Aspergers/ASD support thread

learning_to_drive

Hi,

Can parents of autistic children post here?

blue_monkey_2

learning_to_drive wrote: »

Hi,

Can parents of autistic children post here?

Absolutely yes!!!! Welcome to the family

This thread is to share news and experiences (good and bad) get advice from other parents or just to have a vent or have a whinge if you have something you need toget off your chest so please feel free. There are lots of us here with children of all ages, even grown up ones.

blue_monkey_2

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

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.

Yes, Social Stories are a fantastic, either you or mum make one and put it on the wall of the toilet so the child can be constantly reminded. As you say, after enough times he will learn, but the story is there to reiterate that you do not touch until you have washed your hands.

It only needs to be something simple sentance 'after you have wiped your bottom you must wash your hands straightaway' then put a clip art picture of a hand, mouth, eyes, face crossed out, then a picture of a tap and then another picture of a hand with a tick. Laminate it and copy it and give one to mum for their bathroom too.

The school makes social stories for my son (y1) and gives me one for his bag and I put them up in the house where he can see them, they are on the wall at school too. This was on recommendation of Speech & Language Therapist and they do work really, really well.

starnight_2

I'm on for a whinge. XD

DE was at his aunts on Saturday night, now he enjoys going there because he gets to see his cousin. But this weekend my sisters partner complained and said he needed to be there more often. The source of the complaint?? As me sister put it DS 'took a psycho'. She gave her own DS and DD and my DS water guns, now most children assume your going to water fight. Not DS. He likes to squirt the grounds. Well he got wet and had a meltdown. Stomped into nephews room and took ages to come around. Of course had they of siad to him they were going to squirt each other wth water DS would not have minded, or said no!! Sis knows this, how many times can I explain these things to her OH. He thinks he can toughen him up a bit.

Very frustrated with how it went, felt like it was all DS's fault for not having fun. Yet they know he needs to know what is happening. GRRRRR Sorry about the rant but needed to get it off my chest. Just made for a difficult weekend that could have been avoided.

Toonie

Thanks, I shall have a look into social stories. I think he would take to it, as he is a very logical boy. When potty training him I came up with the idea that we would only have nappies on for "N" times. Night and naps. He understood this straight away. Within a week he was dry through the night as he decided he didn't like having a nappy on anymore.

Today we went to a playground with another nannying friend. When we got there my little lad said to me "are we going to go home in a minute?" which is a now a typical reaction when going somewhere new (last year it was never a problem, during the summer holidays we went somewhere new and different every week) so I explained that we were there to play and have a picnic. Once he accepted that we were staying, he went off quite happily playing with his little friend.

PasturesNew

Re sleep ... I've never had a good night's sleep. When I was about 8 I was at the Doctor's for not being able to sleep. At the time he gave me some red/black capsules and said "when other people go to sleep their brains switch off/wind down ... yours never, ever does".

Roll on over 40 years and I still can't sleep, haven't slept. Especially if I have to do something the next day.

When I was a kid, if we went anywhere (e.g. holiday), my parents never used to tell us at all, they'd pick us up in our sleep and put us in the car to drive through the night. Then, every time, for the first night on holiday, they'd have to stay awake/alert all night as I'd climb the walls and try to escape.

What happens now is that if I have to be somewhere the next day, I can't sleep until 4-5am, so I often have just 2-3 hours' sleep right before something important. e.g. going to work. If I start a new job, it takes about two weeks before I can get to sleep before 4-5am.

I spend a lot of time through the night, sitting up, getting up, looking out the window, walking about. That's why I love living alone best because I don't have to worry about others, or what others are thinking (do they hear burglars when it's me).

PasturesNew

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.

If it were me I'd just want the person to turn round and laugh and say "You're having an Aspie moment".... I found Savvy_Sue's response a little too formal and it'd make me retreat as I'd think she'd fallen out with me forever and that was the end of any friendship/relationship/whatever.

Having identified somebody's an Aspie, I think it needs to be turned into a joke so they don't stress about having made a mistake they'd never spot ... although quite often I'd still think I was right to say it and that people were being stupidly over-sensitive.

Savvy_Sue

PasturesNew wrote: »

If it were me I'd just want the person to turn round and laugh and say "You're having an Aspie moment".... I found Savvy_Sue's response a little too formal and it'd make me retreat as I'd think she'd fallen out with me forever and that was the end of any friendship/relationship/whatever.

Having identified somebody's an Aspie, I think it needs to be turned into a joke so they don't stress about having made a mistake they'd never spot ... although quite often I'd still think I was right to say it and that people were being stupidly over-sensitive.

That's fair enough, but I think it depends on the Aspie. I know one who would have to be formally told that something was inappropriate - making a joke of it would get you nowhere. He also has to be formally asked to 'cease and desist' from behaviour which makes other people feel uncomfortable - he knows people don't like it if he stands too close, he'll even ask if he is standing too close, but if you don't say "Yes, so please move away" he'll just carry on standing there!

If it's a joke, it doesn't matter, he can carry right on ...

blue_monkey_2

I agree, my son has to be told to stop as well, it is the only way he will understand. He does not understand jokes or hints about things it has to be clear and concise and to the point.

seven-day-weekend

PasturesNew wrote: »

If it were me I'd just want the person to turn round and laugh and say "You're having an Aspie moment".... I found Savvy_Sue's response a little too formal and it'd make me retreat as I'd think she'd fallen out with me forever and that was the end of any friendship/relationship/whatever.

Having identified somebody's an Aspie, I think it needs to be turned into a joke so they don't stress about having made a mistake they'd never spot ... although quite often I'd still think I was right to say it and that people were being stupidly over-sensitive.

That could be me writing about myself.