him and scheduled an appointment with a developmental ped (only 1 where I live), but that appointment isn't until Nov. 20th, only 8 days before Kyann's 2nd birthday. Like I said, she's 20 months old, she just now STARTING to walk. Meaning she'll walk across the room, but still for the most part prefers crawling. She has around 20 words/sounds that she uses, some just by mimicking her brother. She is actually very very good with those of us she knows. It's strangers that she can't handle. She'll make herself sick screaming in some strange places, and the next place she'll be fine in. For example, I can take her to the store or mall with me and people can talk to her and touch her and she's fine. But if I so much as pull into my church's parking lot the screaming starts. My husband and I have found that really we are her only advocates and we're doing as much research and trying to reach out to people who can help guide us (I'm SO excited I found this board!!). Like I said, we don't have a dx yet with her, but we both feel like with what early intervention is doing and telling us, this is the direction we're headed. Hi Barbara.. I am so sorry you are in this situation. Your grandson sure sounds like he is on the spectrum. My best friends son is like your grandson sounds and he is now 8 yrs old. He can get pretty violent at times. Perhaps if your DIL is starting to realize things are not right, maybe it will be easier. I think when your grandson si there, try to be a part of his play as much as possible. I would not push him to do what you want, but join in his play and use words. Whenever, he wants anything, hold it up in front of you and say "Look to grandma", forcing him to give you some sort of eye contact and immediately give him the object. The big thing I find with my son is lots of rewards and praise with lots of clapping. I really believe as the youngest gets older, they are going to see the differences. Hopefully, you will be able to talk to them. Get a couple of books om Autism and see if they will at least listen. It may be harder for your son to as it is his son..It sounds like you can make headway with your DIL...I wish you the best..Please keep on this site and keep us posted.. Sarah Mom2Braxton Age 8, SBS & Autism Mom2Sarita Age #, Plain Bossy :) Hi! I am new to this forum and I hope I'm posting in the right place. My name is Suzanne and I have an almost 4 year old daughter, Janey, who was diagnosed with autism last December. It's taken me until about now to accept this. One of the reasons for this is that I've been in this place before! I have 2 sons also, William, who is almost 14 and Freddy, almost 11. William was diagnosed as autism at age 2, as having Aspergers at age 4, and then from age 8 on having nothing (being fairly Neurotypical I guess you call it) This isn't a result of us "curing" him or any major interventions, and I think the original diagnosis was incorrect. He was a preemie (born at 31 weeks, weighing 3.5 pounds) and I think it just took him a while to catch up. Anyway, I guess when Janey started showing signs that should have been a red flag, I wasn't ready to admit what had become obvious to many others for a while.Janey is a wonderful girl! However, she is tough! She is verbal in her own way (mainly delayed echolalia type talking, or set phrases, but she has a lot of them). She is quite musical and knows 100s of songs, but often gets "stuck" on one and sings it until she is crying not to sing it and can't stop. She has the lovely habit of reaching in her diapers and covering herself with the contents, which is becoming more and more of a problem. Sleep is also tough lately---she seems to have about a 2 hour period in the middle of the night where she is wide awake and wants to play. I really would love to connect to other mothers of autistic younger girls. It would mean to the world to me to have another mother of a young girl to talk with! Thanks so much! Suzanne Hello - I have lurked for a while and found inspiration, ideas, and most of all hope. Thanks to all of you. I have three wonderful children. My girls (11 and 9) are NT and my only issue with them is the guilt I have that I have to take so much of my attention and energy away from them to care for their 2 year old brother ( DX with PDD at 19 months). My little boy was a surprise - I was on birth control when I discovered I was pregnant with him! But he has saved me. I had been on anti-depressants for over 3 yrs. Once I realized my baby was going to need an extraordinary mom it gave me this clarity of vision. I do not need any drugs now - only prayer, hope and hard work. Anything for my baby. Hi All... My name is Vickie ( or Willow on line ). I live in Kentucky and I have 4 children, ages 25g, 24g, 23b and 9b (10 in less than a week). Also have 6 grandchildren ranging in age from 3 months to 10 yrs old. My youngest son, Jake, was previously diagnosed ADHD with a specific learning disability in math. His most recent dx, which was finished in July of this year is... Asperger's Syndrome, Mood Disorder NOS, ADHD, Pragmatic Language, specific learning disability/math. He is prone to tantrums and aggression ( provoked and unprovoked ) as well as extreme mood swings. I have a great support person in my mother and with Jake's special education teacher. ( he's in 5th grade, main stream with some pull out in resource classes ). His dad is so-so, mostly just ignores most of what is going on. My older children are as supportive as they can be in that they live hundreds and in one case thousands, of miles away. Frustrations run high here on an almost daily basis. However, Jake and I are learning together and coping together as well. I am so glad that I found this forum! Just having other parents of special children to talk with, vent