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.

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

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 [email protected]

My 10 yr old did the same thing. I am considering the same thing. She is just not mature enough for it.

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