Question/poll on autism??

Question

how old is your child? What therapy has been most effective? Are they verbal, how much and what worked best? When/if they potty trained? Do you ever have a babysitter??? Do you have other children? How do you help other children to understand? I obviously have a lot of questions, sooooo give me anything you have!! My best friend in the whole world has a beautiful, autistic son, she is struggling and I want to be there for her as much as I can.

Answer 1

My autistic spectrum children are 7.5 and turning 3 next month.

Occupational therapy has been most effective for sensory integration.  My oldest went through a homeopathic detox version of chelation.  It was 3000 dollars over 1 years time.  He now doesn't get sick, and he improved tremendously afterwards (and during too).  The other thing that has been very beneficial is the free preschool.  

My oldest became really verbal at age 4.5 years.  My middle son, he has single words and can put two words together but I would not say that he is verbal yet.  At about 3 his speech is about 24 months.  Speech therapy has been slow on the results but we keep doing it.

My sons were potty trained at 3.5 years and 32 months.  Potty training for those on the spectrum if they do get trained is on average between 4-7 years old.  

We never have a sitter.  There are places that do respite care like Easter Seals.

Yes, we have one other son.  He does not understand because he is 23 months old.

My guys are mainstreamed thus far.  My oldest is in a full inclusion classroom.  4 of the 20 students are identified as special needs.  There are 2 teachers, one regular ed., the other special ed.  He is going into first grade.  The demands of first grade, we shall see if he will be able to stay afloat.  If not, he would go to a self-contained classroom and be mainstreamed for certain parts of the day.  My nearly 3 year old attended a typical preschool last year and made out ok.  He is returning this year to that program, and in addition attending the developmentally delayed preschool to, so he has a 5 day program.  We considered having him screened by the autism program, the neurologist said he doesn't need that level of intervention.  Also my oldest was screened by the autism program last year and was denied.

We do do short trips getting only a few things, this does work well.  We do have tons of sensory things in our house including an 8 foot enclosed trampoline (inside), a ball pit, water table, and a net swing all also inside.  We also have a sit and spin, theraputty, tents, playdoh, musical instruments from West music, vibration, weighted blankets from dreamcatcher, medicine balls, weighted animals etc.

Answer 2

my daughter is 2yrs 3mo. she is on Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy (she still not walking yet) and Play Therapy. the most effective therapy so far i would say are Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, she is not talking yet, but does say some words, 5-10 words, she is not potty train yet, but i will star  as soon she star walking, she had a babysitter when i still was in the military, now that i got out, she is not anymore, my other daughter who is 3 1/2 yrs, does not get it yet, but she knows that her sister need a little extra help, and she helps a lot, even though she thinks that she is just playing around with her. I'm also kind of new to this, I'm trying to get as much info i can, i don't know anybody who has kids with autism, so its kind of hard for me, and support groups what can i say...so if anybody wants to help me out also, i will kindly appreciate any help, with any imfo.

good luck to you and your friend, and i will have you guys in my prayers, take care.

Answer 3

Autism beautiful face has some great knowledge...Watch this wonderful mothers' videos.....God bless you !!!

Answer 4

Picture communication cards can assist with communication. Patience is a must, autistic kids are in their own world. Chelation therapy can help however there is no cure.

A sensory profile from a occupational therapist is a must as this will detect the sensory strengths & weaknesses of the child which will lead them to having more stability in their life & a better understanding for the parents.

Answer 5

My niece is 12 years old/

She speaks on a level of about an 18mo old, but understands much more.

She basically got out of diapers when she was 9, but still has BMs in her panties quite often.  

The only 'babysitter' she has is family.  My mother watches her regularly & I do sometimes as well.

My brother has two other girls & they has a boy who was also non-verbal autistic.  He died in a drowning accident a few years ago.

My brother & his family don't do much with her.  They let her watch TV all day.  They do little things, but nothing formal.

So the only training she gets is with us & at school.

I bought a few 'tallking photo albums' & used pictures of items.  I recorded those words in the album (each photo has room for a 10 second audio recording.)  She loves it, thinking it is a game.  She punches the buttons & repeats as best as she can the words I have recorded.

