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Any other parents of an ASD kid? My boy is six and was diagnosed two years ago as high-functioning autistic aka Aspergers. It's funny that I'm part of a forum where "rear end-burgers" is mocked as an excuse for not acting normal and then we have this fabulous kid who's not acting normal. I can tell you he wants to be like the other kids but he can't. He's told me so. I know he's going to have a harder life but with the social skills coaching he's getting at this young age I'm very optimistic for his future. As for parenting an ASD kid, I think we're very lucky as our boy is (very) vocal, can dress and feed himself, no bathroom problems, and he doesn't have any stims or obsessions. He has behavioral and social issues, and big time attention issues that can be partially treated with meds. Canuckistan fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Sep 24, 2012 |
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Sep 24, 2012 15:01
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He has an EA in school and during the summer we hired a university student to work with him as a one-on-one at his summer camps. She had a good amount of experience working with ASD kids as well and she did a great job. Fortunately she was paid for by a provincially funded grant.
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Sep 24, 2012 19:55
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AngryRobotsInc posted:My son is autistic. Diagnosed at about five, just turned eight this July. I'm sure you've thought about after school sports/programs. Do you think your son would get anything out of them? We tried soccer and swimming with our lad and his attention problems would mean him zoning out and just doing his own thing. It's hard watching practice with the other parents and seeing their kids work and excel and mine rolling around on the field by himself. Now that he's on meds for attention we're signing him up for skating lessons. This program has experience with special needs kids so there may be some more one-on-one time.
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Sep 25, 2012 10:47
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Hah. Our boy loves bowling as well. His big thing is that he picks out a ball and he waits for it to return. It can sure slow down a set. He's getting better at not doing that though. We're also thinking about gymnastics or karate.
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Sep 25, 2012 13:41
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Kids not wanting to go to daycare/leave their parents is quite common so don't feel bad. I'd see kids crying every day when I was dropping my son off. We suspected at 3 that our son had attention issues and by 4 it was more than a suspicion and by 5 it was diagnosed and medicated. Little things like going to the bathroom would turn into huge delays because he would forget what he was doing and start doing something else. He's the epitome of "ooh shiny!". Cute kid! Yeah, I can see why he would stand out in Saigon. rio, you have my sympathies. Good luck and try to take care of yourself. If you're really bad off try contacting local charities and service groups and see if they have anything to give you a hand up.
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Sep 26, 2012 11:50
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We didn't medicate until he started school and the teachers told us that he would not be able to keep up with his peers. Now that he's medicated he's doing fantastic in school. We started at 5 mg Ritalin, moved up to 10mg, and now he's at 15mg at breakfast, 15mg at lunch and 5mg at 3pm. He's doing great in school and home life is much easier. Whenever he's not paying attention it's a common thing to hear from my wife or I "meds??" meaning "Did he get his last dose?". We've tried the once a day time released Ritalin aka Concerta and we found that it didn't work nearly as well as the regular Ritalin. Ritalin is pretty safe. It's been used for 60 years and at his dosages it has no long term effects nor does it build tolerance or addiction. At proper dosages it shouldn't turn him into a zombie-kid free of personality or spark. Our boy still has great amounts of fun and temper tantrums. The worst side effect we experience is a lack of appetite. He's never been a great eater and sometimes it can be a chore getting half a sandwich into him. All we do with that is make sure we provide healthy choices so he's not getting empty calories when he does eat. Don't be afraid of medication. Get informed, try to talk to a pediatrician, and make an informed choice. Keep in mind that my son is also autistic so definitely YMMV.
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Sep 26, 2012 14:19
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We applied for the Disability Tax Credit Certificate from the Canadian Revenue Agency (aka the tax man) for our son and we got word today that it was accepted. This will allow us to claim disability tax credits on our income tax retroactive to when he was born. We were worried it would be a problem as Autism is pretty hit and miss for claims with many parents needing to appeal decisions. We're happy that we won't need to go through that. Sorry to hear that Angry. We had a 30 minute phone call from our son's teacher this evening. He had a major meltdown today over something trivial. On the plus side he says that he's embarrassed that he did that in front of his classmates. Embarrassment can be a powerful motivator plus we're glad he's conscious of the fact that others will perceive him differently because of his behavior.
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Sep 28, 2012 01:33
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That's neat! No need for them anymore since our son now "sleeps in" to 7, but those "5:30 and it's time to play!" mornings sucked.
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Oct 12, 2012 15:41
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Chickalicious posted:That website advocates this as a technique to help with sleep at SIX WEEKS OLD: I think what they're advocating is that you don't use a bottle as a soother to get the baby to sleep. I think that's good advice. Our little fellow would fall asleep while nursing all the time and we had to pump his little legs to keep him awake long enough to get a full tummy.
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Oct 16, 2012 12:41
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Ariza posted:Please don't get crazy about this again. It's what got the thread shut down last time. There's lots of different ways to do things and none of them are "right." This is also good advice.
