Parents of autistic/special needs kids

JoMamaATL
JoMamaATL Posts: 70
edited November 14 in Motivation and Support
Looking to friend more parents!
I have four kids, one is on the more severe end of the autism spectrum.
It's hard to take care of myself when I am taking care of this crew!
Anybody feel me??
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Replies

  • cheyanna0722
    cheyanna0722 Posts: 1 Member
    I feel you. I have two children. My eight year old son is autistic. It is impossible to take good care of your children until you take good care of you. This is a hard lesson i am just learning. It has really helped us taking walks together. It helps me get in some much needed exercise and it is helping him with his low muscle tone. And it gets out a lot of his excessive energy and calms him down quite a bit. Hope this helps!
  • JoMamaATL
    JoMamaATL Posts: 70
    My son is 7! And, has no muscle tone! I totally get you!!!!!
    Walk. Genius.
    I have shied away from walks bc he is a wanderer/runner. But, my youngest is old enough now to walk himself so I don't need to use the stroller with him. OMG, I think you just changed my life.
  • JoMamaATL
    JoMamaATL Posts: 70
    JoMamaATL wrote: »
    My son is 7! And, has no muscle tone! I totally get you!!!!!
    Walk. Genius.
    I have shied away from walks bc he is a wanderer/runner. But, my youngest is old enough now to walk himself so I don't need to use the stroller with him. OMG, I think you just changed my life.

    I meant low muscle tone, but hey...no muscle tone may be accurate, too!
  • literique
    literique Posts: 85 Member
    edited March 2015
    I am an ABA Therapist, I do in home therapy with children on the spectrum. If your kids get any sercives, you could workout while they are in therapy if you are not needed. Or even a few laps around the building if they attend outside therapies. Sometimes I work very long hours & don't get time to exercise... then I remind myself running around after kids all day is a workout. :) Tag, monkey in the middle, walks to the park, pushing the swing... all better than nothing. :)
  • JoMamaATL
    JoMamaATL Posts: 70
    Amen!!! Thanks for choosing such an awesome career path! Autistic parents of the world Thank You!
  • literique
    literique Posts: 85 Member
    edited March 2015
    Thank you.... :)
  • zenlinz
    zenlinz Posts: 2 Member
    I feel you! I have three kids and they all have Autism. My 6 year old has low muscle tone too. The past few years I have spent every ounce of energy I have taking care of them and forgot how to take care of myself. I'm loving MFP- it's got me on track and motivated to really lose the weight.
  • englishmermaid
    englishmermaid Posts: 114 Member
    Yep, my 8 year old son has Aspergers with the most horrendous meltdowns, makes me want to pull my hair out, scream, and eat chocolate lol
  • needstobefit15
    needstobefit15 Posts: 119 Member
    I have two boys that's have autism. They are 4 and 6. They are definitely a hand full. I sometimes get so stressed out because of them.I'm an emotional eater. I have about 60 pounds to lose
  • needstobefit15
    needstobefit15 Posts: 119 Member
    I have two boys that's have autism. They are 4 and 6. They are definitely a hand full.I have been so busy taking care of them that I forgot to take care of myself.now I'm having health problems of my own. I sometimes get so stressed out because of them.I'm an emotional eater.
  • Browncoat_McNac
    Browncoat_McNac Posts: 48 Member
    Mom of a 9 year old with autism here. The first 5 years were absolute HELL. The last few have been amazing as we finally found a wonderful teacher and therapies that really truly work for him. Thankfully he has grown out of the wandering/running away phase but for a while we had to put doorknob guards on his bedroom door at night to keep him from taking off while we were sleeping.. It really does get better. You just have to remember to breathe.. a bad day doesn't equal a bad life.
  • genellegreenwald1
    genellegreenwald1 Posts: 7
    I have an 8 year old son with autism who is on the lower end of the spectrum. I totally understand - the last few years have being very hard and my weight gain over the last year has just made things worst. I have never being more stressed and the more stressed I am the more I eat :(
  • chellefitforlife
    chellefitforlife Posts: 1 Member
    Hi, I have 4 boys, 3 with a selection of asd, adhd & pda. I joined tonight as I need to look after myself after piling on weight over the last 5 years. I had a really scary episode of palpitations yesterday which made me realise my boys need a healthy mum. Now the juggling game begins :-/
  • JoMamaATL
    JoMamaATL Posts: 70
    Oh my gosh! I just saw these replies!!!!
  • hollyberry6182
    hollyberry6182 Posts: 345 Member
    I have 2 boys, the youngest being 8 and has ASD. I find it hard work trying to be referee as the eldest doesn't always understand what his younger brother is doing. Sometimes i feel like he is jealous as i spend a lot of my time with the youngest. However, I've taken the plunge these past few weeks. My ASD son has made a friend and he only lives around the corner. I've allowed him to go out and play at his house or at the playground across the road. It's been a nervous transition as I'm not sure he is able to understand everything going on and can't keep himself totally safe but the fact that he wants to play is amazing! It means i can do a quick work out DVD or something.
    The times he had said the other kids on the playground were being mean, I've managed to talk to them and raise awareness of my son's condition. They now look out for him but my son is still quite reluctant to interact with them because of his past experiences.
  • Tarajoy2011
    Tarajoy2011 Posts: 8 Member
    JoMamaATL wrote: »
    Amen!!! Thanks for choosing such an awesome career path! Autistic parents of the world Thank You!

