WWYD? Need some advice re:6 yr old, possible Asperger's

[dtb1999]

I hope someone has some advice. I'm really losing my confidence in homeschooling my 6 yr old ds. I have suspected Asperger's for a while now, and possibly even bi-polar. He is just out of control. He constantly hits his brother, shoves him, then laughs when he cries. He really doesn't understand he is hurting him, or maybe he just doesn't care. :confused: He goes into rages and flat out attacks me when I ask him to do something. For instance, this evening I asked him to pick up all his legos he dragged from his room amd decided to throw at his brother. He proceeded to charge at he while laughing hysterically. I had to physically restrain him for the better part of 20 minutes before I just gave up after repeatedly slamming my elbow on the floor in the process of restraining him and told him to go where I didn't have to see him for a while. :( The whole time he was just screaming like I was torturing him and trying to kick me. As soon as I let him get up, he instantly stopped screaming and saying "My pillow, my lunch, my dinner" (:confused:) and trotted off to watch the TV. I just didn't have it in me to keep fighting with him anymore.

 

He has repetitive language, echolalia which comes and goes. He used to flap and spin in circles alot more than he does now, but he does occasionally still do these things. He tries to play with other kids, but kids his age don't really like to play with him. He doesn't seem to "get" how to play in a group. He just doesn't seem like other kids his age in most aspects. He has a very monotone voice at times, which alternated from very flat to overly loud. He's very clumsy, and also has delayed fine motor skills. He can't ride a bike minus training wheels yet, and his 4 yr old brother can. I hate comparing them, but in most aspects, his younger brother is more advanced than he is. I feel like he is so behind in everything. He has ZERO motivation to do anything academic. I just don't know how to teach him, and I really don't want to keep going on like this and wake up one day and realise he's 10 years old and can't read or write, kwim?

 

I am just at a loss. I have kind of been hoping all of this would resolve itself, I suppose. It hasn't. It's gotten far worse. I am going to finally have him evaluated. I am, however, afraid they are going to recommend we put him in school. :glare: I really don't want to do that. But I also don't want to keep going like this everyday. Is it possible to homeschool a kid like this and not lose what tiny bit of your sanity you have left? I guess I am just fearing that I'm not going to be able to HS him, as much as I want to.

[Dobela]

:grouphug::grouphug: I don't have any advice so I am sending some hugs.

[Anne]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

First, find out what the problems are - then, you will find ways to deal with them. There are a number of people on this board homeschooling kids with challenges - you will find a lot of wisdom here! A good evaluator is not going to give you a blanket "put him in school" response. Even if he or she thinks you should put him in school, you would still need to know how best to help him at home, and a good evaluator should be able to give you those kinds of tools.

 

:grouphug:

 

Anne

[Mom22ns]

Whie I do think you need some professional help - the public schools definitely are not it! Start with the evaluation and see what kind of diagnosis you get. You did describe some autistic spectrum tendencies, the violence and lack of understanding goes beyond any ASD kid I've known (and that is quite a few). You may have co-existing diagnosis, many, many kids do. Take it one step at a time.

 

Know this for sure, the public schools don't know any more about helping your child than you do. Once you have a diagnosis that you can agree with, then do your homework. Start researching and learning how to best work with your child and help him. The ps will never do that and they will never tailor a program just for him. You can do it. Don't be afraid to ask for help and lots of it! It is going to be a long road, but just go one step at a time. You can make it!

:grouphug:

[AliR]

There is so much in your post that I could identify with. My dd6 does not have a formal diagnosis but it would likely be somewhere on the higher end of the autism spectrum.

 

Once you understand what the issues are, then you can start to move forward. For example, one of the most useful things I found out was that a child with an ASD tends to have a social/emotional age around 2/3 that of the actual age. That helps me pitch my expectations at a better level. Another thing that testing revealed was that dd understands spoken language at a level far below the level she expresses herself at. This is another common ASD factor, and it really does impact on how frustrated a child gets in their relationships with others.

