Autism

fit4mom

And go. ( I know your out there, so tell us your story) Love you:flowerforyou:

fit4mom

I was hoping there would be more response.:frown:

inotnew

My son has a form of Autism. Hoping we are doing enough to teach him to live a happy productive life.

fit4mom

My heart goes out to parents and kids of autism. I was hoping to have a place for you to talk. It can't be easy.

inotnew

My son is 17, HOPES to go to college, not sure if that will happen. Still doesn't have a first job, but has been looking.
How about you, why did you pick this as a thread?

fit4mom

I know that everyone needs an outlet and I think my son is displaying signs of autism but he is only 7 so there is no telling if he's just being 7 or has something going on. Hard to say. But I know it's the time of year that is hard for allot of folks and just wanted a place where parents of kids with autism could talk, I know your out there and your loved/ not alone.:flowerforyou:

evansfarber

My son is 7 and was diagnosed at 2yrs old but has come so far. He is in a regular classroom and is one of the top kids academically in his class. He is a Wolf Scout, a league bowler and takes ice skating lessons. Not bad for a kid who was non-verbal at 2. My daughter is 9 and was diagnosed at age 6 with Asperger's. This thing can be difficult so if you have concerns you should definitely talk to your pediatrician and his teacher. Therapy makes a world of difference and the sooner the better. Good luck!

fit4mom

It seems to me that kids with dissabilities (my daughter suffers in math but is off the charts with reading and writing) are really smart in certain areas. Just how their brain works. Like they are super genius in areas because their brain over compensates. I know with OCD it's how I lean sometimes.

fit4mom

My son is 7 and was diagnosed at 2yrs old but has come so far. He is in a regular classroom and is one of the top kids academically in his class. He is a Wolf Scout, a league bowler and takes ice skating lessons. Not bad for a kid who was non-verbal at 2. My daughter is 9 and was diagnosed at age 6 with Asperger's. This thing can be difficult so if you have concerns you should definitely talk to your pediatrician and his teacher. Therapy makes a world of difference and the sooner the better. Good luck!

Oh and thank you for the well wishes. Having recently lost our kids health ins. Due to not qualifying financially even though we did last year with the same financial status(lets not go there) we have to wait to talk to a pediatrician. But definitely talking to his teacher and school counselor. Very smart advice.

lucyhoneychurch

If you have questions about your son, especially in school, the school psychologist could help do an initial screening, or someone in the special education department if he goes to a public school. Don't know if you homeschool or not.

Sorry, I was on the track and wasn't around to see your post. My oldest son is five and has classic autism. He repeats phrases from Thomas the Tank Engine and Hot Wheels Youtube clips. His expressive language is very delayed so he's in private speech and occupational therapy. He's in Kindergarten all day, special education in the morning and regular K in the afternoon. He has definitely changed my life, and has given me a humility that many moms of special needs kiddos understand.

fit4mom

You guys are so great! Love the insights! So glad to talk to you all!:flowerforyou:

dmpizza

It seems to me that kids with dissabilities (my daughter suffers in math but is off the charts with reading and writing) are really smart in certain areas. Just how their brain works. Like they are super genius in areas because their brain over compensates. I know with OCD it's how I lean sometimes.

That is similar to my son, math is magnitudes lower.
His worst problems are emotional.
He goes from nice to nuts in 10 seconds, his face and voice changes, etc...
In simpler times people would have said he was possessed.
He picks sides of arguments that are horrible and you know he doesn't mean it, but he won't stop.

fit4mom

It seems to me that kids with dissabilities (my daughter suffers in math but is off the charts with reading and writing) are really smart in certain areas. Just how their brain works. Like they are super genius in areas because their brain over compensates. I know with OCD it's how I lean sometimes.

That is similar to my son, math is magnitudes lower.
His worst problems are emotional.
He goes from nice to nuts in 10 seconds, his face and voice changes, etc...
In simpler times people would have said he was possessed.
He picks sides of arguments that are horrible and you know he doesn't mean it, but he won't stop.

I so get this! I finally found google calander. And was able to get a schedule I finally liked. He's doing better with a schedule. With my OCD I've had a hard time finding a good home schedule that works with my brain type.

