Post Date: 5/31/09 10:53 am
Topic: RE: Aspergers Diagnosis
I know it has been a while since you posted this, but my 17-year-old son has asperger's .  If you want to talk, I'm here.

Post Date: 3/4/07 5:25 pm
Topic: Autism Walk of Hope
We are doing our first ever Walk of Hope benefitting Acadiana Society for Autistic Citizens on March 31, 2007 in Lafayette, LA. I haven't been on OH lately as much as I would like because I've been volunteering with ASAC and helping my husband with the Boy Scouts since several dads are having medical problems. I miss spend the time here but my kids will be in college before I realize it so.... If you are interested you can view my son's page or donate to ASAC by clicking the link or the widget on my profile which will lead you to his page http://www.firstgiving.com/reallyroger We are forming a team for each of our children and this is my son's page. My son has Asperger's Syndrome on the Autism Spectrum. He enjoys being a Boy Scout, a member of his school band and reading books. Thanks, Anne

Post Date: 10/23/06 12:53 pm
Topic: RE: HAVE I FAILED THE TEST?????
I think we all struggle with whether we do too much for our kids when they can't do things for themselves. My son also had seizures until the last year, so we never, EVER left him alone. Now we're struggling with what things he can do for himself now that we take the seizures out of the equation. At this point, all we've worked up to is letting him take the garbage out to the dumpster in the parking lot. And goodness knows, even at 19, we haven't been letting the boy pour his own cereal because we don't want a mess to clean up! We were just talking today about how WE are the ones who need to work on that more than he does. You are definitely not alone with these questions.

Post Date: 8/24/06 4:05 pm
Topic: Aspergers Diagnosis
We just got the long awaited diagnosis of Aspergers for my 13 year old son. ANY help, info, or just someone to talk to to would be so welcomed! I have researched on the internet since 2000. I just knew as a Mother that this was what was going on, but never got the right answers! I am a basket full of emotions! Thanks, Lindy

Post Date: 5/25/06 3:17 pm
Topic: Hev-b Proteins and Autism
Research article at http://www.autismdoc.org describes exogenous protein insult and the incidence of Autism.

Post Date: 3/29/06 5:26 pm
Topic: RE: A little Rant/Rave
Jenn, I am a respite care provider for PDD children. I have worked in many classrooms over the years and all I wanted to say was..do what works for you and your child. I am not a big believer in ABA but for some kids it works well. HAve you ever heard of Developmental Therapy? Floortime is also a great example of what I find "works." Do you children use PECS to help them with their communication? I found that using the PECS program was really beneficial. I still use PECS a lot with the children I work for privately....as well as expectant waiting. I admire you and your husband for all your strength and courage. Sounds like you are a very busy mom Best of luck to you on your upcoming surgery! It's ok to rant and rave from time to time- we all do it! Take care, Christine

Post Date: 3/25/06 10:07 am
Topic: RE: Today really SUCKS!
Jenn, first let me say I'm sorry that you are going thru this. I only have one little girl and she has asperger. She wasn't dx'd until she was 7 or 8. Before that all they would tell us was that she was adhd. So we lost all the early intervention. Thank God you have that on your side. Some days with her are wonderful, almost normal then others are a totaly nightmare. All I can say is stay strong and when you can't ask for help. I keep reminding my self that if it is this hard on me I can only imajine how it must be for them. Pam

Post Date: 3/25/06 9:34 am
Topic: RE: Cool Forum
Hello KD, I am so glad to meet you. I have an 11 yo daughter with as. I am so glad to see an adult with this condition. I needed to know that there is a chance for her to grow up, get married, and even have children of her own. Welcome to this board. Come here a lot. I check in about every two days since there is not a whole lot of activity. I will see your post eventually though and will respond. Pam

