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Mona, Grandma to Devin 3yrs ASD / SID You've gotten some good leads here, but I would caution you to wait and see (as you are doing). You just began dating this guy. He may not want you to get THAT close to him yet. OR he might be afraid of losing you should you meet his son. If I were you, I'd leave it up to your boyfriend how much he reveals about his son. If he begins talking about him, listen. Ask real questions, if you have them. If you seem TOO interested, that might shut him down. If you seem not interested, he might think you're not interested in him, either. I wouldn't mention reading books on autism to him. However, if you've had life experiences in the past with autism, those are fair game. He might get scared that you are TOO interested in him TOO SOON if he finds you've been "reading up" on autism. I don't think it's a bad thing to do, but he might get scared if he KNOWS you're doing it. JMHO. I think it's great that you are trying to find out more info - kudos to you! I also think it will be hard to give you specific answers as to what kinds of things to do since you don't know much about him. Each child with autism is SO different. You do know that he is verbal - but that can be a varying degree. Some kids are very verbal, and talk a LOT - but only talk about a certain topic and may interrupt a lot, etc. Others may be somewhat verbal, but only have echolalia (repeating what has just been said). There are also lots of other symptoms he could have. You may not be able to do this yet, but I hope that the dad would be glad to have met someone who is willing to learn more about his son and his disability. Maybe he will share more with you as time goes on. You could maybe try telling him that you've been reading some books and articles so that you know more about autism as well. I think you would learn a lot if you just read some of our posts as well! But remember, we also come here to vent - so it is not always so bad!
I think you are just awesome that you are even here! Lots of people would just run away after finding out that a boyfriend/girlfriend's child had autism. Hurray for you for staying and trying to find out more! Hi and welcome! I think it's great you want to learn more about autism. One of my favorite, easy-to-read books about autism is "Autism Spectrum Disorders - The Complete Guide to Understanding Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Develpmental Disorders, and Other ASDs" by Chantal Sicile-Kira. Another great thing to read is the article "10 Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew" by Ellen Notbohm. Here is the link: http://www.ellennotbohm.com/ten_things_article.html#top Good luck to you! Hi everyone! I am not the parent of an autistic child, but I had a question for you all... I recently started dating someone who has a 4 year old autistic son. I've been trying to learn more about autism ever since I found out. I haven't met him yet, and probobly won't for a while, but I want to learn as much as I can so that I'm somewhat prepared for what to expect. I don't know much about the severity of his autism and where he lies on the spectrum, it's hard for his father to talk about and I don't want to pry...I do know that he is verbal, but that's about it. I understand what ASD is, and I have some experience with autistic children, but not his age...I am just wondering if you have some advice for me, as far as how I should interact with him. What is the best way to approach him and talk to him without overstimulating him? Is there any books, articles, or websites you could suggest to help me understand this more? I appreciate any information you could give me :)
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