Aspergers/ASD support thread

Happy_Girl_2

As an Aspie, I do have trouble winding down for sleep, but not for that long

I find that when I get into bed, it takes a while for my brain to stop working, and if I am disturbed before I get to sleep, my brain starts up again and I have to wind down again. Going to bed at a regular time helps, and I find that if I have been out for the evening, or have been working late, it takes a minimum of 2 hours to be able to wind down enough to sleep

I usually get off the computer around 7pm, and watch tv for a couple of hours. By 10pm I am ready for bed. Once I am asleep though, I will sleep for England and very little will wake me! Left to my own devices I will sleep for 9-10 hours a night!

kabie

blue_monkey wrote: »

Have you tried Melatonin, it helps the body get into a sleep routine, you can get it from Health Food Shops and it's around £4 for a months supply.

I know people take it for a health supplement as it's supposed to help with anti-aging and some take it for jet lag. It's extremely popular in America apparently. I'd still advise seeing a doctor first though.

starnight_2

My DS takes ages to wind down. I send him to bed at least an hour before I want him to sleep, so normally around 9. There have been times he's still awake coming up to 12, even though he has black out blinds and I make sure he has nothing else to distract him.

Indie_Kid

Make sure that before going to bed, your child isn't hungry or thirsty. I am not suggesting that you give them loads to eat and drink before bed.

Does anyone else have issues with people with ASD making really innapropriate comments? And how do you deal with them? I don't notice it with my brother, (I can take some things he says the wrong way - to me, they may sound innapropraite until he explains that he means something else) but get it with my friend a lot and I don't know how to deal with it.

Savvy_Sue

sh1305 wrote: »

Does anyone else have issues with people with ASD making really innapropriate comments? And how do you deal with them? I don't notice it with my brother, (I can take some things he says the wrong way - to me, they may sound innapropraite until he explains that he means something else) but get it with my friend a lot and I don't know how to deal with it.

The only way to deal with it is directly, if you can't ignore it. So you have to say something like "I'm not sure if you meant to do this, but I was very upset when you said my bum looks big in this, so please don't comment on my appearance unless I ask you to."

starnight_2

DS doesn't go to bed hungry as he gets a bowl of cereal and juice at 8. Otherwise he would let me know XD It's almost like he can't relax or something. He told me a couple of weeks ago, after reading time (I am now allowed to read to him as he LOVES Roald Dahl, though anything else he loses interest) that he felt weird and I believe it was because he felt totally relaxed!! I'm trying to move reading time til later in the day to see if this helps, may even do it while he is having supper.

Indie_Kid

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

The only way to deal with it is directly, if you can't ignore it. So you have to say something like "I'm not sure if you meant to do this, but I was very upset when you said my bum looks big in this, so please don't comment on my appearance unless I ask you to."

I said that once (actually, it was a completely different issue; but still let him know I was upset) and he replied "I know what I said; but that's how it really feels sometimes".

Savvy_Sue

sh1305 wrote: »

I said that once (actually, it was a completely different issue; but still let him know I was upset) and he replied "I know what I said; but that's how it really feels sometimes".

Yup, that's Aspies for you ... :rotfl:

On the other hand, if one of them says "You're doing all right," then you know you really ARE doing all right, even if it feels awful. If he goes on to say "You're doing MORE than all right, in fact I can't think of anyone else who would cope better with all this", you know you really ARE doing all right ... even if you had to ask them to say it in the first place.

Toonie

I'm looking for a little advice. One of the children I nanny for is currently being assessed by his playgroups SEN worker and unofficially they think he is autistic (I occasionally volunteer there and know the playgroup staff well). He starts reception class in September and it is becoming more obvious that he has issues. He is almost four years old and has been reading for over a year, he can write and do simple math. However, he has no concept of danger, when I take him out he frequently walks off, doesn't stop at the edge of roads and has problems with interacting with other children. He doesn't tend to understand new instructions and it takes him a long time to get used to something new, but once he has figured it out he's fine.

What I really would like to know is if there is anything I can do to help him or indeed anything I can do to get him to understand instructions a little easier. At the moment the main problem is hygene. I potty trained him four months ago and he took a while to do it (he would be fine for me and the playgroup but on weekends with his parents he would wet himself and mess up his pants and not tell anyone) but I explained to his parents that they would need to take the same approach I did (making a routine out of going to the toilet) and it worked. The problem is that whilst he now wipes his bottom, in between wiping he puts his fingers in his mouth or rubs his eyes. I've been trying to explain that it is dirty and can make him ill, but he constantly does it. If anyone has some advice it would be very welcome.

Savvy_Sue

Social stories, I think they're called, can be useful. It's a string of simple pictures, showing what's going to / supposed to happen.

See if nursery can help with this?

A friend had one done when she decided it was time for her child to stop having a night time nappy. The child used to get very upset at any suggestion of not wearing a nappy, but having a picture story showing what the bedtime routine would look like WITHOUT a nappy helped mum crack it.