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Oct 16, 2012 13:20
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Hey AngryRobots. That's tough. I feel for you. I don't have any suggestions that your you and your son's EA probably already went through. Is he lashing out at students or staff? What sparks the tantrums? For our son his school tantrums are usually associated with him losing a special object (lego, a dime he just picked up, etc) and then being forced to transition to another activity before he finds it. At home we used sticker charts to track good behavior (good behavior = stickers on a page. X number of stickers = prize or privilege) but that's just not possible at school so we've stopped using them. Our school has started him and some other ASD kids on a special class twice a week that teaches social skills and ways of dealing with stress without melting down. Up until now it's been things like recognizing when you're starting to have a meltdown and basically giving yourself a timeout if needed. Recently they've also been working on understanding "rigid" thinking and how to make your thinking more "flexible".
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Oct 24, 2012 13:54
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Ariza posted:Does anyone have a suggestion for a TV sort of thing for the car? Most of them seem to be portable DVD players with LCDs that mount to the back of the headrest, but we don't really have DVDs anymore, so I'm looking for something that can play off of USB drives. I'm going to be making multiple 8 hour (6.5 without stops) car trips with just me and my daughter soon and it's not very fun. I'm hoping being able to watch something will keep her happy longer than reading to herself. Really you should be looking at a tablet. Videos + angry birds + headphones = happy car trips.
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Nov 21, 2012 14:41
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For us it's a valuable
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Nov 21, 2012 15:13
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Our son can be bossy when playing. I'm sure you do this already but if not try 'taking turns'. He gets to play his way for a minute then you tell him it's your turn and you want to play your way. If he doesn't let you have your turn then you simply tell him that's not fair and you walk away. Eventually he should get the point. Same goes for the girl. Like you said, you have to be firm. Remember that you're the boss and you don't have to treat them like equals. Good luck.
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Dec 3, 2012 02:41
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Yay babies! I never cared much for kids before we had one and now I go all goofy when I see them. My wife and I see our fertility specialist today. Hopefully we can add in some new pictures in a year or so.
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Dec 5, 2012 14:41
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Wayne Gretzky posted:We're doing "santa exists and he flies around and poo poo for real and hes spying on your rear end" in my house because it definitely scores higher than "there is no santa" on the "which is way more fun for a child" metric, and its also important to let your kid know early that people lie all the loving time for good and bad reasons. Being not-perfectly credible as a dad is a goal rather than a failure as far as I'm concerned - seems more fun Same here. Calvin's dad is somewhat of a role model of mine. 
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Dec 11, 2012 14:16
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rio posted:I wasn't saying to not have a birthday party or do anything for her because she wouldn't remember it. I was concerned about something that has no nutritional content and is not only benign but bad for you that a lot of kids have problems with. I was a terrible eater when I was a kid partially due to my grandmother who would let me have everything that I shouldn't have every time I saw her. Eventually I would go on hunger strikes until my parents gave in and I guess I am just coming from that experience when considering things like sweets. I think cutting then off completely is a bad thing, though, and just wanted some input from other parents about the cake thing. Serious question - Are you fat? I am and for the first few years I was over the top anal about sugar and zero nutritional food but I realized that my kid wasn't going to turn into a fellow fatty just by having the occasional cookie or cake. We consistently get told by our kids teachers that we send very healthy lunches and they wish other parents did likewise, but he also gets to eat his halloween candy and this christmas he's totally filling his face with baked goods and candy canes. It's a good thing.
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Dec 24, 2012 01:36
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Ughh.. poor you  First, you're not a bad mom. Even if your kid ate cookies for three weeks it's not going to turn Kido into a little butterball. However you're their mom and you get equal say about what goes into their mouths. Compromise is the name of the game here. Make a deal that there's good food before treats. The perfume is easy. She needs to stop wearing them and you need to tell your husband that he needs to deal with her. It's up to your husband to stand by your side on these things, even if he doesn't really believe in them.
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Dec 24, 2012 13:41
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Santa's cookies and milk are made up and the little dude is in bed. Life is good. Time for a big ol rum and eggnog.
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Dec 25, 2012 00:23
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Sometimes it's just textures. My six year old son is a super picky eater but it comes down to textures for him. Too crisp or too chewy/meaty is a sure way to get a refusal. He'll now eat ground beef, which is a new and welcome thing, but he won't eat any other type of beef. Same for poultry. However he'll eat fall-off-the-bone ribs no problem. Along the same line he won't eat fries but he will eat mashed potatoes. We've tried many things to try to help him to eat but forcing him to eat was no good. The poor tyke would try to eat something and you would see his body shivering with disgust while he tried to make us happy. We just let him develop his preferences naturally and they're slowly maturing. That said, we still put food on his plate that we know he doesn't like and challenge him to eat a bite or two in exchange for some dessert or screen time.
