Autism

[Lerxist]

Thanks for the welcome Cygnus! I feel pretty comfortable here already. It's nice to hear about those "little victories".

[Angua]

I'm feeling really good today. The reason? We had Em's annual review of special educational needs yesterday (for those not familiar with the UK education system, once a child has a Statement of Special Educational Need, the school and education authority have to ensure that it is being met each year) and it was a total turn around from last year. Last year it was very negative and the school seemed to not want her (it's a school for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties and physical and visual impairment - she ticks all those boxes) and we had to really fight to keep her there. She's been there since she was 3 so at 15 it would be a hell of problem settling her elsewhere. Fortunately the educational psychologist agreed with us and explained how distressing for her it would be etc.

This year it was all how much she had come on and how much she is enjoying school. We couldn't believe it. We went in expecting another battle and it was like wow, these teacher see the same child we do! I had to laugh though as Em has chosen to study french and spanish next year (mostly cos her friends are doing so) and she has trouble speaking english! It will be good as she's in a class of 5 for the next 2 years now and it's a really nice group.

 

I'll stop rambling, I'm still in shock I think!!!!

[Cygnus The God Of Balance]

QUOTE (Angua @ Jun 6 2008, 06:46 AM)

I'm feeling really good today. The reason? We had Em's annual review of special educational needs yesterday (for those not familiar with the UK education system, once a child has a Statement of Special Educational Need, the school and education authority have to ensure that it is being met each year) and it was a total turn around from last year. Last year it was very negative and the school seemed to not want her (it's a school for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties and physical and visual impairment - she ticks all those boxes) and we had to really fight to keep her there. She's been there since she was 3 so at 15 it would be a hell of problem settling her elsewhere. Fortunately the educational psychologist agreed with us and explained how distressing for her it would be etc. This year it was all how much she had come on and how much she is enjoying school. We couldn't believe it. We went in expecting another battle and it was like wow, these teacher see the same child we do! I had to laugh though as Em has chosen to study french and spanish next year (mostly cos her friends are doing so) and she has trouble speaking english! It will be good as she's in a class of 5 for the next 2 years now and it's a really nice group. I'll stop rambling, I'm still in shock I think!!!!

Angua, we have a similar thing here in Michigan; it's called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP for short). We go in every year and meet with Tony's teach and aides and discuss where he's been, the progress he's made and the goals for the following year. There's always the push and pull of not enough resources to do more than the minimum, but I have to say that I think Tony has improved greatly over the past 2 years. I still try to get them to mainstream him in more classes than he does, because he seems to really flourish when he's around non-Autistic kids like his brother & sister.

 

Tomorrow should be a GREAT day for Tony. My mom is in town and she and I are taking all the grandkids swimming. Tony LOVES swimming!

[GhostGirl]

QUOTE (Cygnus The God Of Balance @ Jun 6 2008, 01:06 PM)

QUOTE (Angua @ Jun 6 2008, 06:46 AM) I'm feeling really good today.  The reason?  We had Em's annual review of special educational needs yesterday (for those not familiar with the UK education system, once a child has a Statement of Special Educational Need, the school and education authority have to ensure that it is being met each year) and it was a total turn around from last year.  Last year it was very negative and the school seemed to not want her (it's a school for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties and physical and visual impairment - she ticks all those boxes) and we had to really fight to keep her there.  She's been there since she was 3 so at 15 it would be a hell of problem settling her elsewhere.  Fortunately the educational psychologist agreed with us and explained how distressing for her it would be etc. This year it was all how much she had come on and how much she is enjoying school.  We couldn't believe it.  We went in expecting another battle and it was like wow, these teacher see the same child we do!  I had to laugh though as Em has chosen to study french and spanish next year (mostly cos her friends are doing so) and she has trouble speaking english!  It will be good as she's in a class of 5 for the next 2 years now and it's a really nice group. I'll stop rambling, I'm still in shock I think!!!! Angua, we have a similar thing here in Michigan; it's called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP for short). We go in every year and meet with Tony's teach and aides and discuss where he's been, the progress he's made and the goals for the following year. There's always the push and pull of not enough resources to do more than the minimum, but I have to say that I think Tony has improved greatly over the past 2 years. I still try to get them to mainstream him in more classes than he does, because he seems to really flourish when he's around non-Autistic kids like his brother & sister.   Tomorrow should be a GREAT day for Tony. My mom is in town and she and I are taking all the grandkids swimming. Tony LOVES swimming! We call them IEPs here, too. And Stephen loves swimming too!   Wouldn't it be a hoot to get Stephen and Tony together?

[Rushman14]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 6 2008, 11:14 AM)

QUOTE (Cygnus The God Of Balance @ Jun 6 2008, 01:06 PM) QUOTE (Angua @ Jun 6 2008, 06:46 AM) I'm feeling really good today.  The reason?  We had Em's annual review of special educational needs yesterday (for those not familiar with the UK education system, once a child has a Statement of Special Educational Need, the school and education authority have to ensure that it is being met each year) and it was a total turn around from last year.  Last year it was very negative and the school seemed to not want her (it's a school for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties and physical and visual impairment - she ticks all those boxes) and we had to really fight to keep her there.  She's been there since she was 3 so at 15 it would be a hell of problem settling her elsewhere.  Fortunately the educational psychologist agreed with us and explained how distressing for her it would be etc. This year it was all how much she had come on and how much she is enjoying school.  We couldn't believe it.  We went in expecting another battle and it was like wow, these teacher see the same child we do!  I had to laugh though as Em has chosen to study french and spanish next year (mostly cos her friends are doing so) and she has trouble speaking english!  It will be good as she's in a class of 5 for the next 2 years now and it's a really nice group. I'll stop rambling, I'm still in shock I think!!!! Angua, we have a similar thing here in Michigan; it's called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP for short). We go in every year and meet with Tony's teach and aides and discuss where he's been, the progress he's made and the goals for the following year. There's always the push and pull of not enough resources to do more than the minimum, but I have to say that I think Tony has improved greatly over the past 2 years. I still try to get them to mainstream him in more classes than he does, because he seems to really flourish when he's around non-Autistic kids like his brother & sister.   Tomorrow should be a GREAT day for Tony. My mom is in town and she and I are taking all the grandkids swimming. Tony LOVES swimming! We call them IEPs here, too. And Stephen loves swimming too!   Wouldn't it be a hoot to get Stephen and Tony together? We just had the IEP for Kara and it was very good news. For Kindergarten, the school thinks she's too high functioning for the Autism class so they are placing her in a class called the SLD class, which stands for Selective Learning Delays. Apparently it's more similar to the General Ed classes. Made me tear up.

Edited June 6, 2008 by Rushman14

[GhostGirl]

That's wonderful, Rushman.

[Rushman14]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 6 2008, 11:52 AM)

That's wonderful, Rushman.

Thanks GG!

[Angua]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 6 2008, 06:14 PM)

QUOTE (Cygnus The God Of Balance @ Jun 6 2008, 01:06 PM) QUOTE (Angua @ Jun 6 2008, 06:46 AM) I'm feeling really good today.  The reason?  We had Em's annual review of special educational needs yesterday (for those not familiar with the UK education system, once a child has a Statement of Special Educational Need, the school and education authority have to ensure that it is being met each year) and it was a total turn around from last year.  Last year it was very negative and the school seemed to not want her (it's a school for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties and physical and visual impairment - she ticks all those boxes) and we had to really fight to keep her there.  She's been there since she was 3 so at 15 it would be a hell of problem settling her elsewhere.  Fortunately the educational psychologist agreed with us and explained how distressing for her it would be etc. This year it was all how much she had come on and how much she is enjoying school.  We couldn't believe it.  We went in expecting another battle and it was like wow, these teacher see the same child we do!  I had to laugh though as Em has chosen to study french and spanish next year (mostly cos her friends are doing so) and she has trouble speaking english!  It will be good as she's in a class of 5 for the next 2 years now and it's a really nice group. I'll stop rambling, I'm still in shock I think!!!! Angua, we have a similar thing here in Michigan; it's called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP for short). We go in every year and meet with Tony's teach and aides and discuss where he's been, the progress he's made and the goals for the following year. There's always the push and pull of not enough resources to do more than the minimum, but I have to say that I think Tony has improved greatly over the past 2 years. I still try to get them to mainstream him in more classes than he does, because he seems to really flourish when he's around non-Autistic kids like his brother & sister.   Tomorrow should be a GREAT day for Tony. My mom is in town and she and I are taking all the grandkids swimming. Tony LOVES swimming! We call them IEPs here, too. And Stephen loves swimming too!   Wouldn't it be a hoot to get Stephen and Tony together? We use IEP's too, the statement is really a contract between the education department and the child and parents. Basically if they fail to provide anything that they have agreed to we can sue them!   Emily also love going swimming - she can't swim yet despite 12 years of lessons but loves being in the water. She loved the Disney world water parks and would have spent our entire holiday there given the chance! Her other great love is horse riding, but she's not able to go until her hip surgery stablises in a couple more months. Horses are the only animals she's ever really taken to, despite us having dogs and cats.

[nettiesaur]

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ Jun 6 2008, 01:45 PM)

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 6 2008, 11:14 AM) QUOTE (Cygnus The God Of Balance @ Jun 6 2008, 01:06 PM) QUOTE (Angua @ Jun 6 2008, 06:46 AM) I'm feeling really good today.  The reason?  We had Em's annual review of special educational needs yesterday (for those not familiar with the UK education system, once a child has a Statement of Special Educational Need, the school and education authority have to ensure that it is being met each year) and it was a total turn around from last year.  Last year it was very negative and the school seemed to not want her (it's a school for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties and physical and visual impairment - she ticks all those boxes) and we had to really fight to keep her there.  She's been there since she was 3 so at 15 it would be a hell of problem settling her elsewhere.  Fortunately the educational psychologist agreed with us and explained how distressing for her it would be etc. This year it was all how much she had come on and how much she is enjoying school.  We couldn't believe it.  We went in expecting another battle and it was like wow, these teacher see the same child we do!  I had to laugh though as Em has chosen to study french and spanish next year (mostly cos her friends are doing so) and she has trouble speaking english!  It will be good as she's in a class of 5 for the next 2 years now and it's a really nice group. I'll stop rambling, I'm still in shock I think!!!! Angua, we have a similar thing here in Michigan; it's called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP for short). We go in every year and meet with Tony's teach and aides and discuss where he's been, the progress he's made and the goals for the following year. There's always the push and pull of not enough resources to do more than the minimum, but I have to say that I think Tony has improved greatly over the past 2 years. I still try to get them to mainstream him in more classes than he does, because he seems to really flourish when he's around non-Autistic kids like his brother & sister.   Tomorrow should be a GREAT day for Tony. My mom is in town and she and I are taking all the grandkids swimming. Tony LOVES swimming! We call them IEPs here, too. And Stephen loves swimming too!   Wouldn't it be a hoot to get Stephen and Tony together? We just had the IEP for Kara and it was very good news. For Kindergarten, the school thinks she's too high functioning for the Autism class so they are placing her in a class called the SLD class, which stands for Selective Learning Delays. Apparently it's more similar to the General Ed classes. Made me tear up. cool for all of you.   And just so you know, in the U.S., IEP's are a federal mandate, every child in special education has to have one, or if they are in a private school, a service plan.   from one of the teachers who has to follow them

[GhostGirl]

Anybody have experience with Risperdal and autism?

 

That's what we're looking at for Stephen. Maybe it makes sense, I don't know. He does have manic periods and periods of intense rage.

 

INTENSE rage.

 

Another weekend full of those episodes - it is truly terrifying and heartbreaking at the same time. And they come out of nowhere - if the computer page doesn't load fast enough, or if we turn on a lamp at the wrong time.

