autistic specrum disorder

[my2angels.0306]

hi, im a mum with 2 children aged 3 and a half and 11 month baby, my 3yr old girl has been to see the paedtricion and is showing signs of asd but cant be certain untill she has more speech and occupational therapy, she will be starting a s.e.du kindy next term, she only speaks one or two words at a time and isnt toilet trained although i am trying with not much luck atm as she has the development of a 2yr old, my dd is a beautifull happy child but i feel sad for her some days as i wonder how her life will turn out as i noticed at normal playgroup the other children her age dont want to play with her because she cant talk properly and she is tall for her age, i thought about not taking her to playgroup so she wouldnt get teased but my son enjoys it there and she doesnt understand it and still plays with them. she may have to go to a special needs school when she is old enough but time will tell, i have good days and bad days i have just noticed people stare at her when she makes certain sounds, she copies traffic light noices and squarks like a seagull when she sees them and flaps her arms and thinks she is a bird, and thats all the time, we r used to it but i hate it when people stare or laugh. im very new to all of this and we r still going through the tests etc, is there any support groups for parents with this condition?im a bit confused sometimes, we take her to her therapy sessions each week but somtimes i get stressed out because i have nobody to talk to who understands. hope to get some response.

[punkbaby]

Blaze is 4 and a half and his much the same although its not asd its a result of a brain injury from the car accident basically he stepped back 18 months and it kills me that he wont play with other kids, he wont express himself and other children or people look at him when he struggles to express himself. I know its totally different to what your going through but its damn hard just watching him and knowing what he could be doing. His younger sister is 2 and a half and his not really that far ahead of her, if not his worse socially if that makes sense.

One thing thats really helping him is Group Occupational Therapy, (he also has speech pathology too) speak to your pre school feild officer they can asses your ds. Basically the kids all play together and have to learn to verbally ask the other children for help to acheive a task set out to them. The parents sit in another room (siblings are welcome to sit with parents at my one) and we all talk etc and chat about our highs and lows and how we are feeling and the kids get time out and actually learn to socialise as well.

Just a thought it might be worth looking into, there is about a 5 month waiting list though but its helped him just after 4 weeks, he will actually approach other kids now (even if he doesnt join in) he will watch which is huge for him.

I wish you all the well, hopefully you can do something similiar to what we have been doing.
Like i said although totally different cases here i think my ds seems similar to your dd from what you have said there ever need to chat feel free too pm me :)

[BreakfastatTiffanys]

I have no experience with autism so i hve no advice just wanted to send you and your dd some:hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

[MamaRabbit]

We attend an early intervention program each week which incorporates speech, OT, physio but they also run a playgroup once a week which is open to anyone. Siblings are welcome and we have a great time there with similar children and like minded parents. The siblings don't even seem to notice that some of the children may be squarking like a bird...in fact chances are the teacher would encourage everyone to do it. They usually have a Speechie or Special Educator running them so the kids really benefit during this playtime.

My son has global development delay and is significantly behind his peers in all areas. I used to worry what other people thought, many people even say "oh why isn't he walking or talking, didn't you teach him?"....if only they knew how many therapy sessions we attended each week! Keep reminding yourself that whatever people may think or say it is about them, it's not about you. They don't know you, they don't know your DD so their comments and stares are empty and are only based on ignorance. Once you feel okay with that it won't bother you anymore.

Your DD sounds like a bright young thing copying traffic light sounds or being a bird. She has a great imagination, keep encouraging her, and if people stare....find your inner child and join in with your DD, have some fun with it.... :)

Your local childrens hospital should be able to point you in the right direction to find some support groups or community services in the way of therapy or playgroups. Try putting in a call to one of the social workers, they are your link to the community services.

All the best.

[Can I?]

Hi :wave:

My nearly 5 year old son has ASD. He was diagnosed early last year, so I have an idea how you are feeling right now. :hugs: - it can be hard. You are doing a great job!

Early intervention is a great thing, so get into it!! My son went to 2 different early intervention playgroups, as well as having a few individual sessions. We also kept on with our mainstream playgroup - even though it was hard at times. I was stunned by the amount of progress my son made in a year....just growing up seemed to make a huge difference. For us toilet training was a loooooooong process, but he is 100% reliable now. His speech has improved huge amounts, and his social behaviour is getting there. Your daughter will change as she gets older, and you will work out the best ways to help her out. The future can be a scary prospect. We have tried to not get too far ahead of ourselves, and to chip away at things one milestone at a time, because otherwise things can overwhelm you.

The flapping and noise imitation are really common things for kids with autism. My son has sensory issues and the flapping calms him down when he is overloaded with sensory information that he can't process fast enough. We have found that as his ability to cope has increased, the flapping has decreased - and we have found ways to limit the sensory information he recevies to stop him from getting overstimulated in the first place. As his language has got better the noises have decreased too.

