Autism

[five]

Hi there, I' new here, and have a 4 1/2 year old son with high functioning moderate autism. Just looking for other mums of autism to swap notes with :D
Cheers, Denise xxx

[Maghan]

Hi Denise

I have a 10 year old girl with Aspergers, which falls in the Autistic Spectrum. She is very bright, but the social stuff trips her up all the time. She also has a bit of an odd gait to her run and walk. But is a very loving and funny (well she thinks so) personality.

[five]

Hi there, good to *meet* you :) Looking forward to sharing stories in the future of our special kids :hugs:

[five]

Hi Stacey :wave:

So I'll start off the discussion here, and ask at what age did you get the diagnosis, and how did you react???

Blair was diagnosed in Feb 05, at age 3 1/4 and to be honest I was relieved that he fit into a 'box' so he could get the extra help he needs to integrate into society well :D Yep, I grieved, went through the whole gamut, anger, tears flat out etc etc, even now I struggle at times with acceptance, especially on a really good day LOL But then the countless 'bad' days make up for that LOL. Seriously, the dx doesn't make much difference to our lives now, I think the Coeliac disease has more impact, because quite simply, Blair is just Blair, and whther he fits into a box or not, we wouldn't put him back and ask for 'normal', cos he is fabulous just as he is, makes us laugh and cry on a daily basis, and simplifies us as parents, which is never a bad thing :D

So how did you cope with the dx, and how do you cope on a day to day basis?

[FourAngelKisses]

Hi, I don't have a child with Autism, but my sister in law (she's 25 in June) has it, but she also has Down Syndrome. She was diagnosed a year or 2 ago, but that hasn't changed the lives of my inlaws. They still have to put up with her tantruns, swearing, moaning and laziness. :banghead: I worry about their futures, they are both almost 60 and they can't keep doing this forever, but there is nowhere in the state that will take her, so they have to keep doing it.

[Lunar]

Hi five...(gosh that's sounds familiar....LOL)
My DD has Down syndrome and alot of autistic traits but not the diagnosis of autism. Look forward to getting to know you and hearing all about your family.:hugs:

[Maghan]

At the outset I have to say that the 10 year old is my neice and we have been raising her for 3 years now. I've always been in her life and I always knew there was something different about her. She hated the loud noises and would scream in the middle of the night that someone was using a drill or had a stereo too loud. She's never had the social skills and thinks things that aren't funny seriously are. She was diagnosed when she was four. My sister wouldn't accept it, so she didn't get the early intervention which may have assisted her long-term. I still worry for her future, I fear she will always be an innocent child. The biggest hurdle we face at the moment is the hormones mixed with Aspergers! LOL...

[five]

What a fantastic Aunty you are :yelclap: She is one very lucky little girl to have you.
The noise thing, oh yes, Blair has recently started with that, and OMG, the weirdest things send the hands over the ears and him running screaming for cover!!!

[FourAngelKisses]

The noise thing has been an issue with my sister in law for as long as I've known her. If my kids cry or get too happy and start laughing, she starts screaming, which makes Matthew scream, and she will start throwing things at people. It gets to the stage where we have to say to the kids "please be quiet, don't fight, try and not laugh too much" but it's hard to stop kids being kids.

Can I please get some more information about the gluten dairy diet for my MIL please?? I've heard it can improve their behaviour and get rid of allergies etc.

[jobak]

hey five :wave: you know me, but i'll post our autism story for anyone else who is interested.

We have a 9yr old boy with Aspergers and only today we were told that finially, we are entitled to the carers allowance :smiliedance: (even though he was diagnosed over four years ago :banghead: )
He attends a 'normal' school and we are having a few probs with the SEU at the moment, but ds seems to be going ok through it all. he is a typical ASD kid; no social understanding; very bright; ocd's; sensory issues (the list goes on lol).

