Thread: Autism Spectrum Disorder - top resource

Originally Posted by sashadidi

I wish you all the best with your son and in finding good help for him

The same from me, I hope the assessment at least gives you the answers to your sons condition. My son went through a similar experience, I mentioned it on the Vaccination thread as he transformed very soon after his triple antigen shot, but have been assured by the better informed on this forum it was just a co incidence..
Cheers, David

Another couple of links well worth pursuing.

Mindd foundation - Mindd foundation

Bio-Balance Health Australia - Biochemical Treatment for Mental & Behavioural Disorders

biomedicalautismgroup : Biomedical Autism Group

Taking my boy away next week for his first boys weekend at a mates private shooting range.

Have aleady started on the training for the load bangs and ear protection.

We will be fine, but it is hard to explain to people why you have to get them ready for big changes in their life.

I expect a few problems but am looking forward to us being blokes for the first time together no matter what challangers I get.

When we talk about autism the name Temple Grandin come to my mind.
She is a remarkable person.

Originally Posted by DeeJay

The same from me, I hope the assessment at least gives you the answers to your sons condition. My son went through a similar experience, I mentioned it on the Vaccination thread as he transformed very soon after his triple antigen shot, but have been assured by the better informed on this forum it was just a co incidence..
Cheers, David

Thanks David

What I still have trouble with getting my head around was that the change was overnight like some one flicked a switch, I hope the assessment give us the answers were looking for but I have been warned they like to under diagnose them. Which would mean it harder for intervention. For the last 7months it's been coming out of our pockets at roughly 400 plus a month. My wife has been run ragged she's been averaging 15 days off appointments a month. We don't think it's anything to do with vaccination he has been healthy all along the only delimar was before his 3rd birthday was while in the care of his grand parent he got hold of and drank turps due to them leaving it out. But after a few days was given the all clear.

Sorry rambled on again or just venting regards j

Hi,

As the parent of a 19yr old autistic son who was diagnosed at 8 I'd like to offer support and encouragement to those of you raising younger autistic children.

First of all for those of you who haven't dealt with autism and want to make uneducated comments about the validity of the diagnosis. Don't. You have no idea what you are talking about and to be honest raising an autistic child is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

That is not to say I would change the diagnosis because my son, wife daughter and myself are the people we are because of it. Our son is high functioning so some people may consider us lucky. Compared to his cousin who is severely autistic maybe. It just meant we faced different challenges.

As I said he is now 19, at the age of 3 he was non-verbal but was in family daycare with a lady who was a teacher and taught him how to speak. In pre-primary they wanted to keep him down a year because of his lack of social development. We argued successfully that he would function better within the regime of a classroom rather than pre-primary and he started year 1 at the normal age.

We were regulars at the school dealing with bullying and other social problems caused either by him or others doing things to him. When he started year 5 he was behind in schoolwork and struggling including being one of the bottom students in maths. He had the same teacher for 2 years who did a lot of work with him and when he graduated from year 7 he was the top maths student in the school.

Once he went to high school everything fell apart. He couldn't cope with the freedom of high school with moving from class to class and the other aspects of high school life. Luckily we had a very understanding deputy prinicpal who offered a lot of support and didn't take no for an answer when it came to trying to get funding for a part-time aide for our son. Once he got to yr 10 things went downhill as he decided he wanted to be cool (like that was ever going to happen ) It got to the point that we enrolled him in a trade college and told him to get a job.

He lasted at the trade college for 1yr and did 2 lots of work experience. At the end of the year he was told to get a job and ended up signing on for his apprenticeship with one of the 2 he had worked for. He lasted there for 8months before I got the dreaded phone call to organize a meeting as his behavior wasn't up to standard. Prior to this he had had a workplace accident and had to declare his autism on the form at the hospital. I read the signs and told him to get another job as they were looking to get rid of him. He then went to the other workplace he had been at and asked for a job and started 2 weeks later. He is still there and has since completed his trade and is a qualified cabinet maker.

The key for him is that the first workplace was much the size of a classrooom (25 - 30 workers) and he couldn't cope. His current employer only has a couple of employees and our son can deal with the social interactions.

His boss loves him and accepts him as he is and just accepts he's different.

Our son moved out of home at 18 and a half and now lives in a share house and is saving to buy his own property.

When we were going through his diagnosis at the age of 8 his speech therapist said that based on the history if he had been diagnosed at 3 he would have been considered Kanner’s autism (classic non verbal).

The key we found was to find professionals (Dr's, therapists, teachers etc) that you can work with. If you can't work with them move on and find someone else. Don't be afraid to stand your ground ultimately you know what is best for your situation, child and family.

I don't claim to be an expert on autism just my son's autism as every child is different like every neurologically typical person is different. Ultimately it was very hard work, challenging and exhausting but once we had a diagnosis we researched and learned what we could and set a goal for ourselves which was for him to live independently and if others weren't on-board with that then they had no place in our lives.

Ultimately he has considered to have moved along the spectrum and for us we consider that we have achieved a successful outcome.

Originally Posted by loneranger

In pre-primary they wanted to keep him down a year because of his lack of social development. We argued successfully that he would function better within the regime of a classroom rather than pre-primary and he started year 1 at the normal age.

We have just been through the same issue, our bloke is miles ahead of the other kids. It was first thought the best thing would be to hold him back a year to gain more social skills. Mainly to learn that he has to give the other kids a chance to catch up and not do things like yell out answers and to mature a bit, as an example, think of the things ackward things Sheldon says on The Big Bang Theory.

Everybody had a answer and my wife became very upset and confussed. In the end his Neuro Pediatrician suggested he is going to be in school a long time in his life and perhaps we should not extend it. He said to talk to as many schools as we could and find the one that was going to help the most, interestingly he was against private schools. Many reasons too long to explain.

Among others my wife went to a school not far from her work that she had heard had a program. It turned out that they had secured extra funding for more teachers/aids for prep to assist families like ours. In our case, when they are teaching the other kids what words start with A,B,C etc, they will either take him aside to read books to someone or take him to a higher class and sit with him to help while he does a more advanced lesson.

My biggest fear is the bully, he sees no bad in anybody, he cant catch a ball, has red hair and he's smart, keep telling my wife he is going to get smashed

We have met lots of people and have friends with kids on the spectrum at all different levels, it is a challenge no matter what the diagnosis. I think the ongoing theme here and in all forums you will go to, Firstly educate yourself, and then only deal with those who have bothered to educate themselves when it comes to the people who are going to help you take your child along in life.

On a fun note, my wife loves that she can pick on me as our 4 year old can spell better than his dislexic 49 year old father. Thank god for spell check.

Originally Posted by INDIE2002UK

Thanks David

What I still have trouble with getting my head around was that the change was overnight like some one flicked a switch, I hope the assessment give us the answers were looking for but I have been warned they like to under diagnose them. Which would mean it harder for intervention. For the last 7months it's been coming out of our pockets at roughly 400 plus a month. My wife has been run ragged she's been averaging 15 days off appointments a month. We don't think it's anything to do with vaccination he has been healthy all along the only delimar was before his 3rd birthday was while in the care of his grand parent he got hold of and drank turps due to them leaving it out. But after a few days was given the all clear.

Sorry rambled on again or just venting regards j

Hello Indie-

The US based Centre for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that there is a number of factors relating to Autism. These range from a genetic predisposition and an exposure to a range of environmental triggers.

A child may be born with a genetic predisposition to Autism however they may never encounter an environmental trigger so the condition may not develop. Alternatively an otherwise healthy child could become exposed to a specific thing within their environment and their exposure could reach their own unique tipping point. This can then trigger their autism after their previously living months or years without showing any symptoms of the condition Autism at all. It might have been the turps or it could have been a combination of any of a thousand other unknown factors. What triggers one child's genetic disposition to develop Autism may not bring on the condition in another child.

Exposure to the trigger can happen while the child is still in the mother's womb. Such things can be the mother getting a virus at the wrong time in the child's development. Another trigger can be difficult prolonged deliveries have also be identified as a trigger in some infants, there are some towns where hot spots of Autism have developed over a period of time and then it never happens again. Things like the first generation of an immigrant family which have moved to a new country can have a really high incidence of first generation Autism. How many grains of sand are there on the beach and this could match the possible triggers to one person at some point in their formation in the womb or months to years after birth triggering their genetic predisposition to develop Autism. As a parent it is more important to get the right support behind your child and for your family than looking for what the trigger was.

All the best of luck in your search of linking to the right people who can assist you on your family's journey.


Kind Regards
Lionel