Post Date: 3/24/06 3:36 pm
Topic: RE: HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE STRESS?
I heard a speaker once who said that parents who lose a child, go through the grieving process and get on with their lives as best they can. Parents with a disabled child go through the grieving process over and over and never make it through it. I totally understand your frustration. One on the things I have the most problem with is not participating in normal "family" activities like attending weddings. celebrating an event together at a restaurant, etc. I have tried and tried over the years to make our family seem as normal as possible but then we end up with a disappointing result as you did with the wedding. My husband has finally convinced me that we might as well avoid some events if we don't have arrangements made for Jacob. It made me very sad to have to plan my oldest son's wedding on a weekend that Jacob could have respite care. It didn't seem right that he should be excluded but none of us would have enjoyed ourselves. It doesn't seem at all fair and it isn't! We are getting to the point of looking for group home placement. Part of me feels like I am abandoning him but the saner part knows that he loves the structure and activities provided for him at a group home. He loves his weekend respites and cannot wait to go again. Our weekends with him bore him. Our situation is the opposite. I have more patience with Jacob than my husband but then he has evolved into the primary caregiver which I assume is probably your role with your daughter. I think it is normal to be more frustrated when you are the one directing their activities and taking care of their hygiene needs etc. I don't think anyone could answer your question now about your daughter's future. All we can do is take it one day at a time. Some things get better but then new challenges develop. There is a lot of focus out there now on autism. The resources available now are so much more extensive than ten years ago so who knows what they will come up with in the next 10 years. My sanity has been preserved only through my friendship with other mothers of autistic children. Family members, no matter how sympathetic, just don't have a clue what we go through on a daily basis. The older my child has become the more my family would just soon avoid being with him or hearing about our challenges. Deep down I know they are thankful it is us and not them and then there is some guilt that they don't know how or want to help. Don't know if that helps. Email me anytime. janmmiller1@msn.com Jan

Post Date: 3/22/06 5:09 pm
Topic: RE: A little Rant/Rave
Robin -- Thanks so much for the kind words and prayers!!! BTW, I am by no means a superwoman. I am so fortunate that my husband is so involved with our kids too. We just do what needs to done. Kim -- ABA is "Applied Behavioral Analysis". Think of Palov's Dog experiment. A lot of parents swear by it. Basically you pay a therapist lots of cash to sit with your child and in my opinion do "drills". They call it a discreet trial. It requires a lot of time, and a huge commitment. When my son was doing ABA it was very difficult for him to stay focused. Toys as motivation didn't keep his attention either. We tried many tactics to keep him engaged, but he would tire out too easily. Most of my son's success has been due to floortime and music therapy. According to an Autism Specialist here in Seattle, the most important thing I can do for him is to make sure he gets as many socialization experiences as possible. This way he can learn from others and learn by example. In his spec. ed preschool they have "peer models" which is a wonderful tool for him and others in his classroom with special needs. My daughter (twin A) was officially diagnosed yesterday with Autism. We are planning on trying all the therapies that we did with my son. We'll try ABA with her as well, even though I don't like it. Tomorrow we get the results for her twin sister. I don't think she's on the spectrum. Her only real issue at this point is a communication delay. As a parent, I feel I need to be open-minded about various therapies. However, frustration rears its ugly head when parents say that only one type of therapy will "cure" your child. ABAers are notorious for those kind of comments. Each family has to decide what to try, what works best and what they can afford. It's as simple as that. Jenn

Post Date: 3/22/06 10:23 am
Topic: RE: A little Rant/Rave
Jenn - I just wanted to say - 3 kids with special needs and you havent jumped off a cliff yet? BLESS YOU! I have an Autistic son, now 23 yrs old, there were times I didn't think ONE of us would survive his childhood! I'll put in a good word for you and your family in my prayers tonight! Good luck on your upcoming surgery - getting to a healthy weight will make it easier to deal with all you have going on (although you already seem to be Superwoman!!!) ~Robin

Post Date: 3/20/06 8:58 pm
Topic: RE: Adding Autism as Interest on Profile
Excellent idea!! I've been wanting to spruce my profile but never got around to doing it so I searched out the info you need to spruce your profile if you go to this link http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/html_faqs.php you should be able to find out everything you need to email them to spruce your profile. Sorry, but I'm stealing your idea of Autism Awareness theme, lol! Of course, Autism needs all the publicity it can get! I have an 11 yr. old with Asperger's Syndrome, high functioning. He didn't appear to have any symptoms until kindergarten then the diagnosis was changed and changed until he grew old enough to get a clear picture of the problem. I knew OCD was not a good fit for his situation but it gave us something to work with for the school. He is in regular ed with pullouts for Gifted/Talented, PE with an OT and special ed for math. We also have a "typical" 14 yr. old son and both boys are active in the Boy Scouts, school band and are altar servers. My aspie son is getting better all the time, his personality is mellowing out wonderfully. We recently started him on Panacea Creams transdermal vitamins with lots of B vitamins, magnesium and zinc, don't know if that is why or he is just maturing but I'm loving it no matter what!!! If you have any questions feel free to email me. Anne 254/175/1??

