How many of us are Autism Moms?

Setof2Keys

Hello Fellow parents,
I wanted to share this info. Please keep in mind that I was completely sceptical and I am here not trying to sell anything AT ALL!! I did this study "massage" on my boys and it was life changing. I thought it was just a bunch of hoopla until my son began speaking. If you would like more info please feel free to contact me. I repeat, I will never try to sell you anything and I do not work for this place. I just found an amazing tool and don't feel good about keeping it to myself when were all desperate parents out here trying to help our kids...
http://qsti.org/

lizzie1030

My daughter has autism. She did not talk until she was about 5 and wasn't potty trained until almost 6. She was diagnosed at 18 months and has had therapy and help ever since. She didn't look at me or hug me when she was young, I was just kind of there. She communicated with picture cards that she put onto velcro strips on the wall indicating what she wanted to eat etc. She is 16 now and doing great, most people wouldn't even know by just talking to her. However, she doesn't really have friends, she spends a lot of time in her room pacing and talking to herself. But, she is able to hide all of that around other people. I try my best to get her out and doing things, we play games and when the weather is nice we have been going hiking, it helps me and her to get exercise and my husband and I can spend some quality time with her.

When she was younger though and I was home with her trying to engage her for what seems like all day, I gained weight. I really had no time for myself or for cooking or eating healthy . Now, she helps me cook. It's another thing we can do together.

Thanks for posting this, I don't get much of an opportunity to talk about it, most people don't get or really aren't interested in what we, (parents of autistic children) experience.

larkiedeek

My nephew's an Aspi.

His "thing" is particle and quantum physics. I just got the book "how to teach your dog quantum physics" to keep up.

He is 11 and has a huge brain but just can't connect.

Still love him but he can be very hard work.

alibab36

Hi I have 2 boys on the autism spectrum . My oldest aged 7 nearly 8 has Aspergers with spd and dyspraxia . My youngest aged 6 yes very close in age lol has classic autism . Life for the last few years has been very stressful with both boys being diagnosed one after the other . I am in Ireland and there is very little help here unless you have money to pay privately for therapy . my youngest still is incontinent and has huge bowel issues along with all his other issues . My oldest is starting in mainstream education with asssistance but ny youngest is in special education

In the midst of all the chaos my marriage also broke down so I am a single mum also . My weight ballooned at this time but I managed to lose te weight last year and have maintained for over a year now .i find excercise a great way to ease stress .

Dtho5159

Ok i was so quick to reply I didn't even explain our story LOL.

As I said, my son has Autism. He will be 7 on the 27th of this month. He was diagnosed at 22 months old as PDD/NOS, mostly because of his age. He was nonverbal until he was almost 6 and didn't potty train until 6 and a half. When he was 15 months old, his pediatrician called me one night after his visit and said "something isn't right" and got him right in with a psychologist for testing. He started early intervention services right away and at 3, transitioned to school setting. He's in his second year of kindergarten now, they keep Autistic kids back one year in Kindy since most are still a little behind in some areas. He will move onto first grade this fall. Some days are rough, especially going out in public. He hates people and crowds so a simple trip to the grocery store can be devastating. I now try to do my shopping, errands while he is in school.

nursevee

Hi.

I'm a Mum with a 9.5 year old daughter that has just been diagnosed with Aspergers and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder. We always knew she was a very special kid but I talked myself out of getting her assessed in case someone thought I was a hypochondriac and/or trying to label my kid. The reason we finally decided to do something this year is because school has been hell. She has gone downhill and now we understand why.

She has her challenging moments but for the most part I'm greatful for her quirky side and her ability to just be herself.

It'd be great to connect with other Mum's who have kids with ASD's!

Vee

dad106

I'm not an Autism Mom, but I have worked with individuals that have Autism and understand how it can be.

I was a camp counselor that worked with Adults that have autism and other disabilities for two summers. Now I sub as a teachers aid in special education(doing both children with physical/mental disorders, and students that have behavioral/emotional disorders).

I enjoy my job immensely, but it is very tough some days. I applaud parents that have the courage and guts to deal with this on daily basis.

hubie316

Autism mom here - two sons on the spectrum. One is 5 and has PDD-NOS, the other is 4 and nonverbal with classic/regressive and severe autism. Feel free to add me!

ratherbeskiing

Ok- so normally I don't ask people I do not know for money but this seemed like the place to do it. I am from Maine I have been on MFP for over a year and I have lost 84lbs. I work in a hospital on a unit that is a highly specialized inpatient program is the only hospital program in Maine where children and adolescents with a developmental disorder, such as autism or mental retardation, can receive intensive treatment for aggression, self-injury, impairment in functioning, and mental health challenges. This year our unit is doing a walk for autism!