RunningRachel2012

My brother is autistic, he is 22 and he is studying computer science at university. He has already been employed in a placement year at a reputable company and he is attending interviews for graduate positions. He is very difficult to be around at times, but he is really in his element when it comes to computers.

fit4mom

My brother is autistic, he is 22 and he is studying computer science at university. He has already been employed in a placement year at a reputable company and he is attending interviews for graduate positions. He is very difficult to be around at times, but he is really in his element when it comes to computers.

THIS IS AWESOMENESS AT IT"S BEST!

magichatter06

I watched a show about Temple Grandin last night and it was so interesting. There is also a movie that comes on HBO about her. She redesigned how cows are handeled. She is autistic too.

zenchild

I am likely somewhere on the autistic spectrum. I was always in the gifted/advanced/honors classes in school, I would read (and still do) for hours, but I was awful at making friends. I just couldn't figure out how to go about doing it. I would watch people so carefully to figure out how it was done and I just never got it. Now I think back and realize that there were people in school who were being nice and trying to be my friends and I just didn't get it.
I remember in first grade I would watch what all the other girls did during recess. When I saw that they were chasing the boys, I talked to one of the popular girls and told her that I was a fast runner and that I could help them. I don't remember her response but I remember how I felt. It was like conducting a business deal. I thought that if I chased the boys too then I would be one of the group. It didn't work.
I have grown up quite a bit and have a wonderful husband and a very few close friends. They all know I'm a bit weird at times but they love me anyway.
It's like being dropped in the middle of a completely foreign land. You don't understand the language or the culture but you're always watching and trying to figure it out.

fit4mom

I am likely somewhere on the autistic spectrum. I was always in the gifted/advanced/honors classes in school, I would read (and still do) for hours, but I was awful at making friends. I just couldn't figure out how to go about doing it. I would watch people so carefully to figure out how it was done and I just never got it. Now I think back and realize that there were people in school who were being nice and trying to be my friends and I just didn't get it.
I remember in first grade I would watch what all the other girls did during recess. When I saw that they were chasing the boys, I talked to one of the popular girls and told her that I was a fast runner and that I could help them. I don't remember her response but I remember how I felt. It was like conducting a business deal. I thought that if I chased the boys too then I would be one of the group. It didn't work.
I have grown up quite a bit and have a wonderful husband and a very few close friends. They all know I'm a bit weird at times but they love me anyway.
It's like being dropped in the middle of a completely foreign land. You don't understand the language or the culture but you're always watching and trying to figure it out.

I love you so much! It's great to get an internal perspective! Is it always something you've known you had or when did you get diagnosed? I found out I have OCD when I had my first baby at 21. I went through post-poppadum OCD. And it disguises itself as borderline psychosis. A good friend of mine helped to identify that it's an intrusive thought form of OCD. It really explained allot. Thank you so much for your awesome insight! I am so glad for your success. That's nice to know. You are an awesome person.

alangholz

I taught for 4 years in an ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) classroom for students with ASD. My perspective is not from that of a parent. The spectrum is truly vast. I think it's bigger than most people can possible imagine. Each child with Autism is truly unique both as an individual and a child with Autism. I think that is a huge factor as to why there is so much controversy on the best methods to teach/help them. But I am happy to share a few observations from my experiences.

Children on the spectrum are some of the most loving children I have had the pleasure to work with. They may not make eye contact, or prefer not to be touched but they have huge hearts and show their affection openly in other ways. We just have to learn how to recognize their way of showing it.

Not every child on the spectrum is a Savant. That being said, children on the spectrum whether they are verbal or non-verbal are intelligent and capable of learning. Some learn easier than others. But that is true of all of us. And just like all of us, all children (spectrum or not) have strengths and weaknesses.

We have as much to learn from Children on the spectrum as they do from us. My favorite part of my non-verbal classes were inclusion classes. At the end of the year the general education students would write an essay about what they learned from the student in my class. The answers always made me proud and never let me down. My favorite was from a second grade class when they said "I learned you don't have to be able to communicate to be a best friend. He is my best friend."

I currently work with children of all disabilities including children on the spectrum. I love working with students with Autism. I love learning from them every day. I love being there to provide support to their parents.

Sorry, I can go on and on! LOVE my job!

fit4mom

I think you had a great response. I really appreciate challenges that people have and that they are capable to move beyond them. Those with more obvious disabilities challenge us to be better people. I also like that you were thoughtful enough of what you had to say that you felt the need to take a second look at it. Great perspective.

ratherbeskiing

I work with kids with Autism in a psychiatric hospital :bigsmile: ... and other disabilities as well... but mostly autism.:huh: