Anyone know someone with autism?

Question

heres my sister's story:

my 8 year old sister is autistic and realtively high functioning. the thing i love about her is that she is always exceeding expectations. she is used as an example of hope for everyone with a special needs child in our school district. although she didnt speak until she was 4 or 5, her first words were 6,7,8,9 and 10. she is now mainstreamed and one of the smartest children in her class. i am so proud of her and thankful toward all her angels, the teachers that helped her get to where she is now.

whats your story?

Answer 1

I've been working in the intellectually disabled field for 3 years and have loved every minute.

I didn't meet my first adult with autism until 1 1/2 years ago (I probably had met several before, but never got to experience their gift). She was both Austistic and AHDH so she hardly would sit still without manipulating a musical toy or plastic lego piece. From the second I walked in the door to the end of my work day, I had a lego piece either in my hand or pocket. I could look at her and know when she needed a moment to desensitize (I would give her time to engaged in her own activity then encourage her back to the group).

Hardly anyone wanted to deal with this woman - I didn't mind. We could be seen walking down the hallway after lunch kicking a ball or swimming in the ball pit in our Snoezelen Room.

Answer 2

I know an autistic girl, and she is so sweet.  She is held back a grade, but she is so nice and fits in well.  A lot of people at her high school don't even know she has special needs!

Answer 3

My 9 year old son is autistic.  He attends a regular classroom 40% of the day and the autistic learning support classroom 60% of the day.  He is an amazing little guy!  He is far from anit-social and is one of the most inquisitive, loving little boys a mom could ask for!  He is well liked and has tons of friends.  He is a good boy, but has a mind of his own!  Every child with autism is so different, I would never compare him to another.  Because of him, I have become a mentor for other parents that have children with autism, started a support group, am an advocate and the contact for two counties.

Answer 4

My son, 6 and in K I am so hoping he can stay with his class. I do most of the "teaching" here at home though. The problem is he is so quiet with things you never know if he actually understood it until one day out of the blue he is doing it without saying anything.

Answer 5

It's nice to hear such wonderful things about your sister .  My husband and I adopted an 11 year old boy 5 years ago that is autistic.  His family never addressed his needs, during his critical early stages of life.  He doesn't speak except to echo whatever you say, he was in diapers when he came, but has been toilet trained since.  One other problem he had when he was placed in our home is that he only would eat chicken nuggets and fries.  We worked with him for quite awhile and now he eats better than any kid out there.  Sadly though because of his parents lack of involvement early on, he has not shown much luck with his language skills.  I cannot stress how important it is for parents to hit autism head-on and deal with it as soon as possible.  Get your children the help that they need so they can learn vital skills that they will need later in life.  I often wonder what our son could have been if resources were sought out for him when he was younger.

Your parents hard work and commitment to your sister has paid off!!

Answer 6

My 3 year old grand daughter has been diagnosed with Autism.  She is not yet toilet trained, and has severe speech delays, but otherwise is loving and easy to befriend.  I live several hundred miles away, so I don't see her often enough, but she talks to me on the phone and remembers me well.

My son-in-law (her father) has recently been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.  He's a brilliant young man, but his people skills are abysmal - standard Asperger's, right?  I wonder why it took until his second year of Medical School to finally diagnose the problem?

I'm a psychologist and have worked with a number of Autistic children in the past, but all the "professional knowledge" I have used in the past becomes obsolete when dealing with my loved ones.

Answer 7

Both of my sons, Conner and Alex are autistic. And they are as different as night and day. It is a testament to the idea of the "spectrum"...there are SO many different ways autism presents itself!

Conner is 9 years old, and is my big baby bear! He was over ten pounds at birth and is the "gentle giant". He's got the most tender heart you will ever see...he will cry if he sees you crying; he will cry out in the name of justice for anyone who's in trouble with the teacher, and he will draw the most AMAZINGLY detailed pictures of cars. He is so lovable, I just cannot even express it!

Conner also has Tourrette's Syndrome, and it makes him even more special.

Alex is the polar OPPOSITE of Conner! He is aggressive, he can be angry, and he's demanding. He enjoys destroying things...and he would rather lose himself in a video game than give you a hug and kiss like Conner would. Alex is also hyperactive and on medication.

And yet...both of my wonderful boys are autistic! I couldn't imagine them any other way. They don't "have" autism, and autism doesn't "have" them. They are simply very unique people, and I love them so, so much!

Answer 8

yes me!!!!!   i aspergers  but if you mean someone one with"classical autism"  then my cousin ( well my dad's cousin's son so i guess that makes him my 3rd cousin?)

Answer 9

I have a daughter who has high functioning autism. I also work with children who have autism. I have had some really difficult times with my daughter and no doubt these will continue, I wouldn't change her for anything. The children I work with have varying degrees of autism but all are very special. Even though some are quite profoundly autistic they all have really special abilities. They all see the world from different points of view and when you spend time with them a lot of things make perfect sense. All they demand from me is patience and a little understanding. I wouldn't swap my daughter or my work for anything. Good luck to you and your sister, keep supporting her.

Answer 10

im a trained to be a special Educator and i'll admit i have a special affinity to young girls with Autiam. I got to know 3 really wonderful girls as i was doing my training. And Although most people with Autism are considered to be anti social. once i gained their trust they were so  much fun to hang out with. All of them are severely Autistic and have only echolalic  speech. But with a spell chart! oh boy. we have shared jokes and had some personal conversations too. it was a lot of fun.. gosh i miss em!