Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Family of individuals affected by Autistic Spectru's LiveJournal:

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Monday, June 23rd, 2008
9:06 pm [strawberry_tart]	Violent behavior in my preschooler My four-year-old son has Autism Spectrum Disorder. While he was in school, his behavior was not perfect, but was better than it has been this summer. This summer things have gotten much worse. He's hitting, pushing, lying on, and generally terrorizing the other kids. I've tried everything I can think of to get him to stop: talking to him, yelling at him, giving him time-outs, swatting his hand, taking him inside, etc, but nothing works. Has this happened to anyone else? Do you have any advice? Current Mood: frustrated (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
2:15 pm [sarcastic_one]	Anyone in Boston Mass? I sooo dont mean to be a lurker... I thought i would post as my family is going to be relocating from the bay area to Boston... Any parents on this list from the Boston Area? I would love to pick your brain (hypothetically of course). About me: I have a son who is 4.5 yrs old...non-verbal with a diagnosis of Autism... Services here in california -- or at least the bay area are something that you have to fight for...and then threaten..and then lawyer up (once the child is > 3 yrs old). And even then...the out of pocket cost is amazing... I have to wonder how people afford to do it if they are single parents! Any advice you can offer in would be fantastic! Current Mood: curious (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
5:35 pm [yourepicending]	149Pieces is a small non-profit organization put together to help support Autism Awareness. It will focus on creating and donating art, music, photography and anything else that may come our way. In the near future, concerts will be held and merchandise will be sold. All the money we recieve or any donations will go to AutismSpeaks.org We really have big plans & high hopes for this, so until our website gets put up, please head over to myspace & send a friend request and ask how you can get involved! Please spread the word too! We'd really appreciate it! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
4:51 pm [mooncrab]	We've been struggling with the school for weeks, while they waffle back and forth about whether or not they'll give my daughter an official dx of Asperger's or not, so she can get services.  (For background's sake, her brother has autism.) So I just got a phone call from one of the counselors at the school, and he told me, point blank, that it's 10 times harder to get an AS dx for a girl than it is for a boy, and that I need to "just keep at it" because if Tykie were a boy and had the same scores on the same tests, she would have "had a signed and sealed diagnosis weeks ago." WTF?!  I'm so confused!  Why would it be that way? (x-posted, sorry) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 26th, 2008
5:47 pm [jolie_moon]	Milk addict Any of you guys have a child on the spectrum who's also a milk addict? My almost-3-year-old son is OBSESSED and ADDICTED to milk, it's driving me nuts!! I've been trying to reduce him to 2-3 cups a day with diluted juice in between. Then he finally started signing milk again so I asked his autism specialist teacher what I should do if he asks for milk at times he shouldn't have milk. She said to give him  little by little, otherwise he will STOP signing milk. So I tried that, and he just kept asking for more and more because I was only giving him 1/4 cup of milk each time he asked for it. His dad said maybe if we give him a full cup, he will stop asking for another 2-3 hours.. we tried that, and our son was still acting like a MONSTER whether we told him "later" or tried to give him juice instead. Because of this, he is a MONSTER and has been soiling his diapers ALL DAY, ALL NIGHT. Our son truly truly truly BEGS and NEEDLES us for milk all the time. WIC and his doctor said only to give him 2-3 cups of milk a day, period. The teacher said to keep giving little by little. NOTHING IS WORKING. Should we just flat-out BAN milk? I am tired of my son needling me all the time, I am tired of constantly buying milk all the time. What do we do?? Please help before I pull out all my hair! (heh) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 25th, 2008
7:11 pm [jolie_moon]	Autism & Potty Training Hi, what's your advice on potty training for autistic children?   My son will be starting summer school in less than a month, just a week away from his 3rd birthday. I'd like to try potty training with him again. How often should I have him sit on the potty? He watches his dad "go potty" sometimes, so I'm hoping that will help him get a better concept of using the potty.. I know I'm supposed to give him a treat after he uses the potty successfully, but any other advice? My son is deaf and autistic (with a possibility of ADD/ADHD) -- he used to know up to 50-60 signs until his brother was born.. his signs regressed. Now he will only use about 7 signs. Not sure how to teach him how to use the potty if he is kind of "non-verbal"?? Not literally non-verbal, just not communicating that much. ARgh, I am not making any sense here, I know....   X-posted to several other communities... (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, May 17th, 2008