    Ditto!
  • Tarajoy2011
    Tarajoy2011 Posts: 8 Member
    hollyberry061082 wrote: »
    I have 2 boys, the youngest being 8 and has ASD. I find it hard work trying to be referee as the eldest doesn't always understand what his younger brother is doing. Sometimes i feel like he is jealous as i spend a lot of my time with the youngest. However, I've taken the plunge these past few weeks. My ASD son has made a friend and he only lives around the corner. I've allowed him to go out and play at his house or at the playground across the road. It's been a nervous transition as I'm not sure he is able to understand everything going on and can't keep himself totally safe but the fact that he wants to play is amazing! It means i can do a quick work out DVD or something.
    The times he had said the other kids on the playground were being mean, I've managed to talk to them and raise awareness of my son's condition. They now look out for him but my son is still quite reluctant to interact with them because of his past experiences.
    Congratulations on making that leap of faith. It's really hard for my son to make friends. It doesn't help that I get very anxious when he is out of my sight. My boy is 15, ASD, moderate.
  • arkowalyshyn
    arkowalyshyn Posts: 132 Member
    I have 3 kids, 2 asd and little one is starting to show some delays. Feel free to add me. Between schools, IBI, the baby and whatever is left to running a home and family I AM TIRED! Exercise time is my only me time, and I'm finding comfort in planning my food (control and balance) when life seems so out of my control sometimes.
  • JoMamaATL
    JoMamaATL Posts: 70
    I feel y'all! It's not easy. There is no book telling us what to do because while all the kids are on the spectrum, they are each as different as snowflakes! I always say when you meet one kid with autism...you know one kid with autism. It is all improv, trial and error, and lots and lots of faith.
  • hollyberry6182
    hollyberry6182 Posts: 345 Member
    edited March 2015
    Tarajoy2011 wrote: »
    Congratulations on making that leap of faith. It's really hard for my son to make friends. It doesn't help that I get very anxious when he is out of my sight. My boy is 15, ASD, moderate.

