A 'new' Autism support thread

Hi all! I know there is a forum for Autism support, but other than one recent post, it hasn't been active since May. Therefore, I thought I'd start a fresh thread. This is for anyone with a chid/realative with autism (ora variation of)or has questions regarding the subject. It's somewhere we can 'vent', share accomplishments, seek advice, etc.!   I'm going to post a thread in free for all with a link for those who don't know about the special needs forum (like I didn't for a while)!

I'll start off introducing myself and my LO!

I'm Tasha. My son, Wesley (3), has Autism, ADHD, and Language and Sensory Processing Disorder. He was just recently 'officially diagnosed'. He's been in Speech Therapy, Occcupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy since right after his 2nd birthday. First through an early intervention program and then through the public school systems 3 year old kindergarden program. When he turned 3 he had a vocabulary of MAYBE 10 words, could not use 2 word combinations, follow directions, etc. Since starting 3k and working all summer when he wasn't in the program, he is up to 50+ words, can follow some directions, can name some body parts, etc! His other 'quirks' include severe anxiety in crowded places, rocking, sleep problems, and sensory seeking behaviors. His personality is amazing, he loves music, Scooby Doo, Pink Panther, cereal, and swimming at the lake. Here's my little man:

I'm in! My name is Sabrina, my 7 year old son, Parker is on the Autism Spectrum. He is still under evaluation, and I look forward to his official diagnosis, which will come on or before October 7. He was diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder when he was 3.5 years old, and daddy has been in denial this whole time until the baby was born, and he saw that Parker really did not make good decisions as far as keeping the baby safe. So, now, he's getting evaluated. Thank God for small favors.

I've really needed a support group since we moved into this rinky dink town and I've been a stay at home mom, this summer has been hard, without school. Thanks for starting a support group.

Hi! My name is Jennifer, I have a 6 year old son named Reece. He has Autism, ADHD and OCD. He is getting ready to start 1st grade (tomorrow, YAY) and is reading at a 2nd grade level. I'm so proud of him! He's obsessed with traffic signs, mostly stop signs and railroad crossings LOL

Welcome!

Sabrina- My hubby was in denial at first too. It took him seeing Wesley around other children to realize that he's different. I also live in a small town and I'm a SAHM!

Jennifer- Yay for Reece reading so well and starting 1st grade!!  

Quoting RefinnejBOSM:“ Hi! My name is Jennifer, I have a 6 year old son named Reece. He has Autism, ADHD and OCD. He is getting ... [snip!] ... at a 2nd grade level. I'm so proud of him! He's obsessed with traffic signs, mostly stop signs and railroad crossings LOL”

I wish Parker would pay attention to traffic signs, he really has no regard for personal safety.

Welcome, Jennifer! Yay for Reece starting school tomorrow!

Bump!  

Thanks for this...

I'm Christina, and Jamil has been Diagnosed with Classic Autism, and Sensory Processing Disorder, as well as an expressive language delay.. We are actually going to have him re-evulated on Wednesday and I'm freaking.. We are signed up to do a study with the Mind Institute, and they have to confirm his diagnosis, and I'm nervious either way, if they confirm it would make it real, since I was pretty pushy during the diagnosis, and if they don't confirm he can't participat in the study...

Jamil will be 2 in a week...
and here he is

And I've been in the field for 7 years prior to having my son.. I have worked with kids all over the spectrum, and have a TON of experience with different types of treatments and such..

Hi Christina and welcome!   Good luck with the re-evaluation Wednesday! It's awesome that he got diagnosed so early!! I started saying something was off at 9 months and didn't even get the doctor to listen to me until Wes was almost 2! Then I couldn't get him to refer Wes to the developmental pediatrician. It even took him 3 months to write a prescription for OT! Finally, Wesley was accepted at another doctors office. This doctor has been AMAZING! She automatically put him on the waiting list for the developmental peds. It still took from November until July for him to be seen! In the mean time, she sent him to a phsycologist and a genetics center!

I do understand about confirming the diagnosis though.   My thoughts are with you and Jamil!

I'm reading the book Embracing Autism: Connecting and Communicating with Children in the AutismSpectrum. The first chapter, I was in tears. It was written by a lady with an Autistic son, Jacob. Everything sounded familiar! From his own language, love of music, etc. Well, one part was talking about one of Jacob's favorite songs to listen to was from Tarzan. She thought it was random until she seen the words written out. I also got all teary eyed!