9:13 am [magnificentmndi]	Help with formulating an IEP Here goes nothing.  We are in the process of formulating an IEP for Curtis.  He is 9.  PDD/NOS  We don't have a full Asperger's Dx, yet.  A few of his challenges: Organization, everything.  Non verbal communication Reasoning Coping Putting himself in other's shoes Time management, even the concept of time is lost. Conversation.  He will dump facts.  He does not know how to have a conversational experience.  Cannot write abstractly.  Does not know how to create a beginning, middle and an end.  Just plain doesn't get it.  At all. Has NO concept of consequences.  None. Writing is a CHALLENGE.  Not the physical act of writing, but organizing ideas into a written "story".  (oops, i repeated!) Math ~ abstract math.  Rote memorization, no problem. Obstinance Transitioning I would like to know what YOUR IEP's look like.  We are trying to get an in room full time aid.  I don't know what would help!!  Just looking for a jumping off point.  Thanks in advance for all your sage wisdom!!! x-posted like crazy.   spectrum_parent  asd_families   autism_spectrum    Sorry for duplicates! Current Mood: hopeful (Comment on this)
Saturday, April 12th, 2008
7:30 am [magnificentmndi]	Wanted ~ Time Timer's Hi folks!  We are finally on a good track of help and assistance for out 9 year old son.  I have tried to use timers in the past with little to no luck.  His therapist showed us these:  Time Timer  In an effort to save money and hopefully resources, I am asking this community if they have any of these they are not using and are wanting to sell/pass on.  It is always worth asking, right?  Thanks for taking note!!  Here's a pic as well: Current Mood: hopeful (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 7th, 2008
7:12 pm [sarcastic_one]	If you're in San Francisco...A new Tribe has been born http://tribes.tribe.net/sfautisticparents Ok...so your kiddo got the diagnosis... and you cried or got angry or got determined... disagreements & fights with Ins providers disagreements & fights with SFUSD did your friends understand? Do you find yourself explaining and defining "Autism" or "Stimming" over and over again... at least 1 out of every 150 kids is on the spectrum...right? SURELY there are other parents out there that need to be with people who not only understand, but who don't require an explanation when your kiddo grinds his/her teeth or makes sounds that are out of the ordinary... My experience is that while my friends really try to understand that my son is autistic...they dont have the day to day experience to put it aside and relate to me and my son...(tho they now recognize the signs of Autism when they see it...so they dont just think "crazy" or "bad parents" now they think..."potential stim?") Anyway...long story short...Any Autistic parents up for an attempt at communication over coffee (or better yet a game night) and potential loud-sounds, stims?? :) It cant be just me.... (x-posted) Current Mood: determined (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, March 6th, 2008
8:46 am [kibbles]	Assistive Tech My (nonverbal) 6 year old is getting a Chatbox 40. ANyone use assistive tech for non verbal children? How's it working out for you? We get a loaner on the 12th, it has 400 words, and we will see if that is large enough/small enough. http://www.acciinc.com/Communication%20Devices/Chatbox40XT.htm That thing. (Comment on this)
4:55 pm [kerry_lee]	Behind every smile Tears have run their course Behind every laugh A cry has been unearthed Beyond what others see Beyond what other hear Is a river that runs deeply Formed through many years. Sometimes the tears feel Engraved upon your skin A permanent reminder Of the pain that is within Sometimes it seems the sun Will never again shine And the flowers will all wilt And the grass will pine The sweet singing of the birds Stilled for all time Longed for, not forgotten The sweet fulfilling chime But those days do come to an end And the clouds do turn and part And sunbeams once again Embrace a shadowed heart The birds revive their tune Singing as never before A song that is their lifeblood The song an open door Walk through the door of fear Beyond the walls of doubt Break free from constant shadow Into the brightness which has come out. And in the brightness of this day Remember too the cloud Memorialise the lesson The fallow land now ploughed. Kerry Lee Harney 7/06/2008 (Comment on this)
Monday, March 3rd, 2008
9:27 pm [jolie_moon]	Question for toddler mamas/daddies My son will be 3 in June and still throws his "hard" toys such as toy cars, legos, blocks... you get the idea. The problem is, I have a 6-month-old son. My oldest doesn't understand that his little brother will get hurt if he keeps on throwing "hard" toys all over the place. I took away all of his "hard" toys, leaving him with many soft toys which are mostly his little brother's. I hate taking things away from my oldest. I wish he could play with age-appopriate toys without being so aggressive. What kind of toys do you let your toddler play with, without worrying about someone else getting hurt or something getting damaged? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