 

He went to bed after 10 last night and woke up at 2:30 a.m.

 

I'm sorry to continually whine here, but I'm just so damned tired. I'm at work (new job - 2nd week) and I've already had to come in late two days because of these issues and the resulting exhaustion. It's not like I have to punch a clock anymore, but still...

[Lerxist]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 10:42 AM)

Anybody have experience with Risperdal and autism? That's what we're looking at for Stephen. Maybe it makes sense, I don't know. He does have manic periods and periods of intense rage. INTENSE rage. Another weekend full of those episodes - it is truly terrifying and heartbreaking at the same time. And they come out of nowhere - if the computer page doesn't load fast enough, or if we turn on a lamp at the wrong time. He went to bed after 10 last night and woke up at 2:30 a.m. I'm sorry to continually whine here, but I'm just so damned tired. I'm at work (new job - 2nd week) and I've already had to come in late two days because of these issues and the resulting exhaustion. It's not like I have to punch a clock anymore, but still...

My son, Nathan, has taken Risperdal for about 5 years now. The tantrums and violent outbursts were very intense and difficult - no, make that unbearable to deal with! If someone walked into a room before him it would trigger a "meltdown". The risperdal has had a positive effect. It took some time and several dosage adjustments to get where he's at now. Our goal, ultimately, is to get him off all medications completely. He was on Zoloft for a couple of years for anxiety and we were able to successfully get him off of that with no trouble at all. We want to try to stop the Risperdal and Straterra as well.

[GhostGirl]

QUOTE (Lerxist @ Jun 9 2008, 11:42 AM)

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 10:42 AM) Anybody have experience with Risperdal and autism? That's what we're looking at for Stephen.  Maybe it makes sense, I don't know.  He does have manic periods and periods of intense rage. INTENSE rage. Another weekend full of those episodes - it is truly terrifying and heartbreaking at the same time.  And they come out of nowhere - if the computer page doesn't load fast enough, or if we turn on a lamp at the wrong time. He went to bed after 10 last night and woke up at 2:30 a.m.  I'm sorry to continually whine here, but I'm just so damned tired.  I'm at work (new job - 2nd week) and I've already had to come in late two days because of these issues and the resulting exhaustion.  It's not like I have to punch a clock anymore, but still... My son, Nathan, has taken Risperdal for about 5 years now. The tantrums and violent outbursts were very intense and difficult - no, make that unbearable to deal with! If someone walked into a room before him it would trigger a "meltdown". The risperdal has had a positive effect. It took some time and several dosage adjustments to get where he's at now. Our goal, ultimately, is to get him off all medications completely. He was on Zoloft for a couple of years for anxiety and we were able to successfully get him off of that with no trouble at all. We want to try to stop the Risperdal and Straterra as well. Thanks for the information.   I never wanted to put Stephen on anything to begin with. This makes me sick.

[sundog]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 01:27 PM)

QUOTE (Lerxist @ Jun 9 2008, 11:42 AM) QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 10:42 AM) Anybody have experience with Risperdal and autism? That's what we're looking at for Stephen.  Maybe it makes sense, I don't know.  He does have manic periods and periods of intense rage. INTENSE rage. Another weekend full of those episodes - it is truly terrifying and heartbreaking at the same time.  And they come out of nowhere - if the computer page doesn't load fast enough, or if we turn on a lamp at the wrong time. He went to bed after 10 last night and woke up at 2:30 a.m.  I'm sorry to continually whine here, but I'm just so damned tired.  I'm at work (new job - 2nd week) and I've already had to come in late two days because of these issues and the resulting exhaustion.  It's not like I have to punch a clock anymore, but still... My son, Nathan, has taken Risperdal for about 5 years now. The tantrums and violent outbursts were very intense and difficult - no, make that unbearable to deal with! If someone walked into a room before him it would trigger a "meltdown". The risperdal has had a positive effect. It took some time and several dosage adjustments to get where he's at now. Our goal, ultimately, is to get him off all medications completely. He was on Zoloft for a couple of years for anxiety and we were able to successfully get him off of that with no trouble at all. We want to try to stop the Risperdal and Straterra as well. Thanks for the information.   I never wanted to put Stephen on anything to begin with. This makes me sick.   It doesn't have to be permanent. Maybe it's something to look at. If it helps HIM get some control of his actions too, then you ALL benefit.   No? Am I being naive?