If you want to PM me I can point you to an online support group. Otherwise ask at your sedu whether or not they run groups. Check with the autism associations in your state too.....they will have heaps of resources you can access as well as support for you. Sorry that is so long......I hope it helps at least a bit.

[Can I?]

Oh and if people are staring, then ignore them. I have cards that I hand out to starers that say

Try to understand

My child has an autism spectrum disorder. This is a lifelong disability with no known cause. ASD affects my child's ability to learn, communicate and interact with others.

It's easier to hand a card to a stranger than it is to say anything. I still tend not to do it very often though.

[BabyLs]

Hey there sleeplessmummy,

We are in the process of seeing a Paed for our 2yr old DS. The paed has said that there are many ASD traits there and as he is only 2 he would like for him to attend a daycare a couple of days a week. I have enrolled him adn have given them the letter from the Paed as he has suggested they get funding to have someone from the support agency to help out when DS is there (due to his sometime explosive behaviour). We are also going to see a child Psycologist and our first appoint is tomorrow. It is hard at first isn't it, when you are new to it all and have no idea what sort of support is there for us. We have one more appoint with the Paed and then he will be liasing with the Psycologist etc and the daycare to better assess DS in a more natural environment then the 4 walls in his office. Where are in Brisbane and will be looking into some support groups etc. :hugs: to you and your family and to everyone else who has replied.

[justme77]

Just thought I would throw in some of my experience here.
My eldest son is 10 this year and is high functioning ASD.
Reading the few posts in this thread, the memories just cam flooding back about how difficult it was back in the day.
My sons autism was suspected at 18months, and a diagnosis made at 4yo.
between 18 months and 4yo, we had speech therapy once a week, occupational therapy once a week, the pead every 2 months. every bloody anger management program i could find, every early intervention program i heard of.
I also threw him into daycare at 2 1/2 for the interaction
he went to SEDU preschool for two years and mainstream preschool for a year.started him in grade one at a mainstream school and pulled him out 8 months later and put him in a school with an SEC.(special ed class)
Jake didnt talk until he was 5 1/2 despite all the speech therapy.
I took a different approach to what was recommended to me and still do.
I refused to conform to the "routine" he apparently needed, and use flash cards with him, as i thought this gave him the option of not talking. i recived alot of critisism about this method and still do. i regularly still battle with teachers and they all hate me.
but the end result- jakes talking is perfect, he handles life without routine. (we can leave the house at a moments notcie without him losing the plot)
his school work is still a bit dodgy, he only decided to start reading this year, and this was only after paying 120 bucks a week to a private tutor. only because i thought the teacher is someone who treats each autisc child the same- which they arent.
i suppose the only advice i can give you, is that all those programs dont last forever, and there is a beautiful loving child in there, they just have to learn how to show it in their own way. patience is vital.
and most importantly, noone knows your child or their ability like you, so always stick up for what you believe even though 99% of the time youll be fighting alone, keep fighting. no two autistic kids are the same so go with your gut instincts. chose routine, or no routine, choice speech therapy or yourself doing it.
the choice is yours and is always yours.
and feel free to PM me anytime. im more then happy to give advice or share my experiences, or just be someone who understands what youre going through.
good luck though, its a long battle but way worth it. they are all beautiful children just stuck inside a tangled mind, and need time to find that exit door.

[mysonroger]

can i interrupt for one moment and ask if autism is on the rise in our population? and if so, why do you think. it seems to me like it is, or is it just because we are in the information age now??

[Can I?]

I'm not sure that autism is on the rise or just that it is being diagnosed more. There have always been mildly autistic people in our society, they just haven't been recognised as having autism. They are those quirky people, the loners, the weirdos and sadly - the numbers that fill mental institutions and raise suicide rates.

It would have been much more difficult to diagnose autism before there were criteria to assess against. Apserger's syndrome for example has only been diagnosed in its own right since 1992.

If diagnosing more children with autism allows them to get the help that they need to transition to school, and into the workplace, and keeps them out of institutions, gaol and alive, then it is a great thing.

[my2angels.0306]

wow! what a great response on this thread, i have read them all thouraly (sp?) and thank u all for ur fantastic advise, i have made a mental note of them all. my dd started sedu today and loved it, she has good visual memory which is her strong point , i know im in for the long road ahead and i have a beautifull loving child who does get muddled up but may one day speek and comunicate with others. thank u again for ur advise:)

[justme77]

good one for you with the starting sedu.
a good visual memory is a great thing.
although the bad side to this, and the amusing side, i always had to watch jake when he was little coz he was like this.
he knew things like which key unlocked the front door. how to open the pool gate, everything like that.
he knew which channel his tv shows were on, and could plug in the video player(back in the day lol) in his tv in the bedroom.
he saw everything.
hes still the same now, and it does come in handy. eg. with toilet training he peed once in the toilet and that was it, never had to show him again.
so its got its good and bad side away from the actual learning.
good luck with everything though, and please yell out if you need advice or anything even just to vent. im more then happy to help or just listen.