9:47 pm [jolie_moon]	i don't know where to begin... but i'm telling you, i am DESPERATE! my 2 1/2 year old son does not sleep through the night. i have tried weighted blankets on him (3 lbs, 5 lbs), compressions & brushing, shortening his naptimes.. you name it, i pretty much tried everything. nothing works. he tends to go to bed at around 9-10 at night... wakes up at 2 am & stays up til about 5-7 am. sometimes i let him go to bed late, thinking that he will sleep through the night.. but that almost never works. all he wants to do in the middle of the night is to be rocked in the rocking chair. my boyfriend usually gets up in the middle of the night to take care of him. i need my sleep because i usually get up early in the morning with my 5 month old son AND my 2 1/2 year old son (i am at a stay home mom). when my boyfriend goes back to work, i will have to get up in the middle of the night then take care of my 5 month old when he wakes up. i am at my wits end because everyone needs their sleep! am i the only one here or are there other parents going through this too?  (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 17th, 2008
12:37 pm [kerry_lee]	The Dragon That’s what I call my brother’s Asperger Syndrome It was a dark and stormy night, and I lay with my eyes squeezed tightly shut. The lightning flashed so brightly I could see it through my eyelids. I burrowed deeper into my blankets. A deafening peel of thunder rolled across the sky, and I let out a small whimper. My imagination got the better of me, and I began to hear things outside the window. The howling wind became a werewolf, searching for its next victim, the tree scraping on the window was some dark stranger trying to get inside. "It’s only a storm, it’s only a storm, it’s only a storm..." I whispered to myself, and clutched my teddy bear tighter. I almost died when I heard the voice, before realising it was just my brother. "Are you okay?" He whispered across the room. I just whimpered again, too afraid to talk. I could hear him climbing out of his bead on the other side of the room, before I felt his hand tugging at the blankets and slipping in beside me. He cuddled up to me and I relaxed. No words were said, and I eventually fell asleep again, even though the thunder was still crashing overhead. There is no other way to describe it. My brother is special. There are times when he is like a knight in shining armour to me, protecting me and making everything better. He is my shield and my sword, and in these times I feel safe. He is also the best artist I have ever seen. He can draw anything I ask, bunnies, cartoon characters...and he draws his toys and cars and trucks so well they look real. He understands complicated science concepts, and is always asking Dad how things work, and he sometimes even shows me. However, there is another side to my brother. A darker secret, hidden inside. There is a dragon curled up inside of him, one with a fiery temper and no sense of how others feel. This Dragon cannot relate well to other people, and it makes it difficult for him to make friends. My brother tries his hardest to keep the Dragon in check, locked up inside but often he will lose control slightly, and Mum or Dad will have to help him calm it down. Sometimes it escapes entirely and... I don’t like to talk about that. My family are special too. We are his protectors; the only ones other than him that know how to treat the Dragon properly, to calm it down and to understand it. Well, other than some of his teachers at school, though most of them don’t really get it. I know I shouldn’t, but it’s like a game to me. Sometimes I taunt the Dragon inside, see how close I can get to waking it up, with out my brother loosing control. I can see the flashes of it in his eyes, he’ll tell me to leave him alone. But I push him just that little bit further, stand closer to the edge of the cliff, and tempt the Dragon just a little bit more. Sometime’s he’ll hit me. Other time’s he’ll yell. Normally I can run to the bathroom fast enough to lock myself inside, or get to the safety of Mum or Dad before the Dragon gets me. After a few seconds though, my brother will have the Dragon under control again, and we’ll go back to watching TV, or playing Nintendo together. Then there are the other times. When the Dragon is set free. I sat in the family room, watching TV. Sponge Bob Square Pants, and it was one of my favourite TV shows. It was especially fun to watch on a Saturday afternoon, when I had nothing better to do. My brother was having a bad day. Mum and Dad had thrown out the old couch because it was sagging in the middle, and bought a new one. The Dragon didn’t like change, and he had been restless all day. I knew that today was not a good time to taunt the Dragon, because then it could get free. But what