 

The level of aggression that you are describing is outside my experience but we have found a lot of behavioral problems are actually a response to something that is causing dd anxiety. For us the biggest anxiety was actually ps (which we were told was the key to improving her social skills), so when we pulled her out to homeschool there was an enormous improvement in behavior.

 

Please take heart from the fact that you are not alone on this journey.

[homeschool_mom]

I agree. The public schools are not the solution, and will most likely make things worse. Yes, you’re right, an evaluator might suggest putting him in school (because of their so-called services), but homeschooling will be better for him (and you in the long run). The schools can still do the evaluation in addition to or instead of having someone privately do this. I would take him to a pediatric nuerologist for an evaluation. Most of the time, insurance will pay for this. I’d also look into some in-home behavior therapy. Once you learn why your son is acting like he is, you can then (with others), figure out how to help him. All behavior has a purpose. It could be sensory or any other number of things.

Hold off on the academics for now. I once saw this triangle of needs of kids with special needs. Academics are at the way top. Until their behavior, sensory system, etc.(which are towards the bottom) are under control, kids can’t concentrate on academics.

I highly recommend reading Ross Greene’s book, The Explosive Child.

You are not alone. Post often and let us support you.

[EKS]

I agree with the others that an evaluation is a good first step in your quest to help your child. Most of the evaluators I have dealt with are very pro-homeschooling. Ironically, the one with whom I have most recently dealt is more iffy about it and she has also given me one of the most on target evaluations of my son that I've ever gotten. So, I guess you've got to take the good with the bad sometimes.

 

Anyway, the other thing I wanted to mention is that there are things besides Asperger's that can cause Asperger's symptoms--anxiety, sensory processing issues, auditory processing disorders, giftedness. A good book about this is The Mislabeled Child by Brock and Fernette Eide. A good evaluation can help you sort these things out, though I must confess, that sometimes it takes *several* evaluations to get to the truth.

[Misty]

Not all evaluators will tell you to put them in school. Ours was very supportive of homeschooling. She told me, "It's a good thing you homeschool because your daughter would not be able to function in a public school setting." She said this to me many times in the course of our conversation.

 

Get an evaluation ASAP!! Aggressive behavior that extreme is not usually associated with Asperger's, BUT there can be some other things going on along with Asperger's (maybe bi-polor, like you said, or oppositional defiance disorder, etc.). When you get a diagnosis of Asperger's, you usually get a few more "plus" diagnoses to go along with it and some get the bi-polar or ODD, but most only get ADHD, OCD, etc.

 

My brother, who is now 35 years old, was very much like you described your son. He was always being mean to everyone. He would hurt me on a daily basis and not care. I would be sitting there watching tv and he would walk by and kick me in the stomach. he would throw rocks at me as we walked home from the bus (long driveway!). He would even try to drown me in the pool. And I was a very quiet, shy child who never did anything. I never once provoked him. He would actively defy our mother, play with fire, run from her, shoot her the finger, start fights in school, steal, destroy things, etc. etc. He was a nightmare!! And it started from the time he could walk!

 

Ever since my kids were diagnosed with Asperger's and I've educated myself extensively on Asperger's and related disorders, I have realized and I am CONFIDENT that my brother would have been diagnosed with Asperger's, ADHD, ODD, and possibly OCD as a child *IF* they had known about these things back then. My mother took him to the doctor several times and tried to tell them he wasn't normal, but they always reassured her and sent her on her way. Even when he developed a facial tic, they told her he probably needed glasses. :glare:

 

Anyway, I think you're on to something with the Asperger's thing. Get an evaluation ASAP and don't worry about it if they tell you to put him in school or whatever. Just smile and nod, then change the subject. You can do this!!!

 

Good luck!

