Autism Awareness Week

[MRS GTP]

Hi guys, just wanted to remind people or spread the work if you like, about Autism Awareness week 13th-19th MAY. Not many people know what it is, but I do. My 3 year old daughter has Autism/Aspergers and is doing very well at the moment. I had her diagnosed when she was 2, and she is getting intervention at the moment. I just want to say to any parents out there who have a child, or know of someone with an Autism spectrum disorder..THERE IS HOPE AND HAVE FAITH. :
THANKS FOR HEARING MY STORY..

[chich]

Good to know that campaigns like this are being run to increase awareness. This one is quite close to my heart as my sister is Autistic. Its just a shame that even after many years of research they still don't exactly know what causes it, and more importantly how to rectify it...

[MRS GTP]

I AGREE, there are reasons that they think from where autism arrises, but they are not 100% sure. All we know is that it is a disorder that affects their everyday living in many aspects, socially, emotionally, cognitively, speech etc..
I knew that there was something different and I was concerned. After numerous visits to the psyh's and peadiatricians, there was a name for that difference. First it was Global developmental delay, then they said Autism. But she has pregressed so well and is now speaking, has eye contact and is very social etc.. I was told by the psch that she may need to be reassesed as she is 'loosing the autistic symptoms".They think she might have ASPERGERS because she is quite smart. Time will tell, but We lover her unconditionally regardless of what the outcome is..

TO ALL

If you see children who act irrationally in public with crying, screaming, or tantrum episodes, You may say to yourself "wow...look at that little brat" they may not be a brat at all, they may very well have AUTISM!!

[XRchic]

My brother has Aspergers, and is now about to turn 34. He has always had the condition but only relatively recently been diagnosed (10 years ago perhaps). At school he was always terribly behaved, threw big tantrums, reacted badly to many foods, was extremely selfish and unkind to people, was very strange in his hobbies/interests and many of those traits still exist in him. He does struggle a lot and I can only think how much better his life would be now if his condition was recognised earlier, instead of him just being labelled "Hyperactive" and all the really bad generalisations....

Now, growing up largely untreated and mistreated, he still lives at home with my parents, cant work, has never had a job and will never, is obssessive about his hobbies, prone to very bad bouts of depression and violence, is a chronic alcoholic with very severe and painful gout as well as a whole host of other acohol related physical problems and is just a very miserable, unhappy person who is always talking of suicide or even taking down people with him (people in positions that he hates)....

I just hope that kids who are diagnosed with Autism or Aspergers are diagnosed early enough to be treated appropriately, can receive the help they need and also be accepted in society for who they are - so they dont end up like my brother who is past the point of no return.

Awareness is a good thing, especially for judgemental and small minded people, like the ones who picked on my brother one night because his hobby is to watch trains at the local train station in his car... when they (3 of them) beat him up, smashed his camera, kicked his car in and threw him against the train which was passing by and left him there - just because they think he is a weirdo. That didnt do his depression much good.

So yes, the more people like that who become aware of these issues, in kids and in adults too, the less likely this sort of thing will happen, and the more likely these people can have better lives!

Jac

[Ringo]

My brother-in-law is autistic/aspergers.

He is a constant challenge to manage. He has a mental capacity of a 10 year old mostly but in certain area shows wisdom, judgement etc beyond his 22 years of age.

There is a psycologist called Richard Eisenmeyer who has has a major impact in his life. He has outlined strategies for dealing with him and explained to us all how he sees the world. Instead of getting through day to day there is now a week to week, month to month management process.

Google him - he is a leader and specialist in Aspergers & Austism (high functioning) and his DVD was enlightening.

[fordxrtfan]

My oldest daughter (now 14) was diagnosed with Aspergers approx 4-5 years go. Tony Atwood in Brisbane is the saviour in my life. Now with routines and strategies in place life is so much easier to cope with.
I think that awareness weeks such as this are a great idea and hope that every year more people become aware of these disorders.

[MRS GTP]

RINGO - I'd love to grab a hold of his dvd, do you knowwhere I can grab a copy. Also a great read on AUTISM is a book called "SMILING AT SHADOWS" its awesome I have just recently borrowed a copy and its great.

[terra australis]

Originally Posted by fordxrtfan

My oldest daughter (now 14) was diagnosed with Aspergers approx 4-5 years go. Tony Atwood in Brisbane is the saviour in my life. Now with routines and strategies in place life is so much easier to cope with.
I think that awareness weeks such as this are a great idea and hope that every year more people become aware of these disorders.

Have to strongly aggree with you there about Tony...He has dedicated his life to people with Aspergers...

This to to any parent who has a child with Aspergers, if you cannot get in to see this man I would recommend that you go and see one of his presentations. It is the most empowering thing I have ever done. He has a fantastic website www.tonyattwood.com.au and he has also published a book on Aspergers Syndrome which I consider my Bible. This book is fantastic.

I cannot put into words how great this man is. If you get onto his website and click on presentations you can see that the rest of the world has a high regard of him as well .

These are fantastic kids and I believe that one day one of these kids will do something absolutely mindblowing like finding a cure for cancer or figure out a way to make it rain.

[MRS GTP]

Its amazing how many children/people that are affected. Its something that a lot of people dont know about, and there is certainly not enough help from the government with funding and spreading the word. I bet if one of their children were affected, you would hear a lot more of it!!