happened wasn’t my fault. Like I said, my brother had had a bad day. He’s just come back from seeing his doctor, and was, if it was possible, in a worse mood than before. He slammed the door on his way in, and stormed into the family room. "Give me the remote," He demanded. "No. I was here first. I’m watching Sponge Bob." I said, even though Mum had warned me that he was in a bad mood, and that I shouldn’t do anything to aggravate him. I wasn’t in the wrong, anyway. "Give me the remote!" He whinged, and tried to snatch it away from me. I clambered up, and ran to the other side of the couch. "Mum!" I screamed the word as if it was a magic incantation, with the power to save me from any trouble. Normally he would back off if I called for Mum, but today he’d had a bad day. Today the Dragon was going to escape; I saw it in his eyes. "Mum!" I cried, more desperately this time, as the Dragon advanced on me. It punched me in the stomach, and I whimpered, like on that stormy night when my brother had saved me from my fear. Now the Dragon was the cause of it. It punched me again and again, until my mother came and pulled it away from me. It struggled, and spat at her, but she held on tight. My Dad came in and picked it up, and carried it to my brother’s room. It started to scream. My Mum held my hand, and sat with me in my room for a while. Sometimes, when the Dragon is really angry, I have to go to my Aunt’s house. Once I even stayed for the night. But normally my brother has control of it again after a little while. The screaming stopped, and my Mum left to check on my brother. He was crying, sad for what he had done, and wanted to apologise to me. I forgave him, because I knew it wasn’t his fault. I love my brother because he loves me, and I know it’s not his fault; that even though he tries, sometimes he has no control over the Dragon that is inside. And I know that he is special, and that we must protect him, just as he protects me. Written by Mieka, a 16 year old who is reflecting on her feelings about growing up with her older brother identified with Asperger Syndrome. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
10:44 pm [jolie_moon]	my oldest son is 2 1/2 and i find it very difficult to potty-train him. he is so full-of-energy that i can't get him to sit down for more than a minute. i also don't think he understands the concept of sitting on the toilet to pee or poop.  i wonder, is it harder to potty-train autisitic kids? how long did it take you to train yours? also, HOW did you go about teaching him/her? thanks in advance! :) (x-posted to several other communities) (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, January 11th, 2008
7:06 am [akillianna]	noob allo. i am new to this group. I have a 7 yr old son with Autism, I am also married to a man who has Aspergers (not my sons bio father). I am looking for help and support in dealing with such unique and wonderful people.  Current Mood: lazy (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 9th, 2008
12:17 pm [heresy_emma]	part 2..... cue...DREGAN! Ive just this morning received the revised statement for Dregan. There is ONE line in it that says "The consultant paediatrician noted that during the consultation Dregan presented as more autistic than on previous visits". Thats it. No more inclusion at all, just that. So, Even thought he complex learning difficulties team is going to get involved, which means more help at school, there is still no diagnosis. At the end of the statement there is a letter attatched from Dr Wheatley (the consultant paediatrician) to the assosiate specialist in community child Health, and it states "All in all he did come across as more autistic than when Ive seen him before. This co-incides with Dregans having been seen by Mick Connelly of the Borough's Complex Learning difficulties Services; I understand that he feels that Dregan is clearly autistic" CLEARLY AUTISTIC - no mention of aspergers. AUTISM, from 2 SPECIALISTS! So, pray tell, WHY isnt there a diagnosis or an inclusion of it into the statement of special educational needs? With that diagnosis I could get him into a specialist school, which to be honest i am veering more towards because he is learning NOTHING!!! So, after stressing out and wondering what the hell Im supposed to do. Ive done loads of research for both the boys today, asked peoples advice, searched websites and im still stressed. I called dr Wheatleys secretary to ask if there has actually been any kind of diagnosis. She said that Dregan is to be put in front of the board again today, for a follow up discussion. So thats good isnt it? Also, she said she will bring it up and say that im asking for a difinitive diagnosis on the statement. Also, Dr Wheatly wants another appointment with Dregan at the end of the month. I know that some people dont need diagnosis, but i do. I feel that I need something so that I have that support when i need more help. Saying Aspergers, or Autism or whatever gets more of a reaction than 'my son has special needs although he hasnt been diagnosed with anything yet, other than blah blah blah anmd blah blah blah!' anyone else been through this? (5 Comments |Comment on this)