Whatever you do, I'll do it too
Show me everything and tell me how
It all means something
And yet nothing to me

I can see there's so much to learn
It's all so close and yet so far
I see myself as people see me
Oh, I just know there's something
bigger out there

I wanna know, can you show me
I wanna know about these
strangers like me
Tell me more, please show me
Something's familliar about these stransgers like me

Every gesture, every moe that she makes
Makes me feel like never before
Why do I have
This growing need to be beside her

Ooo, these emotions I never knew
Of some other world far beyond this place
Beyond the trees, aboe the clouds
I see before me a new horizon

I wanna know, can you show me
I wanna know about these strangers like me
Tell me more, please show me
Something's familiar about these strangers like me

Come with me now to see my world
Where there's beauty beyond your dreams
Can you feel the things I feel
Right now, with you
Take my hand
There's a world I need to know

I wanna know, can you show me
I wanna know about these strangers like me
Tell me more, please show me
Something's familiar about these strangers like me

... I wanna know

thank you!!!!! its about time  

im ashley and my son brenden turned three july 11. He was diagnosed with autism, adhd, language and sensory delay this past april. He does st,pt,op.

He just started prek last week. the first day was so hard for me. they put 4 special need kids with "typical" children. theres 12 kids in his class. they did half one day and half the other for the kids to get used to it. he was the only special needs child there that day and of course all of the other kids were sitting and listening and brenden was being brenden. running wild . all of the parents kept looking at me and my husband until i couldnt take it any more and loudly declared " he has autism" it just pissed me off because its a class for special needs children and the typical developing kids are there to help our kids and the teacher wasnt even paying attention to brenden. i know he needs to learn how to act and such but its hard. i just hate the looks and stares and ppl telling me that i need to learn how to control him. my MIL even went so far as to say that hes like he is because i baby him and act like hes different. he is different. he cant be diciplined for something he cant control. my husband and i have butted heads so many time because he thinks bub is just acting up. he doesnt understand that most times he just gets over stimulated and doesnt know how to handle it.

it seems liek im the only person in our family who has even researched autism.  

how do you mamas handle the stares and the " advice"?

Quoting mommy to three 2010!:“

"my MIL even went so far as to say that hes like he is because i baby him and act like hes different. he is different. he cant be diciplined for something he cant control. my husband and i have butted heads so many time because he thinks bub is just acting up. he doesnt understand that most times he just gets over stimulated and doesnt know how to handle it. "
My own husband says our son is the way he is because I baby him. I have been dealing with Parker's Autism for 3.5 years (he was diagnosed @ 3.5 years old, and he's a little past 7 now). He won't get his official diagnosis until on-or-before October 7th, so we are STILL in limbo with this.

So, when I meet new people, I tell them from the get go, "I'm not trying to place a lable or a stigma on my son, but he has Autism, he is high functioning, so if he seems to be out of control of his emotions, really rowdy, or in people's personal space, he isn't trying to be, he just doesn't know he's doing it, or is getting overstimulated. He is not being malicious about it at all." I know it sucks to have to foreshadow my son like that, but I get so damned tired of people looking at my son like "What's wrong with you, freak?" which they do, and I want him to feel good about himself, not have people look at him like he's crazy.

Of course....since he can't read social cues, half the time he is blissfully ignorant to the way people look at him or speak to him, but every once and a while, he will pick up on itt, and I know it makes him sad to feel that way when he notices, and it rips my heart out.

Quoting mommy to three 2010!:“ thank you!!!!! its about time   im ashley and my son brenden turned three july 11. He was diagnosed ... [snip!] ... liek im the only person in our family who has even researched autism.   how do you mamas handle the stares and the " advice"?”

although, he can be disciplined, it just doesn't usually make a difference. We still hold Parker accountable for things he does wrong. No matter what a child is diagnosed with, there is always some form of discipline you should hold them to. He needs to learn to be accountable for his actions, even if it is just to verbally correct and explain "that's not okay", or "sitting out" The routine expectations that accompany discipline are needed for them to feel safe.

i do dicipline him for things that he knows is wrong but when he get overstimulated and screams or spins its not him acting up. thats the stuff i was talking about not diciplining

Quoting mommy to three 2010!:“ i do dicipline him for things that he knows is wrong but when he get overstimulated and screams or spins its not him acting up. thats the stuff i was talking about not diciplining”

ah. i see what you mean. Yeah, Parker has hard times for the same thing. people look at me with dirty looks at the store, and one time, Parker broke something not watching, and the store clerk said "If you took better care of your child, that wouldn't have happened". I almost jumped over the counter at her, I was so stunned. This happened a little while before he was diagnosed, so I didn't have a "hey, b*tch, he's autistic" to defend him with.