Loud and Proud? | Autism PDD

This is all very good advice!

I met with the teachers, nurse, principal, speech teacher, and explained everything that she needed. And they were very helpful.

She ended up having a rough year last year. The situation made her flare up. Her teacher was too strict.

So when I am getting the facts together of the spectrum items that apply to her, I said to my friend that, "I need an instruction book for people that she can wear around her neck."

I can't alienate the moms because I need their kids for play dates!

found it...this should help!

http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19192&am p;KW=kristys

The best "instruction book" I know of is the article "10 things every child with autism wishes you knew" by Ellen Notbohm. Here's the link:

http://www.ellennotbohm.com/ten_things_article.html

My philosophy is to tell on a "need to know basis" . I was more closed-mouthed when we first got the diagnosis than I am now, because I needed some time to learn about autism, deal with my emotions, and think about the privacy issues.

Good luck with everything, and welcome to the forum.

I am struggling with the same thing. I have mentioned to a few moms that she gets speech. I think that kind of covers it for them as far as their curiousity. I don't even think they would think it was any more than that if they were in the field.

In a way I want to let people know that kids who have autism don't always glare out at you, but I am not sure how to approach it. I guess I could just say, "She has PDDNOS." and let them do a net search.

I have found it rare that anyone knows what PDDNOS is. It is like some foreign language to most people.
Thanks!

That is really what I had been doing up until her true diagnosis on Monday. I was under the impression that her speech, meltdowns, and high-strung behavior was her ADD and from the neglect that she had through age 3 when I adopted her.

Just knowing is better. I know for sure that she isn't ignoring me. It's better.

This is a great opportunity for you to do your own part in autism awareness. Although it is getting better and people are learning there is more to autism than what the movies teach us, it is still far from where it should be. If you are comfortable with it, tell people about your dd's autism and when they give you those strange looks or say well I thought it was like this, you get a chance to show them just how big this sprectrum is and how many children it is affecting! Kristy actually just posted a letter that she wrote from her child's point of view that I am actually going to do for Mason (it was such a great idea!) so when I am trying to educate people on autism I am going to hand them that!

I will find the link and come back and post it!

Good luck and welcome to the board!! I am always explaining that we're working on language, social graces, and
sensory integration, flexibility/adapting, etc. These are just so much more
acceptable to people. The minute I say 'autism,' people want to argue about
it. @@Thanks for making me feel welcome!

What angle do they want to argue about?

Okay, don't laugh, but what does pdd-nos, nt, and any other new abbreviation mean?

That is also a good point.

I especially respect it because I know that I am not adopted.

I will be more discrete. I have more often run into a situation of someone that I am getting to know will suddenly want to talk about birth. Or babies.

And I have had other moms be really embarrassed. So I have been trying to avoid that situation. Even though I would never get offended.

any suggestions?

THANKS ON THE ABBREVIATIONS!

I can now read some posts?

NT - neurotypical

PDD-NOS - pervasive developmental delay not otherwise specified

ASD - autism spectral disorder

DS - dear son

DD - dear daughter

DH - dear husband

DW - dear wife

SID - sensory integration disorder/dysfunction

Those are a few of the abbreviations I can think of off the top of my head. And welcome.

Being adopted, and having known it for all of my life, my .02?

Introduce her as your daughter. Period. If it becomes necessary to go further than that, then do so, but not until its warranted. If she's different ethnically, then they'll get it quickly that she's adopted. If her behavior is such that she stands out from other children, then simply state she's on the autism spectrum. After that - if people are genuinely interested, they'll ask questions and you can answer appropriately. If not, they're not going to understand or "get" it, anyway.

I don't identify anything regarding my children, other than they are my children, unless the situation or discussion warrants it, and then only what they need to know. My children deserve to be judged on their own merits - not on the interpretation of certain labels people would define them with.

Please don't get me wrong...congratulations to you for having the heart to adopt and embrace a child, much less one that also has additional needs other than originally expected. But, however proudly you feel about it, society as a whole still does not use the term "adopted" in a positive light. It is still a separator, and one that doesn't need to exist within a family unit.