nervous tummies and school | Autism PDD

Benjamin is having a very anxious time this year. he had diarhea onsaturdaay and is having pain is his abdomin during the day. there are no other symptoms. He has told methat his new teacher yells. he feels sick going into the cafeteria. His class has 23-25 kids in it. He is in first grade. Now he wants me to make his lunch. i wish that I could meet hm for lunch. No first grader should have to be miserable in school. Benjamin seems to be very clear that the teacher is not yelling at him. But it is still noisy in the room. The other teachers seem to be coming to her aid with strategies and techniques. I have a history of IBS symptoms when stressed as a kid. It appears that Benjamin is the same way. Does anyone have any info on IBS and autism? Benjamin is very high functioning so is able to verbalize some of what is going on in class. I plan to call our clinic in the morning (it's 9pm here). Janet

Janet Im so sorry Benjamin is having such a hard time with first grade! You're right no kid should have to be miserable. Make sure you keep documentation on everything!!! ASk for him to be allowed earphones in class when its too noisey, see about some other forms of his having a break when hes over stimulated. And Please let us know what happens with the doc.

Good Luck!

thanks for reminding me about the earphones. I invested in a pair of the noise reduction type-not cheap! The price is going down somem at RadioShack. The teacher is new, the guidance counselor is new, and the case manager is negligient. so I do plan to call a meeting for as soon as I get some feedback fromthe doc. there are some very clear accomodations written into the IEP. I just need to bring everyone up to speed, including the case manager. She makes me embarassed to call her an Special Ed. teacher. That's my field! Thanks for being here.Janet

Janet Glad to hear you have a meeting scheduled. Hopefully it will be productive and the school year will shape up and go well for Benjamin. Think of solutions and tak ethem with you... like the headphones or eating lunch in a different room with a buddy and slowly weening him into the cafeteria....

Good Luck! I hope it goes well.

Yesterday, I took Benjamin for an off-scheduled vist to the clinic that treats him. We talked about the symptoms that Ben was having and explored some ideas abot causes. the thought was that there some auditory overstimulation. Today I went to his school and took him some lunch from McDonald's. As I sat in the cafeteria and waited for Ben's class to come in,I prayed that God would let me see, know, understand what it is my child is going through. God does hear and answer. i cried at how much pain my son has been in. The lights, the echos, the aide screaming at kids, the rumble of the large garbage cans, the many voices, the terrible acoustics, all grating on my child's neurology. I cried. then his class came in and I could see Benjamin visibly shaking. He ran over and hugged me. The he went over and sat with his class. I watched for a while, then went back to work really shaken by what i had observed. It was terrible. It has to change. Nno wonder he want me to homeschool him. I cry whenever I think about what the little guy is going through. We will have a meeting on Wednesday with the school staff to review his IEP and make sure that it is implemented properly.

I have to believe that there is a feasible,viable solution to all of this. I can't let Benjamin continue in pain. Janet

I hope that things go well and are worked out with benjamin. Is there any way that he could be allowed to eat somewhere else? THat is all I can think of besides the ear plugs/earphones etc. I will be thinking of you guys....Take care,

Karrie

I had a talk with Benjaininthe tub. It turns out that after lunch on Friday, they went out to P.E. and played DODGE-BALL. You know that game where the kids throw balls at each other. I was horrified. I thought that game went out with officially labeling kids retarded. I gave Benjamin my permission to respectfull decline to play. I told him that I would back him up 1005 on not playing that game. I am angry, incredulous, dumbfounded, and shocked. I also found out that his case manager, that wasn't at the IEP meeting in the spring says tthat she doesn't have to be at our meeting tomorrow. amazing. there is another ESE teacher on the invite. I don't know the person. I am simply amazed. Janet

Janet,

I am so very sorry that your son is having such problems with school. I shudder to think of how overwhelming it may be for him. It makes me feel ill for my child's future, he has overwhelming sensory processing disorder.

I am holding you and Benjamen in my thoughts and prayers. I fully intend to MAKE SURE that my son's IEP outlines what is and is not acceptable for him as far as PE. He would be in a panic with dodge ball and many, many other 'games'

http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/comorbiddisorders/a/ibsand anxiety.htm

If you have an anxiety disorder and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you definitely are not alone. According to researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, 50% - 90% of people seeking treatment for IBS have one or more psychiatric conditions, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).¹ In another study at the same university, 36% of study participants with IBS also had PTSD.² In a SUNY Health Science Center study, 46.3% of participants with panic disorder also had IBS.³

Janet and Lesley, I am so pleased for bothyour guys! I am actually smiling as I type! School should be an exciting and great time for our children!Today we rounded a another corner. Today was the first time that Ben came home excited about his classmates and lunch-time. He was all smiles and happy. There was open house at his school today. I was happy to tell them that my big guy is happy. He even greetd the boy that ate with him with a huge hug and happy chatter! I was overwhelmed by that sight of Benjamin being 'normal'. Janet

Excellent!!!! May I share in your joy? Since new placement for Riley, he's not cried before school (or the night before school) yet this year, we've made it through 7 days now!!! Like you, I love seeing him happy!
Congrats Janet, it's a VERY happy day!!!
~Lesley

thank you for the info on IBS and co-morbid disorders! I will go to the site after I tell how great our meeting was today! It was fantastic! The principal and everyone took detailed notes. The unknown ESE person turned out to be someone I was already aquainted with. she is Ben's new case manager and I know she will do a good job. Prasie God! I rejoicing over how the principal made sure that everyone had a part in meeting Ben's needs. There were several staff members there. They all seem to appreciate the information that I brought with me. Ben doesn't have to eat in the cafeteria. He and a couple of classmates can eat somewhere else. I will runto Wal-Mart in the morning and pick up some cute placemats and napkins so that the kids feel special. i have encouraged the teacher to call CARD (support agency) to come in and help her set things up to support her and Benjamin. I am so happy. thanks for being here!

YAY Janet!!! YAY Benjamin!!!
I'm so happy it worked out well and that you feel good about it!!!
(I was horrified to read the whole dodge-ball incident---isn't it amazing sometimes how long it takes to get to the bottom of things sometimes with our kids??? I've thought of going into interrogation at times because I'm getting really good at it! I'm glad you too were able to figure out what really happened! Another YAY for you!)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
~Lesley