Post Date: 3/20/06 6:51 pm
Topic: RE: Transdermal Vitamins for Autism
Dr. Barbara Brierre is the inventor of the Panacea products transdermal vitamins. She was an Internal Medicine doctor but now does research. The transdermal vitamins are delivered via a metered dose pump and feel similar to any body cream product. It can be applied to the inner forearms or inner thighs. Some of the autistic children with sensory issues will take it on the inner thighs and then put their pants on to limit the sensory issues. It doesn't take long to be absorbed into the skin. My son still takes Lexapro but we have noticed a measurable improvement in him. Of course, he is getting older and he is a high functioning Asperger's so we can't say conclusively that it is just the vitamins. On the other hand it can't hurt b/c it's only water soluable vitamins and the B vitamins, magnesium and zinc do seem to have a calming effect. I've seen less and less of his Aspie symptoms. In fact, he is more social, he went to the dentist (pediatric dentist) who is great with kids but he's always been very afraid. This time he stayed still for his cleaning and even took X-rays and SPOKE to the dentist. That was truly amazing b/c he used to have to be held to get his teeth cleaned and X-Rays were generally out of the question. I'm seeing definite differences in his personality. If you have any questions feel free to email me at tkdblk2002@yahoo.com Anne 254/175/1??

Post Date: 3/20/06 3:06 pm
Topic: RE: My Son Driving???
Thank You. Kim

Post Date: 3/19/06 8:12 pm
Topic: Cool Forum
Hi, I didn't know about this forum here. I am glad to have found it. I am 37 and was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at the age of 30. I had gastric bypass on 11/13/02. One bonus of having weight loss surgery was it gave me a chance to be involved finally in a social group, the WLS community and I have actually made some friends this way. So I feel blessed in this sense. I have four children. My two sons (ages 15 and 13) both also have AS. My daughters do not. ~KD in WA

Post Date: 3/19/06 7:55 pm
Topic: RE: PDD/NOS
PDD NOS is a non dx really. A kind way of saying your kid is pretty autistic like but you know, we can't pin him down into a neat category so here ya go, here's PDD NOS. It puts you in a predicament for services. Ultimately it would be helpful to have someone offically call him high functioning autism. He'll qualify then for needed services. ~KD in WA

Post Date: 3/19/06 5:37 pm
Topic: RE: My Son Driving???
Ahh - yes, sometimes we moms have a hard time letting go. I know sometimes my sons teachers would tell me something he did in school and I'd say MY SON CAN DO THAT?!!! I admit, I tended to baby him - partly because it was just easier for me to do things for him - Im happy to report he's doing a lot more than what I thought he'd be able to do. Good luck to your son AND you mom! ~Robin

Post Date: 3/19/06 2:53 pm
Topic: ...

Post Date: 3/19/06 12:45 pm
Topic: RE: My Son Driving???
I know your concern with the driving..Got an 11 year old aspie. As for the diability that should be fairly easy. We have had faith on diability for about two years now. All I did was fill out the app and within 45 days I got her award letter. It May be different when they are already 18 I don't know but I doubt it. Pam

Post Date: 3/19/06 10:33 am
Topic: RE: HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE STRESS?
Sounds like you need some respite care. Are there any services in your area to provide some help? Do you have family or friends or church group that can pitch in? My son was VERY difficult to handle. There were times I didn't think one of us (not sure which - LOL) would survive it. He is in a residential facility now - thankfully we BOTH survived the years he lived at home but frankly, I'm 'scarred' from the stress. Dont get me wrong, I love my son to pieces - he's the biggest 'mommys boy' you've ever met, I made sacrifices (and still do) for him I didnt think humans were capable of --- but 24/7 x 14 yrs of him tearing the house up, smearing feces, having temper tantrums, not sleeping for DAYS at a time, etc - can cause some MAJOR damage to a 'psyche'. About the time he was 4 yrs old I started taking an antidepressant and I STILL do (he's 23 now). WHat is it war vets have --- post traumatic stress disorder? Im sure thats me too. I dont want it to be you - get some help! By the way, I was a single parent - if you are too - all the more reason you need some assistance! Good luck! ~Robin