[Wyndie]

I would highly recommend you check out the gluten/casein free diet. Casein is commonly associated with violent outbursts and many children (and adults!) are helped by removing something so simple. I personally have a friend who had a very violent and scary child who saw it ALL go away simply by removing dairy. It can't hurt to try it and it may save your sanity.

 

That would be my first step really. Until the rages and issues get under control, school can wait, IMO. :grouphug:

[Orthodox6]

First things first, which is -- :grouphug: .

 

Some of your details remind me strongly of Asperger's. I have a clear-cut Asperger's ds, now 15 yrs. We suspect that I may have mild Asperger's, too. Several of us in the family have multiple dx, and this is common.

 

If you possibly can locate a board-certified child psychiatrist with strong references and regarded as working well with children -- (I describe the best hope) -- do try to set an appointment.

 

You may wish to obtain a "second opinion", as well. We learned the hard way about that. We started two sons with a doctor who fit the description I sketched. Ten years later, and the delay is the fault of dh and me -- (We should have known enough to act more quickly) -- we finally switched to another doctor, who immediately explained the sad mis-diagnosis we had been living with. After ten years of useless lithium and a misdiagnosis of "bipolar-NOS", we found out what the situation is, and what to do.

 

When our Asperger's ds was 3 yrs old, he started having the same rages. Aggression IS part of the package in some patients.

 

The hand-flapping often shows up in Asperger's, and echolalia also is documented.

 

The one hyperlexic child whom I have known (and this is a sub-type for Asperger's) still speaks in monotone, and he now is 19, and a gifted, scholarship-holding, college student at a prestigious university. In his early years, he was a raging, undemonstrative, hand-flapping, difficult child.

 

Major motor control problems are common. (both gross and fine motor skills) The same is true, however, of NonVerbal Learning Disorder. Dr. Kathryn Stewart's book about NVLD discusses the overlap between Asperger's and NVLD.

 

There is variety among Asperger's people, of course, often because of whatever "comorbidities" (formal word for other conditions co-existing) are present. Our ds combines Asperger's with NVLD and anxiety spectrum. My bf's dd combines Asperger's with ADHD and bipolar.

 

Please find a doctor as soon as you can.

 

Diet modifications help some children (but not all). They can be a useful element in a "total care approach", but will not work as a "stand-alone".

 

The symptoms will not "just resolve themselves". That's the sad news. The good news is that the knowledge base grows all the time, and there are fruitful avenues to pursue.

 

In the estimation of many people, the "Daddy" of Asperger's research is Dr. Tony Attwood. http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/ Perhaps you can find one of his books at your library. If not, you can order a title from your bookstore (or from Amazon.com).

 

I really want to encourage you that things can be stabilized with your son, and that he can have a very happy life. My own "Aspie" has gone from a raging, paralyzed-by-anxiety toddler, to a 7-yr. old in the hospital following his suicide attempt, to a stable, loving, well-liked teenager who makes all A's.

 

I never have dealt with public schools, but have the general impression (from friends/relatives who work in ps campuses with special needs students) that the specialized school staff are overbooked with "case load", and can't devote much time to any individual child.

 

One thing sometimes recommended for children/teens is to join a "social skills group". The young people are taught how to get along with other people in the various "social situations" that occur every day, from one-on-one, to larger numbers. Asperger's people are weak at "reading" the "social cues" that other people internalize without conscious effort. This does not mean placing your child in public school. These are groups which meet, usually once per week.

 

Things CAN improve ! !

Edited May 4, 2009 by Orthodox6

[HeatherLynn]

I agree with your previous advice and just wanted to show some support. My own Aspie has rage issues and along with AS, has been diagnosed with PPD, ODD, and ADHD. It's so hard.

 

I believe my 3yo also has AS (he is adopted). At least now I now how to parent him and what to look for. My older T was a mystery for so long.

