Autism Chat

I know there was already one, but I lost it... It's pages and pages buried so here is a new one...







At Jamil's 15 month well baby check we brought up Autism. Jamil was very advanced in many ways, and had many signs, but wasn't talking or pointing, or using any of his signs to get his wants and needs met. We set up and appointment with early intervention. Had a speech evulation done, and he qualified. He started speech and music therapy at 16 months, at the same time we had his first Autism evaluation. The assessor said he had an expressive speech delay, but did not have Autism. After 3 sessions of speech, the therapist brought up SPD. We got an evaluation with an Occupational therapist, and Jamil did in fact have SPD so we started Occupational therapy at 17 months, I knew many kids on the Autism spectrum had SPD, and with the speech and communication delay it was just to much of a coincidence so I called back the Doctor who had done his Autism assessment and asked for a referral to the Autism clinic for more through testing. We finally got an Appointment at 20 months and Jamil was diagnosed with Classic Autism. His IQ also tested in the gifted range.
Now I happen to have a lot of experience working in the field of Autism. I worked for a ABA company for 7 years. So we continued to do Speech, Music and OT, and got him into a center based program for young children with autism, at the company I had worked at. Unfortunately they were simply to rigid, and it was clear that ABA was not going to work with Jamil, we quickly pulled him out of that placement and got him into a program that did pivotal response. The hours were much less 6 hours a week vs 20 via a standard ABA therapy protocol, but I knew with me working with him, along side his therapists this was the best option for him. within 6 months we saw huge gains in him. His speech finally started coming in. He was communicating and responding, but his social skills were still severely limited. There was only so much we could target with home based therapy anymore, so we found a placement in another center based school. He started pre-school 4 days a week at 27 months old. This was a hard decision, as I had to let go of a LOT Of control.. The results were great though, Jamil was starting to tolerate children. He was speaking more and more. we continued with this until he was 3 years old. When he could start in Public Pre-school. He has been in the same class last year and this year, and we are very happy with his progress...

I love that first graphic.. My nephew is autistic. I sent a picture of that to my sister.  

Quoting ChiaPetsMom {TJB*TFF}:“ I love that first graphic.. My nephew is autistic. I sent a picture of that to my sister.  ”

I love google!  
How old is your nephew?

Funny I was just thinking today the thread got buried and was wondering how everyone was doing.

Quoting Jamils_ mommy:“ I love google!   How old is your nephew?”

Hes 10! My first nephew  

I'm Christina, better known as Jamils_mommy... at this point in my life that totally defines me, and that is perfectly fine with me. I have always had a passion for Autism and the lives that it touches... My first real job was as a para educator shadowing a little boy in a special ed class, he had PDD-NOS, I loved him and was very close with his family... At that point I really didn't understand much about Autism at all, I read and read and learned as much as I could, then I worked with a little boy who had Aspergers and ADHD, he was wonderful and I loved him too... I also spent a lot of time with his family, I remember his Mom, always so much worry in her eyes, worry for her husband and son, worried where he would go and what he would do... I wish I still had contact with those families...

I then worked at a school specifically for children on the spectrum, I went through a lot of trainign there, and eventually became a Lead, I trained staff on how to work with the kids and montored them and ran the classroom... I only left to stay at home with Jamil...

Jamil was diagnosed at 20 months old... He had no speech and very little eye contact, but had very high recepitive skills...

By his second birthday he still only had 40ish words...

He is 3 now and has thousands of words and phrases he goes to school and is doing phonomonally...

Quoting Amy {30+} 12 weeks:“ Funny I was just thinking today the thread got buried and was wondering how everyone was doing. ”

I'm doing good.. I hope everyone else joins us...

How are you? How are you feeling, just past the first trimester so you should be feeling pretty good by now right? are you showing a lot?

Quoting Jamils_ mommy:“ I'm doing good.. I hope everyone else joins us... How are you? How are you feeling, just past the first trimester so you should be feeling pretty good by now right? are you showing a lot?”

I'm doing pretty well, not quite out of the first trimester yet. Just over a week before my clinic counts me out of it, but pushing 13 weeks. Overall I am feeling alright, I just caught a miserable cold from Ashton. I am showing, not a lot, but still starting to get some bloat. 4 weeks or so and I should be able to find out just what sprout is I hope  

Quoting Amy {30+} 12 weeks:“ I'm doing pretty well, not quite out of the first trimester yet. Just over a week before my clinic counts ... [snip!] ... a lot, but still starting to get some bloat. 4 weeks or so and I should be able to find out just what sprout is I hope  ”

That's so exciting! =) I'm so bad with remembering how many weeks = what. So I wasn't sure. Cold's when pregnant are the worst because you can't take anything. Hope you get over it quickly. We've had non-stop colds around here since Jamil started a new pre-school. and that season is just starting.

love the graphics the thread must really be buried because i have never seen it!  

Quoting Their Mama!:“ love the graphics the thread must really be buried because i have never seen it!  ”

I'm google shopping for graphics... I'm finding so many good ones!

I havent' seen you in FOREVER! How are you?

Quoting Jamils_ mommy:“ I'm google shopping for graphics... I'm finding so many good ones! I havent' seen you in FOREVER! How are you?”

great! i have just been lurking around on bg! my computer was messed up and my phone wouldn't cooperate with me

Quoting Their Mama!:“ great! i have just been lurking around on bg! my computer was messed up and my phone wouldn't cooperate with me”

Well glad your back!

Can I join in here even tho we don't know if Cam has autism yet?

Quoting Hollyween:“ Can I join in here even tho we don't know if Cam has autism yet?”

Of course you can... It can only help you to know different things to try with him, especially since the sensory issues and Autism overlap in so many ways...