Post Date: 3/19/06 8:38 am
Topic: RE: PDD/NOS
My son was diagnosed with PDD/NOS just because the doc didn't want to say the word "autistic". However, here in CA I needed him to be labeled with it in order to get him services. I had him reevaluated at 4 and got him pre-school therapy and by the time he went to K his speech was "normal". He's very bright and high-functioning. He also has OCD tendancies and was on Prozac for 2 years, however, now he's 13 and doesn't need it anymore. He is mainstreamed and we couldn't be happier w/his progress. Socially he struggles but has a few friends and seems happy with that. I worry about high-school but we can handle whatever comes up. The only suggestion I can make is would you bel willing to homeschool him? I did that in 1st grade w/my son and he THRIVED-he and I worked well together. I picked a curriculum w/lots of repetition (his FAV!) and he learned to read, write (cursive!) and math fact families. The following year we put him back in school and he's done great ever since. I don't know if any of this helps or not. I'll keep you in my prayers. Beth W.

Post Date: 3/19/06 12:09 am
Topic: RE: HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE STRESS?
I don't have any autistic children. It is my career to help them and their families. I am 37 years old and have been working with both children and adults with autism. I am no expert. If I can be of any help please let me know. Lisa

Post Date: 3/18/06 11:18 pm
Topic: RE: HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE STRESS?
Hi Pam. I have an 18 year old son with autism and MR. Boy is that a difficult question! For one thing, my husband and I spell each other when we are overwhelmed but often we are overwhelmed together. I don't know your situation but my son goes to special school and has caregivers after school until we get home from work. We have one weekend a month where he goes to respite and one saturday for about 3 hours that we can get out. I have 3 other sons but they are grown. My son talks but a lot is the same phrases over and over. He is bladder trained in the daytime but not bowel trained. He has destroyed his room by taking off his diaper and smearing poop. There are holes in our walls. We have number pad locks on the inside of our house that you have to enter a code to get out because he elopes. Mornings are hell. He hates waking up and showering - too much stimulation too fast. Lots of pinching and hitting. He develped seizures just before his 17th birthday. When he is good he is so precious, very child-like. He still tries to "snuggle" with me in bed and climb on my lap to rock (he is 5'2" and 130lbs. He will eat anything, including his own BM. We are on a list for a group home and they are talking this spring. Part of me says I am ready and part of me feels like I am abandoning him. It is hard to care for him at times and I love him. How can strangers take care of him like we do? Probably my biggest support is my friend who has a 30 year old autistic son. Whatever I am going through she understands and can support and listen to me without judging. I don't know how I would have made it this far without her. No one knows the isolation we go through except another parent of an autistic child. You wrote for support, instead you got a "rant". Tell me about your situation? What is your daughter's level of function? How old? Email me. I am having surgery Monday and we had to figure out how to get someone to take care of him so we could leave the house at 4:30 a.m. My sister is going to take me to the hospital. We got a caregiver to come at 0600 and he will take him to respite camp until Friday afternoon. My husband will come to the hospital as soon as the caregiver arrives. He may miss me before I go to surgery but that is the way it has to be. We had the same dilema when I had an angiogram a few weeks ago. Jan janmmiller1@msn.com

Post Date: 3/18/06 9:47 pm
Topic: RE: Autistic girls and Menstration
My 10 yr old did the same thing. I am considering the same thing. She is just not mature enough for it.

Post Date: 2/2/06 1:49 pm
Topic: a good website
Check out www.generationrescue.org -- a lot of valuable info for parents of autistic children. I am a rescue angel in Maryland and work with several families mentoring them on biomedical interventions that have helped my son immensely. -BJ