[dtb1999]

Thank you, everyone. All of these replies are very helpful and encouraging. I am going to locate the referral our ped. gave us and see if it is with a child psychologist or psychiatrist. She gave me a few names so I'm going to give them a call and explain the situation and see what we can do to get the ball rolling on getting him some help. It's funny, because a few years ago he was my "easy" kid, and my youngest was the one who kept me frazzled day in and day out. Now it's the other way around. My dh says they take turns, and he's only half joking. :tongue_smilie:

[Ibbygirl]

Another vote for the eval. I got a referral through my pediatrician and the eval was done free by the county. They did a very thorough job too. The also made several recommendations and gave me a direction to start with and some contacts for therapies, neurologists, etc. :grouphug: My daughter used to be like that too when she was younger. We had to take all of the furniture out of her room to keep her from hurting herself when she was having a tantrum. She used to rip fistfuls of hair out of her head and scream these primordial screams that sounded like a banchee. We had to switch the door knob on her door so that it locked on the outside and we would just lock her in there until she calmed down because it was the only safe place for her to be where she wouldn't hurt herself with furniture and stuff. I know what you are going through. It is brutal. But let me encourage you that it does get better. They don't stay this way forever. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[Mom22ns]

The one hyperlexic child whom I have known (and this is a sub-type for Asperger's) still speaks in monotone, and he now is 19, and a gifted, scholarship-holding, college student at a prestigious university. In his early years, he was a raging, undemonstrative, hand-flapping, difficult child.

 

 

Just a quick correction, Hyperlexic is not a sub-type of Asperger's. Some believe it can stand on its own but it can definitely be co-existent with any variety of ASD. My son is hyperlexic. He has been reading since age 2 and was diagnosed by the Center for Speech and Language Disorders in Chicago which is (or was at that time) the leading edge on hyperlexia.

 

The monotone can come with any ASD child, mine never did it, he was always quite expressive - not always the right expression but always expressive. :lol: Hand flapping and echolalia can also be found anywhere on the autistic spectrum. Mine never flapped either - but boy was he echolalic. Every ASD child has a different group of characteristics. Which ones and how many determine the diagnosis. Since I have no title that gives me the right, I would not presume to diagnose, even if I had met your ds and was able to do a thorough evaluation. Although, if I had spent that time, as a friend, I would then be able to give a more educated opinion :001_smile:

 

You've gotten some great advice at this point. The one thing that I want to reiterate is that as you get an evaluation and perhaps a formal diagnosis, make sure that you agree with what they are saying and don't be afraid to go somewhere else if it doesn't add up for you. Just recently I had friends who were devastated when the dev. psych. told them it was just their bad parenting. After much reassurance and encouragement they went elsewhere and got an ADHD and ODD diagnosis and much help from another Dev. Psych. Don't let anyone push you around, run you down, tell you homeschooling has caused the problems, etc. I have worked with an OT that understood my son so well she could predict what I was going to say was the next issue and I have been to a pediatric neurologist who told me my son was just a little and I quote "strange".

 

Professionals that can help you work with your ds and maximize his potential are out there.

:grouphug:

[Orthodox6]

Sorry for my innocent mistake. All that I knew came from my friend, whose hyperlexic son I mentioned, also was evaluated and treated at that same center in Chicago. Years ago, that is what she told me. Your experience is more recent, so sounds as if definitions have changed. I have not needed to stay current, so appreciate the update !

 

Just a quick correction, Hyperlexic is not a sub-type of Asperger's. Some believe it can stand on its own but it can definitely be co-existent with any variety of ASD. My son is hyperlexic. He has been reading since age 2 and was diagnosed by the Center for Speech and Language Disorders in Chicago which is (or was at that time) the leading edge on hyperlexia.

Edited May 4, 2009 by Orthodox6

[dtb1999]

"Sometimes I lie awake at night and I ask, 'Where did I go wrong?' And a voice answers, 'This is going to take more than one night.'"

