Anyone with a Severly Autistic Child?

Feel free to send me a message. My daughter is 7, and I guess you could say she is severely autistic. I think she meets all of the criteria (all 12). She doesn't do the head banging, but she has other issues. And she doesn't talk either. Anyway, send me a message, and we can talk.

Hi there,
I don't have an autistic child but I have a nephew who is. The very best thing they did for him and for their family was found out about Wyoming Children's Waiver/Respite Services. In Montana you can find information on them at http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/dsd/homebasedservicestofamilies/i...

Getting your daughter on the waiver program can help in many aspects. They can help you with things from devolopmental items, nessesities, respite care to help give you a break when you need it.. and a break for your daughter when she needs it. They have some wonderful education resources and have helped my nephew and thier whole family beyond words.

Hope this helps some.

Hi N.-

My husband and I just found out that our 2 yr. old son has Autism. It is actually mild, but we have been researching alot and are starting to put him on a GF/CF Diet. (Gluten Free/Casein Free) Have you looked into that? Alot of parents we talked to said that it did help their child's behavior. It may be worth a try.

My son just started having some pretty wild tantrums and have no idea if it's Autism or Terrible Two's... What's a mom to do? Good luck to you and hope you find something to help your little one.

N.,

I have a relatively mildly autistic son who is 3. So not exactly the same situation but I can definitely relate. Taking my son anywhere is quite a challenge. He wants to run from me, throw himself onto the floor and scream, just scream in general and that type of thing. You can't really explain it to someone who hasn't been there and done that. The looks and comments you get from people are really harsh and it is hard. No one wants to be accused of being a bad parent but that seems to be the way it goes when you've got an autistic child. Everyone just assumes your kid is a brat and that the behavior is something that you've caused. My son communicates at a pretty basic level both verbally and with sign (just words at this point but he's improving, I'm really hoping someday soon we'll see him starting to be able to actually converse - that's my dream) but as he's getting older some of the behavioral stuff is getting worse. He can definitely be really, really challenging. He does much better at home, familar environment, familiar people. New situations and new people equals painful experience for all of us. Are you getting any services for your daughter? My son is currently in a special needs preschool autism classroom with the school district and he's doing extremely well. His communication skills have really improved and his behavior is coming around in many areas. If you are in the Las Vegas area and want info on the process of being evaluated, email me directly and I'll tell you what I know. My son goes to school 6 hours a day, 5 days a week and has the extended school year. He gets a variety of therapies but it includes 90 minutes of speech therapy a week and he just had his evaluation by an occupational therapist. They are working on fine and gross motor skills and potty training also. In general, I'm not all that impressed with the clark county school district but I have to say so far I'm really pleased with their special needs preschool program. If you just want to chat, email me anyway. I really do understand what you are going through.

T. ____@____.com

Hi N.,
I don't have children with Autisim, but I have been around children who have similar developmental problems. I saw your request and just wanted to let you know that you are doing your best in such a trying situation. The one thing I have seen from other moms is that they get a very tough skin about what others may think. They just can't and don't have the time to care about what others are thinking or else they would break down all the time. Keep loving your girl and working with her and that is all that matters. You are a good mother, and I hope that you connect with other moms that are dealing with the same thing! I will say a prayer for you.
R.

I am the mother of 2 children that experience autism. Both have come a long way since the days that I had to deal with the exact thing that you are describing.... I remember my son hitting his head on the Walmart floor, and the day my daughter cried for 18 straight hours...so I hope that you take this advice the way that it is intended....

First of all cut it out... I know without meeting you that you are a better parent than anyone that deals with a "normal" child, because I know the amount of patience that it takes to deal with autism....

Second of all, start applying some of the same patience with yourself that you use with your child.... you deserve it too....

And third, I have been there... I've left carts in the middle of the isle, and carried my 2 (one under each arm like a sack of potatoes) out of the store. Consentrate on how well you're both doing, and stop worrying about what other people think.... it doesn't make a difference what they think... but what you think does make a difference. Take it one day and step at a time.... you'll get there.

I have been taking a psycology class and my teacher gave me this website for autism http://www.featsonv.org/ If you scroll down the homepage on the left hand side is a section or list of buttens the one that says educate yourself is the one you should push first it has a list of websites for parents and caregivers for people with autism. you might find a great amount of psycological help with those places because its always easier to deal with something if you know for a fact your not alone.
A.