[Ringo]

Mrs GTP - I think you can get his DVD from his website for $70 or so.

Aspengers is so much more common than people realise, There are lots of people who are probably just considered odd or eccentric and actually have a form of aspergers. I envy Aspergers sometimes and not having to conform to others especially when we don't want to.

My brother in law is such a mixed bag of symptoms and conditions that he is very difficult to categorise and as such his Mum has to go through so much crap to get what he is entitled to from disability services and what not.

I've gotta say that the last 12 months have been the best in the last 7 years overall inspite of all the set backs and inspite of him being sued at present for ALLEGEDLY injuring one of his carers (short story is that carer injured themselves, says that he was attacked and he probably was but his desciption of how it occured is so devoid of LOGIC (Austistic people live on logic) that none of it makes sense - our belief if that the carer either tried to restrain him or just lost it and attacked him first...that scenario we can relate too ;-)

Statewide Autistic Services have been good and even DSE have been a positive experience but it is all thanks to everyone having an agreed framework of goals for him and technique in dealing with situations laid down by Eisenmeyer. It has taken the carers from dealing with him shift to shfit to now having a week to week, month to month mentality. He also has a brilliant GP who I think enjoys dealing with someone 'different'.

There are plenty of wonderful care workers who get a lot of satisfaction dealing with 'Downies' all day...they do what they are told mostly and are not overly challenging. Autistic/Aspegers people need carers who understand how they think so that they can deal with thinks without getting burnt out. My B-i-l has gone through so many carer's up until the last 12 months or so.

When I first met him I thought he was a brat......but now I understand which bits of his behaviour he has control over and which bits he doesn't.....

18 year ago it took Doc's about 2 years to diagnose him and then they had no idea what to do with him....things have come such a long way since then.

[Captain Stubing]

Both of my sons have been diagnosed with Asbergers, it's interesting to see how differently they are affected.

My oldest son is introverted, so never really had the tantrums - but suffers social interaction problems, amongst other things.

My youngest son is more full on... he's on his last warning at primary school before suspension (Grade 4). I have to say that the support from the school has been fantastic, and together we've worked on strategies to help keep him on track. He's come a long way since his first year of school.

Defining clear boundaries and goals, with rewards and punishment set beforehand seem to help a lot.

[Ringo]

Defining clear boundaries and goals, with rewards and punishment set beforehand seem to help a lot.

Thats is what my BIL is working with at he moment. 10 steps forward but 3 back. Overall we are winnning but some days make you wonder.

[irsa76]

Are there any warning signs so to speak for parents to look out for? I'm a firm beliver in getting any conditions diagnosed as early as possible, and looking at them as a character trait of the person rather then a problem.

[Mutley]

My 5 year old daughter is autistic. When she was first diagnosed, my wife cried but I didn't fully understand the ramifications of the diagnosis.

We've been through a multitude of treatment programmes, including speech therapy, ocupational therapy, behavioral therapy, parent training to mention a few. Its all expensive and I hate to admit it but in hindsight, my wife and I feel some of the service providers have taken advantage of us and ripped us off!

In the end, the best advice I received is from my mum: take her home and love her. The best support we've received is from her special needs teacher who has gone that extra mile for her and has shown a dedication far beyond what we could have hoped for - a true gift.

For anyone in our boat, we wish you all the best. If your in Perth feel free to PM me for a chat or what ever. We find it easier now to mix with families with similar issues.

[MotherNatureVer2]

I think it is amazing how many people there are who have as I call them our special little ones. I too do and am amazed at both the lack of facilities in the rural areas but the fact that there is also the incredable support of other like parents.

I am truly blessed now as my son whos diagnosis is ADHD/ODD/anxiety, is going so well. We have found that when you have a school and a local community who support you everything seems to fall into place.

In saying that I dont mean he is 'cured' but we have found in the immortal words of Happy Gilmore 'a happy place' to be in ..... hehehehehe

For those who have kids that need a bit more help ...... keep up the incredable job you are doing

For those who dont ..... remember those who do

[fordxrtfan]

Originally Posted by irsa76

Are there any warning signs so to speak for parents to look out for? I'm a firm beliver in getting any conditions diagnosed as early as possible, and looking at them as a character trait of the person rather then a problem.

It took a lot of years to get my daughter diagnosed, we knew something was wrong but Aspergers is not common in Females (approx 10:1 I think) so hence the late diagnoses.

Here are some of the basic symptoms/signs to watch for (Aspergers/Autism):

- rarely make full eye contact
- not seek affection in the usual way, and resist being cuddled or kissed
- be unable to play with their peers, and have difficulty making friends
- not understand other people's emotions
- find it difficult to accept simple social rules, which can cause problems at school
- Children with autism may learn to sit up or walk later than most children.
- They may have odd mannerisms such as rocking back and forth, hand flapping, walking on tip-toes or head banging.
- Children with autism and Asperger's syndrome tend to be clumsy and to struggle with games lessons at school.
- Obsessions may develop in older children and adolescents, such as excessive interest in timetables or lists, and in storing up trivial facts.
- Children with autism may be easily upset or angered if their daily routine is changed. Some are extremely sensitive to noise, and may be very disturbed by an unexpected noise from a vacuum cleaner or hairdryer

Hope it helps, heaps of info is available on the internet or just ask if I can help further