 

 

I have to say, your sig. makes me smile. :lol:

Edited May 4, 2009 by dtb1999

[Ibbygirl]

I have to say, your sig. makes me smile. :lol:

 

 

I'm glad. :) I know for me, if I wasn't laughing I'd be crying so I choose to laugh as much as I can. Plus that quote is from Charles Schultz who I recognize to be the father of all wisdom. ;) :D

[dtb1999]

Mine never flapped either - but boy was he echolalic.

 

One thing he has recently started doing, and I don't know if this is considered echolalia or not, is he will whisper the last sentence or few words of something I say or he hears. For instance, if we are reading a book, and the last few words in the sentence are, "He felt very tired", he will sort of whisper or mumble very softly under his breath, "Felt very tired". He does it pretty fast, too. The first few times I noticed him doing it, I thought he said something to me, and asked him what he said, and he shook his head and said "nothing". :confused:

[Orthodox6]

I feel silly confessing this, but I do the same thing. Much less than I used to do, and now apparently more when under stress. I will complete a sentence, then "mouth" the last few words silently. As I wrote earlier, we suspect that I may have mild Asperger's (as part of my "mix"). Ds' doctor told me that some people do this. I always have felt silly about it, but it is harmless. When someone draws my attention to it, I tend to do it more. So perhaps it is an "anxiety reaction" for me ??

 

 

One thing he has recently started doing, and I don't know if this is considered echolalia or not, is he will whisper the last sentence or few words of something I say or he hears. For instance, if we are reading a book, and the last few words in the sentence are, "He felt very tired", he will sort of whisper or mumble very softly under his breath, "Felt very tired". He does it pretty fast, too. The first few times I noticed him doing it, I thought he said something to me, and asked him what he said, and he shook his head and said "nothing". :confused:

Edited May 4, 2009 by Orthodox6

[Niffercoo]

One thing he has recently started doing, and I don't know if this is considered echolalia or not, is he will whisper the last sentence or few words of something I say or he hears. For instance, if we are reading a book, and the last few words in the sentence are, "He felt very tired", he will sort of whisper or mumble very softly under his breath, "Felt very tired". He does it pretty fast, too. The first few times I noticed him doing it, I thought he said something to me, and asked him what he said, and he shook his head and said "nothing". :confused:

 

 

This is called palilalia (but I'm not sure I spelled that correctly!). My Aspie used to do it when he was little (before we even knew he was an Aspie!). We just thought he was odd.

 

When we were reading about autism after Reece was diagnosed, we read about palilalia and couldn't believe there was a 'name' for what Austin did! That, and other things, convinced us to persue a diagnosis for him. He was almost 10 when he got his Aspergers diagnosis. In fact, it was 3 years ago this week!

[Orthodox6]

Wow ! I have a new label ! :blink: When I first read the word in your post, I automatically broke it into the "Greek pieces" and stared. Then I read the rest of your explanation. Thank you so much for this info !

[Ibbygirl]

One thing he has recently started doing, and I don't know if this is considered echolalia or not, is he will whisper the last sentence or few words of something I say or he hears. For instance, if we are reading a book, and the last few words in the sentence are, "He felt very tired", he will sort of whisper or mumble very softly under his breath, "Felt very tired". He does it pretty fast, too. The first few times I noticed him doing it, I thought he said something to me, and asked him what he said, and he shook his head and said "nothing". :confused:

 

 

My daughter does this too. She'll say something and then repeat the last word in a whisper. For example she'll say something like, "Man, I really want a dog." And then whisper, "dog". She does that constantly. hehe

[chiguirre]

I am, however, afraid they are going to recommend we put him in school. :glare: I really don't want to do that. But I also don't want to keep going like this everyday. Is it possible to homeschool a kid like this and not lose what tiny bit of your sanity you have left? I guess I am just fearing that I'm not going to be able to HS him, as much as I want to.