[GhostGirl]

QUOTE (sundog @ Jun 9 2008, 02:08 PM)

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 01:27 PM) QUOTE (Lerxist @ Jun 9 2008, 11:42 AM) QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 10:42 AM) Anybody have experience with Risperdal and autism? That's what we're looking at for Stephen.  Maybe it makes sense, I don't know.  He does have manic periods and periods of intense rage. INTENSE rage. Another weekend full of those episodes - it is truly terrifying and heartbreaking at the same time.  And they come out of nowhere - if the computer page doesn't load fast enough, or if we turn on a lamp at the wrong time. He went to bed after 10 last night and woke up at 2:30 a.m.  I'm sorry to continually whine here, but I'm just so damned tired.  I'm at work (new job - 2nd week) and I've already had to come in late two days because of these issues and the resulting exhaustion.  It's not like I have to punch a clock anymore, but still... My son, Nathan, has taken Risperdal for about 5 years now. The tantrums and violent outbursts were very intense and difficult - no, make that unbearable to deal with! If someone walked into a room before him it would trigger a "meltdown". The risperdal has had a positive effect. It took some time and several dosage adjustments to get where he's at now. Our goal, ultimately, is to get him off all medications completely. He was on Zoloft for a couple of years for anxiety and we were able to successfully get him off of that with no trouble at all. We want to try to stop the Risperdal and Straterra as well. Thanks for the information.   I never wanted to put Stephen on anything to begin with. This makes me sick.   It doesn't have to be permanent. Maybe it's something to look at. If it helps HIM get some control of his actions too, then you ALL benefit.   No? Am I being naive?   No, I don't think you're being naive. That's how I'm looking at it too.   Thank you.

[Lerxist]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 02:57 PM)

QUOTE (sundog @ Jun 9 2008, 02:08 PM) QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 01:27 PM) QUOTE (Lerxist @ Jun 9 2008, 11:42 AM) QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 10:42 AM) Anybody have experience with Risperdal and autism? That's what we're looking at for Stephen.  Maybe it makes sense, I don't know.  He does have manic periods and periods of intense rage. INTENSE rage. Another weekend full of those episodes - it is truly terrifying and heartbreaking at the same time.  And they come out of nowhere - if the computer page doesn't load fast enough, or if we turn on a lamp at the wrong time. He went to bed after 10 last night and woke up at 2:30 a.m.  I'm sorry to continually whine here, but I'm just so damned tired.  I'm at work (new job - 2nd week) and I've already had to come in late two days because of these issues and the resulting exhaustion.  It's not like I have to punch a clock anymore, but still... My son, Nathan, has taken Risperdal for about 5 years now. The tantrums and violent outbursts were very intense and difficult - no, make that unbearable to deal with! If someone walked into a room before him it would trigger a "meltdown". The risperdal has had a positive effect. It took some time and several dosage adjustments to get where he's at now. Our goal, ultimately, is to get him off all medications completely. He was on Zoloft for a couple of years for anxiety and we were able to successfully get him off of that with no trouble at all. We want to try to stop the Risperdal and Straterra as well. Thanks for the information.   I never wanted to put Stephen on anything to begin with. This makes me sick.   It doesn't have to be permanent. Maybe it's something to look at. If it helps HIM get some control of his actions too, then you ALL benefit.   No? Am I being naive?   No, I don't think you're being naive. That's how I'm looking at it too.   Thank you. You know, I was always one of those "I'm not drugging my kid" kind of people. I don't want Nathan to be drug dependent his whole life and hopefully he won't be, but when I watched how his life was being destroyed by his behavior and his emotions were so sporadic we felt we had to try something. As he is growing and learning how to deal with his Autism and his feelings we are trying to take the medications out of the equation. We haven't started weening the Risperdal yet, we are going to talk to his doctor next month. But we did drop the Zoloft without any problems, which makes me wonder...did he really need it or did he overcome his anxiety??   Another aside about the Risperdal. It made Nathan very tired. He was sleeping through school, and very difficult to wake up in the mornings. With a dosage adjustment we somewhat reduced this effect.

