How is your life with an autistic child?

Question

Any parents out there with an autistic child? I'm concerned about my son and could use advise on the subject. What is your day like? What improvements have you seen, and how often do you see improvements? Is your child on a diet?

I know all about the research on autism but I would like to hear from the actual families of autistic children. Any advice will help! God bless you all!

Answer 1

Hello ..i am a mum to a beautiful boy called Thomas he is nine now and was diagnosed at three, he has severe autism non verbal and still in diapers, each day is different for us his diet has been the same for 6 long years he will only eat toast (burnt) and mash and gravy with a few of his favourite biscuits.. Thomas has done most of his improvement while at school they have been really great with him, Thomas has had lots of obsessive behaviours his main one now is the Yellow Pages phone book he carries everywhere with him, he loves Vtech toys as well.. take a look at my you tube page if you want x

Answer 2

Both of my children are on the autism spectrum.  I have noticed the biggest behavioral differences from the Feingold Diet.

Our day is very structured and predictable - heaven forbid something come up last minute.  :)

Answer 3

IT's busy, for sure, but it is a wonderful fulfilling experience. I have been so blessed to have my autistic kids. It's not all roses, but I have learned and grown so much with them, and unschooling has helped tremendously with their learning and ability to cope in the world.

My oldest has autism/aspergers, and while his is less visible than my daughters, it's often difficult because people (including mom and dad) forget how very much he struggles in the world. He's doing wonderfully, homeschooling has allowed him to meet people with his interests and to mature slowly into socialization.

My daughter was dx'ed at two with severe autism. We did several therapies, but the best thing has been to continue our lives the way we planned. We've made some concessions and we've always supported her needs and deficits as well as possible.

We can talk now, at the age of ten. Not independently, mostly prompted. She doesn't bite herself so much anymore, just when really frustrated. once we pulled her out of school (which was NOT helpful after kindergarden) she stopped peeling the skin off her feet. She stims still, mostly with pacing and bouncing in a chair. She has a lot of verbal stims, and is very sensitive to auditory and tactile input.

Improvements are constant. Very very small, but constant. We tried a wheat free diet, it did not work (we do have celiac in our family, my two younger boys have sprue) She is completely corn free, as anything with corn (even chips fried in corn oil) cause complete regression and meltdown. We're considering the specific carb diet for the whole family.  She is on vitamin B complex, and an omega complex, and takes melatonin to help her sleep. Without that she sleeps about two hours a night.

Just remember to think positive thoughts. It sounds so Pollyanna, but once you worry and start to think negatively about things, everything seems to go wrong (or is more scary) Scientists have shown that people who think positively actually affect their brain chemistry, thereby physically changing their outlook on things. It's a circle really. Keep working, and find a POSITIVE support group (I've been to many that were just whining and complaining about how much their life sucks! Well, yeah, it does sometimes, but if all you look for is the negative, that's all you see!!!)

Answer 4

The spectrum of Autism is so wide that I am certain that if you asked 100 people that question you would get 100 different answers.  I work with children and families in a large district and I can tell you that their experiences vary.  Many started either hopeless or in denial, some have grown, some have not (the adults not the kids) Some are suprised at improvements in school because they don't see much different at home.  Some, parents experience a big release of energy when their kid gets home after structure all day.  

The one thing however that I've seen that seems to help is when the parent and the school trust and communicate with each other.  When they both share strategies that work with each other - the students experience greater success, with consistancy between home and school.

RE: fads, diets, specialists.  I say one thing - remember that there are some groups who like to make parents think their kids are worse than they are because - they don't make any money if kids don't come in the door.  Even with your child - be a wise consumer.

Good luck to you

Answer 5

At times,it can be pure h**l.My son is low functioning.Was sickly as a baby.Febrile seziures.Reflux,cronic loose stools.Would bang his head,hit,throw things,head butt you.He is better with special diet and suppliments.Still he is low functioning,but his behavior is much better with diet and suppliments.He also sleeps much better,is less aggressive.He is making small gains here and there.From my research,I believe that some kids have much more going on than just diet issues.They have a viral illness,possibly lymes,heavy metal toxitity.Check out some of the autism bio-med groups on yahoo groups,and you will learn that many kids are loosing the autism label,with bio-med treatments.Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is very helpful for autistic children.I havn`t tried it yet,but I intend to.Many kids have multiple food issues,as well as candida,malabsorbtion problems.Healing the gut is the key.Can be difficult to heal the gut,but not impossible.Check out the book Children With Starving Brains.Check out the Autism Research Institute.

Answer 6

I am a mother of three children with autism. Life can get hectic, noisey, chaotic, and frustrating. But one thing I have learned is being a parent of special needs children you NEVER take the milestones for granted. Everytime my nine year old says "I love you" my heart melts, considering she did not speak until she was four. Everytime my eight year old gives me a hug I melt, he didn't like being touched. Everytime my six year old  makes me sign "love mother" or "love Father" it brings tears to my eyes to know that she finally recognizes I am in the room. How many typical parents take those things for granted. I am blessed with knowing how important the little things in life really are.