    It has been a massive leap of faith and I've been incredibly anxious! Thankfully he goes to school with his friend and I'm friendly with the parents so they let me know if he's having difficulties.
  • hollyberry6182
    hollyberry6182 Posts: 345 Member
    Yesterday We did onesie Wednesday at the school i work in and the children were able to talk to me and ask questions about autism. We all came into school in our onesie to show that we are all different. We raised money for the National Autistic Society. It was lovely to see the children so interested in our problems and difficulties when they have so many of their own. (I work in a residential school for children who have been taken from their parents by social services because of inappropriate up bringing). With the increase of ASD being diagnosed, i think it was only appropriate to educate the children of ASD as chances are, they will meet people with ASD within their life time and they need to learn that these kids are not naughty or frightening, just wonderfully different!
  • XxNataleighXx
    XxNataleighXx Posts: 46 Member
    Hiya, I have 3 children I have one on the autistic spectrum too I have 6,5 and 11weeks feel free to add xx
  • samthepanda
    samthepanda Posts: 569 Member
    I have a 12 year old with asd, and a 2 year old. It's a real struggle to make time for me, but I know that I feel so much healthier than when my son was a toddler, when I was several stones heavier. I have to treat my gym time like any other timetabled activity that has to happen, and I'm fortunate my husband supports that (though he thinks it's a bit odd). My son is obese as he doesn't really know when he's had enough, and for a long time the only thing that motivated him to do anything was food. I am so proud that he asked to come jogging with me in september and we have done a 3 mile jog every Sunday since ( bar 2). - it's not fast but we do it.
    -
  • JoMamaATL
    JoMamaATL Posts: 70
    My son is the opposite- he looked like an American/Ethiopian child bc he is so skinny. Almost mal-nourished looking! He only eats about 5 different foods right now, but he eats and eats! doctors say he is fine, but when he is in the backyard playing in just a diaper and covered in mud I worry that people will think the poor child just escaped from our dungeon!
  • literique
    literique Posts: 85 Member
    JoMamaATL wrote: »
    My son is the opposite- he looked like an American/Ethiopian child bc he is so skinny. Almost mal-nourished looking! He only eats about 5 different foods right now, but he eats and eats! doctors say he is fine, but when he is in the backyard playing in just a diaper and covered in mud I worry that people will think the poor child just escaped from our dungeon!

    Haha. Screw what people think ;)
  • jenglish712
    jenglish712 Posts: 497 Member
    My three year old is on the autistic spectrum and despite having very little fat on him is in the overweight and nearly obese range by BMI. He never stops moving and because of his sensory stimulation he is just super muscular for a 3 year old.

    I usually get up at 4:45 on gym days so I can get my gym on while he's still in bed.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    My son had "nonspecific disorder" . He would probably have been on the autistic spectrum today. He was in every kind of therapy you can imagine. We found that sports and doing various physical activities with him helped him. So when he was younger much of my exercise was chasing behind his bike, going to the swimming pool or roller skating rink with him or just tossing or kicking a ball around together. As he grew up he enjoyed the more solitary sports like cross country, wrestling and track and field. He is now in college. Yes they do grow up and it does get hard to let go sometimes.
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
    I have 3 kids and while doctors have suggested he might be on the low end of the spectrum, he hasn't been officially diagnosed but he is very behaviorally difficult. Things are improving but for the first 7 years it's been enormously emotionally (and sometimes physically) exhausting. One of my biggest motivations for lifting weights, actually, was that he sometimes needs to be physically removed from a situation and I had to be able to keep up with carrying him.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    edited March 2015
    JoMamaATL wrote: »
    My son is the opposite- he looked like an American/Ethiopian child bc he is so skinny. Almost mal-nourished looking! He only eats about 5 different foods right now, but he eats and eats! doctors say he is fine, but when he is in the backyard playing in just a diaper and covered in mud I worry that people will think the poor child just escaped from our dungeon!

    i have a kid with a sensory processing disorder, and his diet is super limited. its something we are always working on, but during times of stress, he reverts to a very short list of foods. Our pediatrician has him on chewable flintstones with iron (the "complete" ones are good as well) and I give him Omega 3 gummies occasionally.

    Anyways, just wanted to share, I also have a weird eater. :)
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    BTW- just for funsies, what does your kid eat? I have found the kids I have met with similar issues usually have eerily similar diets.
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