Answer 6

My daughter will be 10 in November, diagnosed at 2-1/2.  She potty trained between 3-1/2 and 4.  She is very verbal, some original language, lots of repetition of the same thoughts.  We've never had a sitter, but we honestly haven't needed one.  My daughter did go to a family daycare several times a week for 1/2 days before she was diagnosed.  My older daughter now babysits for us, and we have had family babysit.

I have two older children. A daughter who is 15 and really gets it, and a son who is 11 and has a really hard time understanding.  You just explain it like it is and be factual about it..."Sister has a hard time understanding how to play with friends, we need to teach her"  As soon as they are able to understand, start talking about it and their siblings issues. It's easier for them to deal with and understand when it has a name and a reason.  There are a lot of good books for siblings, as well as your friend.  I've had parents compile a list of their favorite books and why if you want to check it out.  http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/m...

As for therapy, The best "therapy" my daughter has had has been me taking her EVERYWHERE with me, constantly teaching her, exposing her to new things, changing up her routines. You might want to print the rest of this out for your friend.

We had early intervention, and some in home ABA, but it was poorly run and more burden than help. She's never required formal OT, but that might be because she's always given herself the OT she needed with our trampoline and swimming pool. A trampoline (with safety net and padding) is an EXCELLENT form of OT that not only helps with coordination and muscle strength, but it's FUN. Other kids will love it too (if you have any), and can be used to help the child with autism interact more.

1) No matter how young your child is, start using social stories! Get used to making them up on the fly. Get familiar with the format. Go to http://www.thegraycenter.org/ to learn more and to see samples. Basically, a social story is a script for your child to help them understand proper behavior in a situation, give words to the different feelings they might have, and give them a resolution/solution. Since social situations are so difficult for our kids, they need concrete information to learn to navigate. They don't work immediately, but do soak in over time and make a difference.

2)Understand that people will stare when your child is having a tantrum. People aren't necessarily mean, but they're often ignorant about autism. People will offer you all sorts of unsolicited advice on how you should handle the situation at hand. I've heard everything from "She needs a nap" to "It's ok to spank her you know" as well as some really awful obnoxious comments. How much you tell others is your personal choice. My daughter would never pass as "typical" so I've always been open about things. I've educated many in my community about autism. You need to learn to develop a thick skin, and to shut out the world around you to focus on your child. Don't be afraid to get down on the ground with your child when out in public and they're really upset. Stay calm and focused on helping your child. It gets really easy to tune everything else out, and it's kind of amazing. When you act this way, you actually get more understanding from strangers. They can tell by your actions that you've got the situation under control (whether you do or not) and are not a neglectful parent with a bratty kid.

3)Take your child EVERYWHERE that you can. YES it's very hard work, but if you think of it as therapy, which it is, you'll understand the importance. Expose your child as often as possible to a variety of situations. Use the social stories to explain in their terms what they're experiencing. The more often you can do this, the better. Again, this is HARD WORK! But so worth it. If it's really really hard, don't make it a grocery shopping trip, but just a trip to buy milk or cereal. One or two items. Involve your child in the process, take your time, and make it a total learning experience. My daughter used to have rituals to get through the grocery store. She'd pick one small broccoli floret to nibble, two aisles over she'd touch several cans, or re-arrange the baby foods. Then we'd grind a small handfull of coffee beans which she would carry around and sniff. She'd do this every single time as a way to control the chaos surrounding her. I let her have her comfort rituals, so she had some sense of control, but I would also push her to learn and interact. I'd talk for her when strangers interacted with her, telling her "When someone says ........, you say ......." so she would get the scripts that matched different greetings. People would understand that I was teaching her and most would be pretty good about it. There were plenty of teaching incidents that most people didn't get, but I trudged through. Keep the focus on teaching your child appropriate behavior. Eventually it will get in there!

Finally, in terms of self preservation and sanity, I offer advice specifically for parents.

Two of the biggest hurdles you face as a parent of a child with autism are Milestones, and Mainstream. These are self inflicted hurdles that will trip you up every time if you're not careful.

First are Milestones....they pop up out of no where sometimes, sometimes they're predictable. They'll trip you up, knock you down, and throw you for a loop. There's the birthday, family Easter Egg hunt, another child's birthday party, Christmas....any event where you have a preconceived idea of how a typical kid would react, how you hope your kid would react. It seems to get harder before it gets better. You keep hoping for your child to get it...the difference between your child and same age peers starts as minor but becomes glaring as your child gets older and it just hurts. THEN you finally get to a place of aceptance and understanding. You change your expectations. Who said you have to wait till the middle or end of a birthday party to open presents, why not open them as guests arrive? Is there some rule book on how a birthday party for your child should proceed?....save the battle and enjoy the moment!