 

Sure you'll be able to hs him. In fact, you may find you have no other choice but to hs him! My hsed ds had some violent tantrums when we first started hsing but they've tapered off. My private schooled ds has outbursts like your ds except he's 9 and weighs 75 pounds! Risperdal does help control his outbursts and we found out 2 other drugs intensify them. There is help, but it comes through a process of trial and error. :glare:

 

On the bright side, having a HFA or aspie kid who's 2 years older than a sibling is an ideal gap for schooling them together. It's like having virtual twins. Our public school experience was horrible. The preschool program managed to cause ds to regress in all areas (luckily, his regression was limited to that environment and he was also in a half day of ABA). After that experience we knew that we would have to hs ds because he was too high functioning to continue in a contained private school setting and ps was an unmitigated disaster. There's nothing like knowing you have no alternatives to motivate you to make hsing work.

 

The best things we've done with our HFA ds were the 3 years of ABA he did as a preschooler and his social skills class. This is the first year he was old enough to do ss and what a difference it's made. He has a lot more self confidence because he knows he's not alone, there are lots of kids on the spectrum and they can do all sorts of really interesting things. Ss has given him better coping techniques, but most importantly, it's given him his own network of peers and role models that face his same issues.

 

Once you get a diagnosis and have a treatment mapped out, you'll feel a lot better.

 

:grouphug:

[Misty]

One thing he has recently started doing, and I don't know if this is considered echolalia or not, is he will whisper the last sentence or few words of something I say or he hears. For instance, if we are reading a book, and the last few words in the sentence are, "He felt very tired", he will sort of whisper or mumble very softly under his breath, "Felt very tired". He does it pretty fast, too.

 

Yes, this is echolalia.. My 6yo Aspie does this exact type of echolalia.

[Misty]

Just a quick correction, Hyperlexic is not a sub-type of Asperger's. Some believe it can stand on its own but it can definitely be co-existent with any variety of ASD. My son is hyperlexic. He has been reading since age 2 and was diagnosed by the Center for Speech and Language Disorders in Chicago which is (or was at that time) the leading edge on hyperlexia.

 

I have a hyperlexic Aspie too! She began reading at age 3 without any formal instruction. She is 11 now and still addicted to books and writing at a very advanced level.

 

Here is an article on the two sub-types of hyerlexia if anyone is interested... My daughter has the visual-spatial/motor-delay type.

 

http://www.hyperlexia.org/aha_winter9697.html

[Misty]

Some of your details remind me strongly of Asperger's. I have a clear-cut Asperger's ds, now 15 yrs. We suspect that I may have mild Asperger's, too.

 

I have Asperger's as well, only not mild! I'm a full blown Aspie, all the way!:D I've developed coping skills over the years, but definitely still Aspie. Have you read "Pretending to Be Normal?" I've heard it's a must-read for all adult Aspies. It's next on my list!

[Mom22ns]

I have a hyperlexic Aspie too! She began reading at age 3 without any formal instruction. She is 11 now and still addicted to books and writing at a very advanced level.

 

Here is an article on the two sub-types of hyerlexia if anyone is interested... My daughter has the visual-spatial/motor-delay type.

 

http://www.hyperlexia.org/aha_winter9697.html

 

Mine is in between the two :lol: He has never fit a label in his life. He had too much language delay when he was young to be aspie, so they went with PDD-NOS. Most people assume aspie now because his language is normal and he is highly gifted. I had one pediatric psychologist who told me he specialized in diagnosis and loved finding the perfect label, then saying that there was no label for ds :huh: The only thing that did fit was hyperlexia. He learned his letters (spontaneously) at two and everything he looked at became a letter. Then by 2.5 he was reading words, and then bigger and bigger words. It really messed with us getting anyone to notice he was having issues!

