Want to Talk with Parents of Asperger's Children

A.,
I have had a few moms here in Anna ask if we might start a support group here in Anna. Would you be interested in such a group?

S.

There is a DFWMAFEA yahoo group. Most of us have ASD kids, some are higher functioning aspergers.

Type in your search engine...Dallas Asperger Network and you can find a group with acronym DANISH that may be helpful. I believe it is a parent forum with monthly meetings. I also know there are dvds that you can order online dealing with social skills....type in social skills dvds, I believe there is one named Coulter that teaches higher elem through high school....good luck and God bless

Hi A., There are several things that you need to do and its not easy having a child with Asperger's as we have 3 foster children with this and they are siblins and they have different levels of this. Tanya is 17 in grade 12 and Rachel will be 14 soon is in grade 9 and Joshua is 15 and doesn't go to school as its too stressful for him. The 2 girls are level 5 and Joshua is level 6 and they are all similar in that they don't like people touching them or making a lot of noise though they do make a lot of noise themselves. They don't like certain foods because of its texture and clothes are the same. Joshua is on medication to help control his stress the others aren't on medication. The kids are very clever, but not in the acadamic sense. They all like very structured activities such as at 9:00 AM if usually the time for math class and the teacher wants to do English they want to know why. Tanya has the best hand writing of the 3 because she has worked at it very hard and is very good with her hands and does a lot of things in tech class with wood work. They all have obsessions and Joshua's is anything to do with airplanes and he can tell you what airline is flying over, the model of the plane, where its going, and the flight number. He is also obsessed with real estate and knows more about houses and land in the area than a lot the agents. Joshua can lash out when stressed hence why the medication. When he was little he would need to sit at the same place at the table on the same chair and have the same thing for breakfast each morning. Tanya & Rachel not as bad, but need very structured lives. They all have trouble with language an example is when Judy told them to make their bed they didn't understand what she was talking about and once she showed them there wasn't a prolbem. They are all very tidy and keep their rooms tidy and clean and everything is in its place. We have to watch Rachel as when she gets stressed she will stay in the shower for 2 hours as she likes the feel of the water on her skin. Joshua likes to have a bath and Tanya takes a shower without any problems. Certain colors and preservatives do have an effect on their behavior. Some can drink coke cola other have to have lemonade or 7 up. I hope this has been helpful and we have 7 foster children at the moment and I used to live in Denton area and have been in Australia since June 1972 and if you would like more info my email address is the following: ____@____.com and will be glad to give more info. All the best Ed

Hi A.,

There are a number of support groups that would probably have the group of parents you are seeking. ASCC - Austism Society of Collin County, is a very strong group, and I am certain they would be able to point you in the right direction. I am a speech-language pathologist, and know that many of the parents, with whom I have worked, have truly benefitted by being a part of such groups.

Good Luck,
S.

A. W
Cindy Whittaker sent me your posted message. I am not a parent of an AS child, however, I may be able to coach you on ways you can help your child. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to call me at ###-###-####.

Donna F. Smith, Ph.D., N.D., C.D.N., C.C.N.
www.AdvancedClinicalNutrition.com

Hello A.,

I know it must be difficult trying to figure things out!

I don't personally have a child wiht Asperger's but one of my best friends is a teacher in Oklahoma who specializes in Asperger's children and only works with them in a special class. She lives in Tulsa. She would be glad to talk to you if you want to talk to her. Just let me know and I'll give you her number or you can give me yours and I'll have her call you.

Thanks-
K.

I certainly understand your concerns. Although I am not a parent, I am in the position where I work with students everyday that are diagnosed with ADD, Asperger's, and/or Learning Differences. I am the admissions director at Great Lakes Academy, a private school that specializes in teaching kids with special needs. You may also visit our website at www.greatlakesacademy.us or call me at ###-###-#### *103. Our supportive parents will be happy to talk to you about our program and answer any questions you might have. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I'm a former special ed teacher, and can tell you that talking with others who have similar issues can be a real saving grace for families.

There is also a great website: www.autismspot.com for families, friends and people with ASD.

There is an AS support group on meetup.com its called north texas parents dealing with aspergers...

Hope that helps
A. J

Hi A.,

My son is high functioning autistic. Although this is a little different than Asperger's (high functioning children usually don't have the high intelligence the Asperger's children do), the two fall on the same spectrum. I think one of the most important things to remember is to be consistent.....autistic children thrive on consistency and routines. You will also need to be diligent and patient, sometimes you will feel like you are pulling teeth to get anything out of him!!! But, with hard work on your part, your son should be able to live a normal life.

Also, most Asperber's children have one thing that they are really interested in. For instance, my son is very interested in art and can draw, paint, etc. very, very well...it's amazing. If we want him to understand something, we use art to push him along. So find what his interest is and find creative ways to use his main focus when you are trying to help your son.

Please feel free to email if you'd like to talk: ____@____.com.

LISD has a Special ED PTA, one of the first in the state. They welcome parents from everywhere. I know you can find a link to their website on LISD.net There is a ton of help out there and the ladies runing SEPTSA are WONDERFUL!

My older son is an Aspie (16) and my younger son (13 1/2) is the ADD/ADHD one. Really, these diagnosis are more based on what symptoms/behaviors are dominant. For my sons, we have gotten a tremendous benefit from a gluten-free/casein free, additive free diet. It made a world of difference for both boys. My older son's eye contact and ability to be more relaxed and interact with his peers improved dramatically. My younger's son's ability to focus and complete tasks also improved significantly. Before that time, he could not even finish a meal without getting up and doing something. So, I can't urge you strongly enough to look into this - even if he isn't diagnosed Aspie's. The research on the impact of gluten and casein to the brain (and thus influencing behavior) is fairly recent and I can point you to some of the medical research. But, it has been effective for the majority that have tried it (and it's best to test before trying so you have a baseline and can retest to ensure the diet is truly GF/CF). This diet is the most effective treatment for autism and Aspie's is considered to be on the spectrum of autism (again it's due to the constellation of symptoms and neurlogical impacts and thus behaviors).

That all said, at this age, you will find one of the broadest ranges of maturity amongst a peer group. It is NOT at all unusual for them to NOT be interested in girls - it's really only the most overt that seem to be so obvious about it. Honestly, I have appreciated that my boys have matured more slowly in this area. My older has always been far more mature than his peers overall - he matured physically early as well as mentally, he's been way ahead of his peers and sometimes it's the mental maturity that causes the Aspies to be even further apart from their peers. However, he really didn't have an interest in girls, clothes or the music of his peers until he was almost 14. My younger son is even less mature (both physically and in interests) than boys his same age (or his brother at the same age) and his best friend is almost a year younger. The doctor calls him a "late bloomer" and she told him they live longer, so he was happy :) But, again, I'm actually appreciating that. In our culture, I think kids mature way too fast and it's our job as parents to preserve their childhood as long as possible, within reason - we do have to prepare for the world in which they'll live.

Please contact Judith Jolly. She is the director of the program at our church called Friday Nite Friends. I know there is at least one child with Asperger's who attends FNF.the email address is ____@____.com phone number is ###-###-#### ext 247. God bless!
T.

Hi, I will be happy to connect you with Asperger's Syndrom parents who had great result with nutritional supplement.

Send me your contact information and best time to call.

Have a Blessed day!

A.