Second are Mainstream expectations...I remember when Kimberley was first diagnosed. I was told, "She's so smart, so high functioning, she'll do really well" I read "Let Me Hear Your Voice" and was inspired. I knew she'd be Mainstreamed by Kindergarten. When that time came, mainstream wasn't an appropriate choice, and I found the perfect placement for her where she thrived. STILL, it was hard to accept that she wasn't in mainstream. Here she was age 5, and STILL had autism, still requried so much help and accomidations to get through her day...where had I failed? The failure was the belief that Mainstream = Cure or at least victory of some sort. I came to understand that it's more important for my child to enjoy school and be successfull in school than to push for mainstream before she's ready.

My daughter, now almost 10 is a pretty delightful kid most of the time. She's still no where near passing as "typical" but most people would not guess autism. She's very independant, resourceful and creative. She goes to a mainstream class independantly for Science and Math, and is well accepted by her peers. Each child is individual in their needs and accomidations, but for my daughter, this has been the most appropriate path

Thank you for being there for your friend.  Finding out that your child has autism is a really emotionally draining experience. Some people may question her parenting skills, disipline, blame her, or turn away.  She really needs someone to listen to her and help her through this.

Answer 7

My son is 11.  

A combination of therapies has been most effective: speech, discrete trial training and occupational therapies.

He was potty trained at about 5, but continued to have a few accidents for a while. I trained him with a method called habit training, where the child goes on a schedule by habit.  He learned to generalize and go with the need.

I have a 14 year-old daughter.  

I try to explain the disability clearly but simply.  With really little kids, say 4 or 5, I'll tell them that "his brain works differently than yours or mine, but he likes the same things you do."

We have hired babysitters.  I think for the sake of my marriage it is important that we have time alone occasionally.  

You're wonderful to support your friend so.  It is important to me that I have friends in the "autistic community" and friends outside it.  

Answer 8

Thomas is 10

School and speech therapy have been great

Thomas is non verbal

Thomas is still in nappies/diapers

We have never left Thomas with anyone ...people tell us they couldn't cope

Thomas has a twin sister called Kylie

I have always been honest and when we moved in i had all they children in my house and explained everything to them as they wanted to know if Thomas would play out with them and play football, needless to say they asked a lot of questions

All i can say to you Hun is just be there with an ear to listen and help her if and when she needs you, i only have my hubby and my mum who really understands ...Good for you being a true friend !

Answer 9

4

RDI Relationship Development Intervention

Non-verbal but beginning to talk and communicates with pictures - RDI

Started potty training just recently, still have a long way to go

grandparents once every blue moon

An older "typical"son

He is only 5 and understands that his brother is learning at a slower pace

Tell you friend to look into RDI - it is a therapy that trains the parents so she will feel like she can make a difference in her son's life and not always be depending on specialists.

She can buy the book Solving the Relationship Puzzle by Dr Steven Gutstein. If she feels like it fits for her and her son she can look into hiring a consultant.

Thanks for being a great friend!

Answer 10

How old is the child?

speech therapy, behavioral therapy. and depending on how severe the autism is...you might want to look into topical chelation therapy.

teaching concepts and being patient. the earlier the interventions the better the results.

Answer 11

my nephew is 9 and is autistic.

he has had speech therapy which has probably been most effective as he was non verbal. he said his first words at age 5. he goes to a mainstream school with a base within it especially for kids with autism. there are 6 kids in the base altogether. they spend their morning in the base. part of the afternoon with their peers in the mainstream classes, and the last half hour of the day in a sensory room to chill out before home. if at any point during the day, they are angry or frustrated, they can go to the sensory room, which has a punchbag for them to vent their agression so that they dont hit any other kids.

he was potty trained at 8, now at 9 he still wears pull ups to bed as he just messes the bed, he wont wake up.

she doesnt have baby sitters for him, just me. not many people know how to handle him, then again, not many want to learn either. and even at that, if i watch him, it has to be in his house so he can play in his room and do as he wishes.

my sister has 1 other child, a girl, she is 2,5yrs old. she doesnt understand, he is just her big brother, who she plays with and who she adores.