Hi N.! I don't have an autistic child, but I have been around autistic people off and on throughout my life. I work with people with dissabilities of all kinds. First I wanna say you seem to be doing everything right so far...I know that it can be tough, but hang in there! I wouldn't take what your TA says very seriously, I know co-workers who have differing opinions all the time (just because they're supposed to be proffesional doesn't guarantee they always ARE) and don't worry too much about what other people think either...they don't know you or your situation, and even if they dissaprove, you'll likely never see them again so try to ignore the "looks" (I know it can be hard) Anyway, does your little girl respond to music? There is a lot of information out there about autism and music therepy... I know a pair of autistic twins (they were about 8 when we met and I've kown them for a number of years now) who used to seem completely out of control, but have come pretty far... one likes any kind of rhythem which helps him calm down (he has a drum that he plays all the time and is wearing out) and the other sings pretty much anytime he opens his mouth (which is in and of itsself a big thing since he was nonverbal for a LONG time) just a suggestion worth looking into. don't stress about the eating dirt, the boys I spoke of before ate bugs!! at least dirt is mostly harmless ;) I had autism explained to me once as being like an apple computer with microsoft disks... nothing wrong with the computer OR the info, they just don't know how to work together. Autistic brains just don't always know how to interperit the "info" of the world around them. Hope this helped a little

Hi. I do not have an autistic child. However, my sister has spent the last several years working with children with developmental disabilities and their families. That said, she has had numerous children she has helped with autism. Following is her advice:

Many parents of children with Autism experience similar things to this.

My suggestions:

You can have a business card type thing made that says something to the effect of:

Please be patient with my child as he/she has Autism and is doing the best that he/she can.
For more information on Autism, please visit (website).

Other ideas:

~Try introducing another communication device to her daughter: maybe a PECS board (velcro pictures of things that she may want or need and then she can arrange them and show them to her mom when she needs them) or even a technological device that speaks for her.

~Behaviorally: I have found that holding one hand up and using your fingers to show the number 1 while saying "first_______________(take a bath)" and then holding up two fingers and saying, "then we can go to the park." Visuals seem to help children with severe Autism.

~There are 4 A's to why children with Autism display behaviors (sometimes physical harm):
Agression - child is truly angry
Attention - child is wanting to be noticed and talked to
Affection - child is needing to feel loved and wanted
Assistance - child needs help with something

**In my experience with children with severe Autism, I have found that 80% of the time, they are wanting affection. So, before negative behaviors begin, try giving lots of hugs, high fives, telling the child their good qualities and being loving toward them. The remaining 20% of the time: it is easy to tell if the child is needing assistance, as they will generally pull you to what they want, and it is also generally easy to tell if the child is angry because you can generally pin point a trigger. Children in general are always wanting attention, so shrugging them off or trying to ignore them (as some therapists suggest) is simply irritating to them.

~The final thing that I suggest: map out your child's behavior. Try to figure out pre-cursors to negative behavior. Especially with children with severe Autism, they do not like to be told "no". For instance, instead of saying "no chips" try saying, "let's have an apple instead" or even "let's have an apple and if you are still hungry, you can have ten chips (showing him/her with your fingers)". Once you map out your child's behaviors, it will be easier to focus on the things that make them happy and keep them at that point without compromsing the things that you do/don't want for them.

I hope this is helpful and if you would like her email address, please feel free to ask and I will provide it. Good luck!

okey i dont have an Autistic child but i have worked with them by tutoring them. first ? i have is r u getting her tutoring for her, because i have to admite the 3 yr old boy i worked with i am seeing inprovments and same with the girl, secend thing is do u have picture of all the thing she like so she can start giving them to u to tell u what u want.if u want email me at ____@____.com my name is cassie and u need help im willing.

do a web search for sensory processing disorders (SPD) or sensory integration dysfunction--people involved in this therapy are doing fantastic things with autistic children. They are able to evaluate what senses are overwhelming or underwhelming your child. We do not have an autistic child, but one with an sensory disorder--and although we're just learning about it, we are very hopeful and knew nothing about it (neither did our school!!)

Don't care so much what others think and do what is best for your girl--you are blessings for each other . . .i like the idea of the card you can give to people!

Good luck from central ND (but i grew up in MT . . .)

N., A good friend of mine has an autistic son, now an adult. She is a chiropractor, but she works with autistic children and families. She is an amazing woman. Call her. ###-###-####. She has the biggest heart in the world and knows how to deal with autistic children and help you too. tell her C. Osborne referred you. It's the most important phone call you could make. Sending angels your way.

N., Call Penny Zindt. When she had her son, they told her to "put him away"..........he is now a productive person. She has assisted countless autistic children and their families. At least find out what she has to say.

N.- I can only imagine the frustration you feel on a daily basis. As far as the people at Walmart-I know it's hard but ignore them. If someone made a comment---then I would be tempted to reply!

I do not have an autistic child but, I work with one 8 hours a day in my pre-k class.

We work mostly on sensory play and signs. Have you tried a language book? It is a book with strips of velcro in it. Then there are pictures of objects and colors (objects your child might ask for) Work with a simple phrase.."I want..." then your child could place the pictures on the sentence line...
Then you repeat the sentence to her. This may be hard to understand with out seeing it.Have you ever seen a book like this used?
It can be very helpful and very good at easing frustration with the child. Do you see a speech theropist? There are a lot of programs that can even help with payment for this service. You can contact your school district or health department.
Good luck! H.