I would be very grateful if any of you could dig deep and donate to this wonderful cause! Thank you so SOO soo much!
Hilary


http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/hilarytwaddel/walk-for-autism

Sweetncgal78

Me too! I have a 10 y/o (almost 11) with Aspergers (& a mood disorder). Diagnosed 6 years ago. Love him so much!

deb7373

I have a 14 year old son with PDD-NOS. I also have a 17 year old and a 16 year old with ADHD.

FlyeredUp

Not a mom but I am an Autism Dad.

w_i_n_d_y

My cousin created the iPrompts app and AutismTrack app.

http://www.autisable.com/760597585/autism-lights-dan-carey-and-rob-tedesco/

I know many people who've used the app and had great success.


(Not trying to sell anything, I just think this is a wonderful tool and can really help!)

Quasimodoh

Another Autism dad. I have a beautiful 9 year old autistic daughter who also has a unique genetic disorder. My daughter has been on a biomedical program for several years now, wondered if anyone else here was doing the same.

Struggled with weight for years and used least flattering profile pic to motivate myself whenever I log in, long term goal is to look more like Autism dad#1 two posts up Starting at 223 so some way to go!

Stephyshoes

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's stories...what a wonderful group of people! These kids are very fortunate to have such wonderfully caring people in their lives.

I'm not a mom, but as a music therapist I primarily work with people on the Autism Spectrum, particularly kids. Some days are very challenging, but most of them are very rewarding, and I have a great deal of respect for the kids and their families' ability to adapt and nurture those who just need a little extra help. I feel blessed that in doing music therapy I usually get to see kids at their best, but I know how difficult it can be for families, so I think it's great that there is such a supportive community!

faithstephenson

I have an 8 year old son who is mildly autistic. He has made such good progress from where he was as a toddler, but we still have our struggles, for sure. We've really been dealing with his growing independent streak. But he is so awesome!

Flab2fitfi

Hi
I will write more later but I have an 12 year old high functioning Son with Autism. I also have an 7 year old girl who is awaiting diagnosis. It would be great to see group or thread like this

atsteele

Mom of 5; 3 boys & 2 girls. The two oldest boys have a mild form of autism (PDD-NOS). The younger two are ADHD-like but not needing medication. The youngest girl need some therapy before kindergarten but is fine. I spent probably a decade devoting all my time to raising my kids. Now that the older four are in school all day, I feel like I am coasting. The 3yo still keeps me on my toes all day but he doesn't need nearly as much therapy as the older boys did when they were his age. I feel very blessed that the children have made enough improvement that they can be mainstreamed... not that they don't have their problems. But now I can do things that I really didn't have time to do before, like train for marathons and take up Tae Kwon Do. I feel like my life is more in balance than it was before. I thank God every day for the many blessings that He has given our family.

Oh, I forgot to mention: my kids are 12B, 11G, 9B, 7G and 3B.

camila_scl

Hi! I'm not a mom but I'm a sister of a 10 year old boy with Asperger. I really understand what you all say even though I'm only the sister.

Has anyone tried the gluten-free lactose free diet? we will try it in a couple of weeks, it's supposed to help with the Asperger and de attention deficit

SnarkyMam0610

Hi, my name is Kristine. I have a almost 6 yr old son with Aspergers and a 2 yr old that has some autistic traits. My oldest was just diagnosised this past fall, he is high functioning but life with him is very stressful. We are just starting to get services for him, I'm a little nervous about next school year when he will be full day (he has afternoon kindergarten).

Any other Autism Mommies that would like to add me feel free

michellelhartwig

I have a 10 1/2 year old with HFA. He was medically diagnosed with PDD-NOS one day prior to his second birthday. He received early childhood special ed services, and finally met educational criteria when he turned 7. He has made huge progress throughout the years! I switched schools in January 2011 after his previous school couldn't seem to realize that although he is super smart academically, he has special needs...like social skills, common sense kinds of things...he is easily frustrated!!! He now attends the same school where I am one of the special ed teachers. He has blossomed here! In fact, this past Christmas, he was the soloist! I also have a 5 12 year old that was recently diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Makes life kinda interesting! But, like the rest of you, I would NOT trade my kids for anything!

AshinAms

I have a 9 year old who was diagnosed NLD two years ago and finally Aspergers a few weeks ago. Luckily we were already doing a lot of stuff for the NLD that helps with the Asperger stuff too - like schedules/routines/explaining what we are doing etc.