10:45 am [heresy_emma]	Hello Hello all Just thought Id introduce myself. I am 26, and single mom to 2 boys. Dregan is 8 and Xander is 5. Since Dregan was a baby I always knew there was something 'different', but nobody took any notice of me. At the age of 3 he still wasnt speaking clearly, and he was given speech therapy, but they used it mainly for his concentration and attention. At 5 he went to schoo, into a SERF unit for speecha nd language. Still, I argued it wasnt just his speech and language, it was his understanding. At 6 he was diagnosed with dyspraxia, but I still wasnt convinced. At 7 he had to go into a mainstream setting at school because the SERF is only available to year 2, so now he is in a regular school, year 3, and isnt coping. They always told me I would NOT get him statemented because they dont statement for speech and language, and its too expensive, etc, so nobody would put him forward for a statement. So, I wrote and requested it myself, whicj Id found out they legally had to if you asked, and, oh looky, he is getting a statement! So, the first draft came through, and even though ALL the specialists he saw said there was difficulty, they were only willing to give half an hour a week speech, and 2 hours a morning help. Dregan cant read, cant write, doesnt speak that clearly, doesnt play with other children, is HIGHLY emotional and very low confidence. So, I argued witht he statement, and he went back to the peadeatrician, who FINALLY agreed that it was possibly autistic spectrum and now Im waiting ro hear. I have found that it is practically impossible to get anyone to give any diagnosis or help. He is 8 now, and what am I going to do when he is supposed to go to high school? I know he is Aspergers, Ive always said that, and now I have 2, possibly 3 of the specialists agreeing with me, but apparently it has to be a 'joint' diagnosis between everyone. Its stupid! So, thats my story. Im sure it will be updated as time goes on. Im seriously considering a 'specialist' school, so any advice on what you think about them would be good. Dregan just isnt improving in mainstream, and the whole point of school is to learn. He actually tries to stay at home, which he NEVER did before going there. So yeah, hello all :P xXx (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
1:18 pm [lifesaboxofstds]	Have any of you SAHM's found any decent sort of way to make money from home that's NOT a scam, that you don't have to fork over a bunch of money to MAKE money? Any ideas, suggestions? If this is considered off topic, please let me know :) (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
8:56 am [dbang]	introduction and Semantic Pragmatic Disorder x-posted from my own LJ: ---- Those who know my family well know that my youngest child is...odd. He's a wonderful, sweet, bright boy who is cuddly and energetic and active. But, he's...odd. Some of his oddness are noted in formal ways -- he was a slow talker and has fine motor delays, and has gotten special help from the state and school system for those things. But much of his oddness defies clear description. This year he "graduated" from speech therapy, after 3 years, having officially been tested to be operating at age level. But...but...I knew his language still wasn't normal. Yeah he had a good vocabulary and sentence structure, but he couldn't converse like other kids. The ebb and flow of social interaction just totally eludes him. I didn't know how to verbalize my observations to the speech therapists so I let it pass. He also has other strangeness; he doesn't follow story plots and at 5 is still interested in books geared toward preschoolers. He has an awesome grasp of numbers and yet has no concept of time or money. He hates crowds and doesn't cope well with new people, especially in groups. His oddness and social difficulities have been causing him trouble at school lately, and leaving us as his parents baffled about what to do. Things that work with "normal" kids just don't work. The standard advice just doesn't apply. I've thought for some time that he might have some sort of sub-clinical autism spectrum disorder; maybe Asperger Syndome. Whenever I read about those sorts of problems, I get some head nodding (yeah yeah! that's right) but also a fair amount of disconnect (obsessive compulsive behaviors? obsessional focus? Nah...) Then tonight, following links from Asperger's, I finally found it. Semantic Pragmatic Disorder. That's it. That's the thing. I read that whole long page nodding and nodding and nodding and laughing and nodding and sighing. I'm almost in tears. I can't tell you have a relief it is to know that other kids are like this too. That it doesn't mean he's going to be a social freak all his life. That WE aren't crazy. That there's a name and description for the heretofore indescribable oddness of our wonderful child. I'm not sure what to do next. I'll be doing more reading and more thinking and more talking with professionals. Tonight, I'm just so delighted and relieved to have a name for it. (4 Comments |Comment on this)