 

My ds is also addicted to books. He never had trouble with comprehension and reading has always been the key to his learning. He has written one and a half books and even won an award for his poetry, but has trouble writing about assigned topics not in his areas of interest. I consider writing to be a weakness right now, although in fourth grade he wanted to be an author when he grew up :001_smile:

[Misty]

My ds is also addicted to books. He never had trouble with comprehension and reading has always been the key to his learning. He has written one and a half books and even won an award for his poetry, but has trouble writing about assigned topics not in his areas of interest. I consider writing to be a weakness right now, although in fourth grade he wanted to be an author when he grew up :001_smile:

 

Oh, this is soooo my hyperlexic daughter as well... Reading has always been the key to her learning as well. I find myself wondering how I'm going to teach her younger siblings even HALF of what she knows because they just don't read like she does.

 

She also writes obsessively, but if I put a writing assignment in front of her, she completely melts! She cannot focus on things that are not her current obsession, but I also think she has a hard time comprehending what the assignment is asking her to do. She has a near photographic memory for both audio and visual and she can tell you exactly what she read, so it is hard to assess her reading comprehension. I have always thought that she had decent comprehension and she even tested very well in this area in the elementary grades, but I know her comprehension is not as advanced as her reading and writing. Her writing is advanced, I believe, because she has read SO MANY BOOKS that she has memorized how a well-written book looks. She desperately wants to be a writer when she grows up. It's almost all she can think about and she sits at the computer and works on her books every chance she gets.

 

We have had a hard time fitting my daughter into an exact "label" as well. She is diagnosed with a lot of things, but only *barely*. Everything is mild. Even Asperger's was borderline and the psychologist thought she was doing too well socially to get the full diagnosis for that, though she has every other sign of it and just about every co-morbid disorder possible. She has mild Tourette's, OCD, ADD (issues with executive functioning, impulse control, attention, and working memory), SPD, dysgraphia, and mild dyscalculia. She also has Synesthesia where she sees colors with numbers and letters, and of course, the hyperlexia. Oh, and let's not forget the gifted IQ, just to complicate it even further!! So even though she has dyscalculia, she is working *just below* grade level for math because her gifted IQ is doing some slight compensating! That was a hard one for the psych to figure out!

 

Anyway, it's not every day I run into another homeschool mom with a hyperlexic child about the same age as mine, so had to ramble on...

[westcoastmom]

:grouphug:

 

See if you can find the book Fabric of Autism by Judith Bluestone. We did a HANDLE program with my daughter who used to be considered High Functioning Autistic. We heard about HANDLE from a WTM mom and did a HANDLE program for 6 months. She is now a social butterfly. The book was written by the founder of HANDLE

[dtb1999]

:grouphug:

 

See if you can find the book Fabric of Autism by Judith Bluestone. We did a HANDLE program with my daughter who used to be considered High Functioning Autistic. We heard about HANDLE from a WTM mom and did a HANDLE program for 6 months. She is now a social butterfly. The book was written by the founder of HANDLE

 

 

Thanks! I founds the HANDLE website and have it bookmarked to check out in more detail later. :)

[Jill]

I had one pediatric psychologist who told me he specialized in diagnosis and loved finding the perfect label, then saying that there was no label for ds

oh, that's beautiful. well, at least he didn't fake it.

 

dtb1999 - I am not that experienced or informed of all this stuff but do keep your pediatrician in the loop if you start trying dietary interventions - e.g., GFCF. I tried with my son then consulted ped and it did turn out that he is celiac. Biopsy was just this past Wednesday and by Thursday we had the "official" diagnosis though I knew we'd start the GF diet again. While the pediatricians involved say things like, "it may reduce the severity of behavioral symptoms but they won't necessarily go away", a reduction via what ends up being an easy diet change for us is FINE. so just my $.02...

p.s. our pediatrician also checked for wheat allergy and said she would check for some others too if that or celiac came up negative. She seemed very comfortable with idea that discomfort can propel or aggravate behaviours. a big _duh_, I know, but I was pleased that she was receptive.

Edited May 16, 2009 by Jill