He is a lovely lovely boy, he has never been anything other than affectionate with me and his step-dad although he is closed to everyone else. He doesn't make eye contact, tends to go on and on, has an extremely rigid black-and-white view of things and can throw the most incredible temper tantrums (!), is very good at art & especially sculpting stuff and does not get on with other kids very well at all. Very much affected by visual/auditory stimuli.

I wouldn't change him though, as when he is in the room everything seems more interesting (can't describe why but it just does!).

We haven't had a lot of help yet, other than physio for poor motor coordination, but are on a waiting list for psycho-education (for us parents) and individual counselling for him - stuff like how to read body language etc.

He has also been skipped a grade at school and will finish primary school at 10 (usually here it is 12) and I am very concerned about high school and how he will deal with crowds/schedules etc.. but we'll see when we get there!

Feel free to add me.

chicky89

Not a mom, but I work with a family with a son with autism. I have been working with him for 4 years, and his parents go away for week long trainings. I stay with him for the week, so I'm kinda like his second mommy. I see him every week.

I also am an autism associate, supporting 4 adult females in their house daily.

Autism is very much part of my life!

laurentapia

Hello! I have a 5 year old son that has Autism. He was diagnosed at 33 months old, but could have seriously been diagnosed at 22 months old. We thought it was just a speech delay, but his SLP noticed a few "autistic traits" and motivated us (i initially did not take this well) to have our son looked at. Sure enough, Ethan was diagnosed with ASD and SLI (speech language impairment). He has definitely come a long way, but has so much more to go. This march we received a "go" for him to be mainstreamed into General Education Kindergarten. This has been huge goal we made for Ethan, and we are so glad he has been given a chance to have it come to fruition. He currently attends general ed preschool and receives 35 hours of Early Intensive Behavioral Treatment (EIBT) (intense ABA therapy, 1:1). His speech and language skills are still lacking compared to other kiddos his age, but Ethan is smart and very bright. He loves authority and being around other kids his age. We are also very fortunate that he does not have any violent behaviors and does not tantrum. He travels well and does better than most typical kids in restaurants/events.

One of the fun (i say this sarcastically) quirks to my son is that he memorizes tv shows, movies and books, and is a huge "scripter." It's odd because he speaks perfectly when he scripts, but the expressive language is difficult for him, gotta love autism.

He is also Gluten and Casein Free, all organic, on a high dose vitamin and mineral regiment and takes double probiotics a day.. This has helped tremendously on his concentration skills, gut issues, and immunity problems. His BioMed Doctor is Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, who's website is mendingautism.com. If anyone is interested in the huge benefits of BioMed treatments email me. My son suffered from a serious amounts of ear infections and random fevers (with no other symptoms, sign of a bad immune system, gut related), a lot of autistic kids have a weakened immune system, and most general doctors simply look over it, mine did.

I am also a huge advocate for parents creating their own vaccine schedule. I do not believe there is one bad shot, i believe that most of our kiddos bodies/immune system cannot handle the standard CDC vaccine schedule, so if more parents know they can stretch out their schedule, all would benefit.

Enforcer25

Not a Mom, but a Dad with a 9 year old who has Asperger Syndrome, when she was younger, school was tough, we got calls to come pick her up, she would just get so upset at small things, like a substitute teacher she didn't know about. She has gotten better as she has gotten older and the school has been a huge help in understanding her and working with her. We were told that the teens years will be a trying time for her. We will see. I'm glad to see she is learning to deal with things better, my wife and I are too. Reading through her, I see other parents who have children diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome doing the same things we do to try and help them along.

sandra80

my youngest is autistic, a year ago she was almost completely non verbal. now she talks up a storm. she's allllllllllllll full sentences now and can tell me exactly what is on her mind. i love it....most of the time lol

kitkatwag

bump

Quasimodoh

Hi! I'm not a mom but I'm a sister of a 10 year old boy with Asperger. I really understand what you all say even though I'm only the sister.

Has anyone tried the gluten-free lactose free diet? we will try it in a couple of weeks, it's supposed to help with the Asperger and de attention deficit

My daughter has been on the Gluten Dairy free diet for nearly 5 years now and we honestly believe she is much better because of it. It's hard sometimes to tell where her autism ends and the genetic condition begins but since being on it she has been calmer, picked up at school and no longer suffers with endless ENT infections.

marylovehellokitty

here with an 8 year old boy!!!!

kayleesays

Not quite an Autism mom, but living at home with my mother with Asperger's/anxiety, my adult older brother with mild Asperger's and my adult younger brother with high-functioning Autism. They all are at different places on the scale, but I have a lot of experience with the topic.