with...cry with, laugh with, etc...is a blessing! Hi, I've posted a few times but figured I should introduce myself too... I'm Meg, I am a mom of three - 2 NTs and one sweet guy with PDD-NOS. Adam is nearly 6 and is a handful, a blessing, a headache, an angel. Hi Everyone,I want to thank mehernosh for all the info that was given to me.I am really seeing a change in Jacob's behaviors.He has been swimming on his own and is doing great.I think by getting him outside and being in the pool is doing wonders.The vitamins are given to Jacob every day and the epsom salt helps calm him.He is still on his meds.Now I feel like we are more relaxed and are enjoying the summer and I don't want it to end.Jacob is still not talking but if it continues like this I have hope that he will start.He is not on a special diet but does eat healthy.I wrote a book on the Lyme-autism connection with president and co-founder of the Lyme-Induced Autism foundation, Tami Duncan. http://www.lymebook.com/lyme-autism-connection Bryan I am sorry I forgot to introduce myself before posting for the first time. I have 2 sons (3 years and 6 months old). Both have SPD. My 3 year old has speech issues after having advanced speech development. It just seemed to regress over a very, very short period of time. He has some weak muscle tone and has auditory issues. His speech therapist, OT and doctor all are concerned about autism/PDD. We are currently searching for a formal DX. Our 6 month old has SPD, reflux and something else that we can't put a finger on yet. Hi, my name is Tia- this is my first time at these boards, but from skimming some of the other parents welcome posts, I think I found the right place.I have 2 sons, with another son on the way. Ewan is 3 and was just dx a month ago with PDD-NOS - we have suspected something wasn't quite "right" since he was very small, asked about autism at his 1 1/2 year check-up and got the final dx just last month. What is strange is we first suspected not because he was behind- but because he was ahead, by 1 he knew his shapes, numbers, letter, colors, but he didn't wave bye-bye, or really interact or care about people much at all. My other son Liam is (almost) 2- and the older Liam got, the more he interacted the more it became apparent Ewan was far behind. (When he was evaluated some of his social scores put him at around 9 months.) Although Ewan has a large vocab. he isn't so good at using words appropriately and often quotes movie/TV lines instead of choosing his own words. He gets overstimulated very very easy- making any place with people difficult. so just a big hi and hope I don't bug too much with all my questions
I raised my son alone most of my life until I got married last year to a wonderful man and my son has now got 3 step brothers who live with us also! That has been a massive challenge, my son growing up an only child, loving his own space and having social challenges being thrown into a large family! It has it's bad days but has taught him a lot, like how to share, use his words, be more patient and deal with a massive range of emotions, it's been hard on the other boys to understand him and his behaviour as they can't "see" his disability, I would love to chat with any other families who are blended step families with a child on the spectrum. Take Care! Hello, My name is Shelly I live in Indiana with my wonderful Husband & I have two Beautiful daughters. My youngest is 6 & NT. My oldest daughter was just dx 7/25/08 with Mild Asperger's. And displaying other spectrum traits. I'm still a little confused by the DX. Showing other traits on the spectrum ? Does that mean PDD-NOS or Highly function Autism? When I questioned B's doctor I was told she is very complex little girl. Picture a Overlapping Circle Chart... B would be in the center with little pieces of this & that. So, I'm assuming that is PDD-NOS. Does that sound about right? Today I'm feeling blue about the DX & a little Frustrated with my previous MD's. We been questioning doctors about her since she was about 2. Why are her tantrums so extreme (oh that's what toddlers do) why doesn't she show empathy? (Empathy is a learned behavior) Why is she so shy? (She'll outgrow that) Why does she appear to be sad (she is just a very serious child) Why is she so rigid in routine. (Oh, some children are just more comfortable with routine) Why doesn't she pretend? (Some children are more imaginative then others) Why does she seem uninterested. (She'll outgrow that when she matures a bit more) Ect.......I guess now I know it wasn't all because of our bad parenting. We switched Peds 4 mos ago & after 2 visits to our new Ped she said..."Have you heard of Aspergers?" I think we should get her tested. Once I started researching it I knew she had to be on the spectrum. So, it really isn't a surprise. I guess I wish I would of known this 6 yrs ago. Look what we could have done for her in those years!!! So, Yep I'm frustrated! Thanks so much for this board!!! I look foward to meeting you all! It will be wonderful to chat with others who understand. Beware: I have lots of questions! Shelly
I am from Canada. i have five children ranging in ages from 20 - 11 yrs old. 3 boys and 2 girls. Our youngest dd has ASD She was diagnosed over a year ago now. I have learned to see the world in a new way. I have enjoyed reading the posts and decided to join. Hello. My name is Kelly and I have 5 children. 2 of my children have autism. One child has asperger's and a form of cere |
Hi,
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. We use ABA- not through philosophical choice but it is the only thing we can access and we are lucky to be part of a charitable trust so it is cheap. We are finding it is working for him as he develops with Aspergers syndrome.
Sorry.... 