Hope to see some of you around the boards and swap notes! :D

cheers
Jo

[five]

Wow Jo, that is awesome news, way to go :smiliedance: :yelclap: :thumbsup: Am so happy for you guys :D

[LavenderLady]

Hi to everyone, just joined the group as looking for mums to share tales and experiences with. My son Bailey turned 5 last week, we've known for 2 years that he has high-functioning autism. He copes pretty well at kinder but we now have the challenges of looking at mainstream school for next year and apply for an integration aide. He is exceptionally bright, types emails to dad at work, reads fluently, swaps languages on his kids' DVDs so he can watch the songs on "Bear in the Big Blue House" in every language! and today I caught him logging onto the internet - first to get the Teletubbies Games and then - of all horrors - did a search and found the Big Brother website!!!!!! :D And, funnily enough, he gets bored very easily!!

So, that's me in a nutshell other than to say that we have added Miss Holly Rose to the family 10 weeks ago after moving into our new home 11 weeks ago. Yes, do the maths!!

Love to chat to anyone with similar experiences.............Cheers! :smiliedance:

[Maghan]

Hi LavenderLady, welcome, I think you'll always find a sympathetic ear here!

[five]

Welcome Lavender Lady, sounds like you have been a busy girl the last few months :yes: Bailey sounds just gorgeous, and so clever, you must be very proud of him :)

[Foxymoron]

:wave: Hi, my 6 y.o. DS has autism and persistent global devlopemental delay.
We were late getting diagnosed, and are getting early intervention and help choosing a school this year.

Jo- Re carers allowance- you should get backpaid a full year if the condition has been diagnosed :) not great because you've missed out for so long, but it's a nice lump sum to start with.

[LavenderLady]

Hi there, I' new here, and have a 4 1/2 year old son with high functioning moderate autism. Just looking for other mums of autism to swap notes with :D
Cheers, Denise xxx
Hi Denise (and all.......)

I'd like to know how other parents deal with disciplining their kids - when the concept of "naughty" is not always fully appreciated............

A few nights ago we tried the "SuperNanny" naughty chair. Instead of making any impact we had the following conversation from Bailey:

"This is Big Brother". "Annette to the diary room". NO RESPONSE!!
"This is Big Brother". "David to the diary room". NO RESPONSE!!
Finally he gave up and finished .........
"That is all". And we were gone, tears running down our faces which unfortunately completely undermined all our authority. How do you deal with being firm when they are so cheeky???? :shame: :shame:

[marcelsmum]

Hi My darling son Marcel is now 7 yrs and was diagnosed with moderate Autism when he was three. Thankfully he was diagnosed early enough to get him into a fantastic special needs preschool and after three years there when He was 6 he was placed in a mainstreem school with a teachers aide to assist him. Last time we saw the psychologist he changed his assesment to "mild" Autism tending to Aspergers wich was great news. Marcel is a happy and gorgeous boy who is keeping up with the rest of his class in all aspects. Hi is such a funny little man that despite his Disabilities he is one of the more popular kids in his class and is always playing games with his friends. It is odd to have an Autistic child that always wants to be the center of attention, It just does not fit the profile but we love it.

Like some of you mentioned he does tend to cover his ears when something scares him, It does not need to be a noise it could be anything, It is quite cute to see him covering his ears when he sees a :devil6: baddie in a disney cartoon.

When He was first diagnosed I did not know what to think as the only image I had of autism children was rain man. I thought that Autism ment my darling would not be affectionate and loving but he is so wonderful and is always telling us how much he loves us and kissing us.

I would not change him for the world.

- I too have trouble with punishing him as he does not seem to understand it, but i think that the best thing I have found is a naughty chair and also talking to him and trying to make him understand why mummy is not happy works.
(if all else fails I pretend to cry as he hates nothing more than mummy or daddy being sad.)

any ways
love to all the parents of special need children out there. They really are a blessing
:hugs:

[Maghan]

Hi Pigbeer and Marcelsmum, nice to meet you guys.

The discpline thing is difficult. Our DD really thinks that there is something wrong with the way we think and that her view on the world is just right! Maybe she's right??

Anyway, we try really hard not to use the word naughty. We more explain how what she's done is inappropriate and sometimes give her an example of a how other kid's her age would behave in the same circumstance. She really wants to be accepted by her peers so that one works sometimes...