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Dec 26, 2012 12:35
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Perhaps it's her bladder that's waking her up? Is she still in diapers?
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Dec 28, 2012 15:25
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AngryRobotsInc posted:My son started Adderall XR at the end of the last week, and I'm finally seeing a huge improvement in his general behavior (less violent outbursts and better focus on things), which I'm hoping carries over to when school goes back in session. I'm glad to hear that the meds are working out for him. We tried Adderall with our son but it didn't work nearly as well as the Ritalin. Ritalin has been a real help to our family. Eggplant Wizard posted:It isn't a made up problem thing. ADHD kids' brains work differently from those of neurotypical kids; it's visible through brain scanning. He might just be a normal kid who likes soap a lot, or he could have ADHD and get bored brushing his teeth (I do. Yes, really. I listen to podcasts.). It won't hurt anything to get him evaluated. Even if he does come up with a positive diagnosis, he doesn't have to go on meds or anything- that's a whole second conversation to have with his doctors (although meds can be really helpful and you shouldn't discount them if it comes to that). If he does have ADHD, just getting educated on how to work with how his brain works would be a huge help both at home and at school. Again, it can't hurt and it might help. I agree. Taking forever in the bathroom was one of the earliest tells that our son had attention issues. As for the difference between our son and neurotypical kids, my wife and I have almost a mantra now to help us through trying times... "that's our boy." Just a simple reminder that we have to adjust our thinking to take his way of thinking into account.
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Dec 31, 2012 14:32
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Our son (6 years old, high functioning autistic) just started taking household things and stashing them elsewhere. He's also just started telling fibs so when you ask him if he's seen X he'll tell a bold faced lie that he's never touched it when it's actually sitting in a box next to him. This morning I had to go searching for the toothpaste (it was in his room under his dirty clothes) and he'll pretty much take anything and everything else. My wallet, money from my wallet, meds, baking supplies, snacks, etc. It's very annoying to have to lock up things like he's a toddler again. He's also just developed behavioral issues with hiding and defiance to authority figures, and he doesn't seem to make a good connection between bad behavior and punishment. When he goes into a meltdown he's pretty much inconsolable until he suddenly snaps out of it like someone flicked a switch. We saw our child shrink and she's thinking it's a combination of him not picking up on queues, him being very bright and wanting independence, and that we (the parents) are trying too hard to micromanage his life skills development so he's rebelling against being corrected all the time. Her advice was to pick one aspect of home life that needs improvement and reward behavior as appropriate, and for all other behavior do not punish or reward. This will turn punishment and reward back into a special thing versus something that was happening multiple times a day. The shrink didn't think anything was too serious and that it was just a combination of normal 6 year old behavior amplified by his other issues. Just venting a little here guys. We're consulting with professionals so things are being handled OK.
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Jan 29, 2013 13:36
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Anyone have any experience with lactation inducing drugs like Domperidone (Motilium, Motilidone)? My wife is not producing enough milk for our newborn and since she's so tiny (5lbs 11oz at birth) the nurses are now supplementing her with 1 oz of formula after each nursing. The docs are hoping the Motilium will kickstart the milk production and make the supplementing unnecessary.
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Oct 22, 2013 12:45
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sheri posted:And keep in mind a lot of doctors and nurses have no clue about breastfeeding unfortunately. Try to get help from a lactation consultant or LLL member. My baby lost 11 oz (he was big so this was not 10% of body weight) and after a few days of losing he started packing on the pounds. Losing weight is normal, especially for breastfeed babies and if your wife had IV fluids. She's down 7 Oz in her first 24 hours so that's 8 percent. Since she's so small and was born 18 days early that makes it a concern. My wife is nursing a lot but she didn't produce enough milk for our first child so with that history in mind they're concerned about keeping her weight up. The routine now is to nurse, then supplement with pumped milk, then finish with formula. We intend to keep nursing if possible so that's where the lactation inducing meds come in. Another concern is that her suck may not be fully developed due to her small size and early arrival.
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Oct 22, 2013 18:31
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My wife tried breastfeeding with the last baby for three months with many many consults with LLL and public health. This was a bad three months with marathon feeding sessions, pumping when she could with very little milk being produced, many sleepless nights, and concerned parents. After three months our pediatrician gave a diagnosis of failure to thrive and we switched to formula. Night and day difference with the child after that. He started sleeping more and growth took off and went from FTT to 95 percentiles. Don't be quick to assume that everyone that has trouble nursing is either not committed or doing it wrong. Based on her history she's starting Motilium tonight to try and stimulate milk production. We want our new baby to nurse more than anything, but we also are keenly aware of the past and the toll that it had on our family. edit - I also made a mistake earlier. The forumla supplementation happening now is around 10 ml per feeding. This is after nursing for 45 minutes and then taking the 5-7 ml of colostrum that my wife is pumping between feeding. Canuckistan fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Oct 23, 2013 |
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Oct 23, 2013 00:18
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