[GhostGirl]

Oh, great.

[Lerxist]

Try not to be too discouraged. When you weigh the pros and cons it can make a difference in quality of life, both his and yours.

 

Over the years we have seen Nathan make tremendous accomplishments in his life. He had some very strong tactile issues when he was very young. He wouldn't touch things like play dough or shaving creme. We used to brush him twice a day and do joint compressions on him(which he really liked) and now he doesn't have a problem with textures - on his hands anyway, food is another story

 

We have been working on getting him to go swimming for what seems like years. He doesn't like the water in his face. Through school he goes over to the YMCA once a week for an hour swimming in the pool. This year he jumped off the diving board into the deep end of the pool!!! From where he started I would have thought that to have been IMPOSSIBLE!

[nettiesaur]

GG. I know it's never an easy decision to put your child on medication, but it sounds like it's necessary at this point. You need to be able to function, and you can't when you aren't sleeping.

[GhostGirl]

Nettie Thanks, sister.

 

And Lerxist...I know you're right. Stephen isn't too funny about textures - and I swear he's really an aquatic being. He would live in the pool if we'd let him.

 

Today has been a good day for him. He spent the day with his dad, and they went swimming late in the afternoon, and let me veg on the couch for a couple of hours. Heaven!

 

And tonight he's hanging out in his room, eating saltines and watching Thomas. I can't believe he's still going strong after being awake SOLID since 2:30 a.m. But he's really using words well for asking for what he wants to eat: "I want crackers, peeese."

 

[GhostGirl]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/RushBabe/0609082200.jpg

 

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 11:06 PM)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/RushBabe/0609082200.jpg

[Lerxist]

Ghost Girl, your baby is an absolute angel! He reminds me of my Nathan when he was that age. Nathan had delayed speech which was the tipoff that he wasn't developing like the average child. That's when he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. We started teaching him basic sign language so he could communicate with us. It was so cute seeing him sign "more" when he was on the swing. Years of speech therapy has him speeking very clearly now.

[owlswing]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 10:06 PM)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/RushBabe/0609082200.jpg

 

In the choice you have to make when it comes to that sweet angel just follow your heart and gut.

 

As Sunny said no choice need be permanent if it is not what doing for him what your family or Drs felt it might.

 

Your a great Mom trust that feeling deep inside.

[GhostGirl]

QUOTE (owlswing @ Jun 11 2008, 08:18 AM)

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 10:06 PM) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/RushBabe/0609082200.jpg   In the choice you have to make when it comes to that sweet angel just follow your heart and gut.   As Sunny said no choice need be permanent if it is not what doing for him what your family or Drs felt it might.   Your a great Mom trust that feeling deep inside.   Today we went to the doctor, and things went pretty well. There are a few issues we need to follow up on, but we did get the Risperdal.   I'll be giving him his first dose in a little while and I'm nervous.

[liquidcrystalcompass]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 13 2008, 08:39 PM)

QUOTE (owlswing @ Jun 11 2008, 08:18 AM) QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jun 9 2008, 10:06 PM) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/RushBabe/0609082200.jpg   In the choice you have to make when it comes to that sweet angel just follow your heart and gut.   As Sunny said no choice need be permanent if it is not what doing for him what your family or Drs felt it might.   Your a great Mom trust that feeling deep inside.   Today we went to the doctor, and things went pretty well. There are a few issues we need to follow up on, but we did get the Risperdal.   I'll be giving him his first dose in a little while and I'm nervous. What is Risperdal?