My son has always had problems with coordination, a common trait in children with Autism and Asperger's, which makes things like getting dressed very difficult for him. Buttons, zips and fasteners are a virtual minefield when it comes to manoevering his little fingers around them.
When he is not at school, I tend to dress him in things like T shirts and jogging bottoms, as they are easy to put on, and if he can dress himself he can feel a measure of accomplishment. With school uniform, I make sure that I buy elasticated trousers, rather than anything with a zip, button or hook, as he would have a lot of difficulty with these. He wars a polo neck top, which has 3 buttons on it, and when he gets dressed in the morning, I usually encourage him to fasten one or more of the buttons himself and give him a sticker for his chart when he has done it.
The school has PE once a week and somehow, when they were getting changed yesterday, he managed to lose his polo shirt, coming home in his PE top instead. He very often loses items, particularly jumpers, and it is really important that I label everything.
After Easter, the class are starting swimming lessons for the first time. In preperation, I am encouraging him to practice getting dressed and undressed. He is OK when everything is laid out, but cannot negotiate items that are inside out and struggles with socks and underpants. I have to buy pants with pictures on the front, so he can see which way round they go, but of course, this is going to be the butt of jokes with the other pupils in the class.
To complicate matters further, he wears glasses, and I am worried that he may lose them in the changing room.
The educational psychologist recommeded that the school refer him to Occpational Therapy, and I hope that once they start working with him, he will further improve in his steps toward independence.
Friday 27 January 2012
Thursday 26 January 2012
Anger Management
My little boy is usually quite passive, but when provoked, he can suddenly lash out by hitting, spitting or biting. It can be hard to get him to control his anger, as it comes on suddenly as a result of his frustation with a situation and his inability to deal with others in a diplomatic way.
There are various strategies for coping with these sudden outbursts. The lady on the autism helpline suggested that I buy a book called "The Red Beast", which is available on Amazon. It is a simple story designed to show the Asperger's or Autistic child how to deal with anger and how anger can build inside. I intend to get this book and I will post a review on here when I do.
Another book she suggested was called "When my Autism Gets Too Big". I checked this out on Amazon, but it was very expensive, and from the reviews on there it seems that the book is basically a five point scale with pictures that the child can point too to show how they feel. I could probably make something similar at home, so it is definitely worth a try, as I think it would be easier for him to show how he feels by pointing to a picture than by trying to put it into words.
Unfortunately, my little boy is being bullied at school by a group of boys, who like to try and get him to lose his temper. I am closely communicating with the class teacher and SENCO to make sure that the situation is contained. The lady on the autism helpline suggested that I download some materials to give to the teacher, as teachers are not automatically experts on autism and Asperger's.
There are various strategies for coping with these sudden outbursts. The lady on the autism helpline suggested that I buy a book called "The Red Beast", which is available on Amazon. It is a simple story designed to show the Asperger's or Autistic child how to deal with anger and how anger can build inside. I intend to get this book and I will post a review on here when I do.
Another book she suggested was called "When my Autism Gets Too Big". I checked this out on Amazon, but it was very expensive, and from the reviews on there it seems that the book is basically a five point scale with pictures that the child can point too to show how they feel. I could probably make something similar at home, so it is definitely worth a try, as I think it would be easier for him to show how he feels by pointing to a picture than by trying to put it into words.
Unfortunately, my little boy is being bullied at school by a group of boys, who like to try and get him to lose his temper. I am closely communicating with the class teacher and SENCO to make sure that the situation is contained. The lady on the autism helpline suggested that I download some materials to give to the teacher, as teachers are not automatically experts on autism and Asperger's.
Wednesday 25 January 2012
Finding My Way Through The Fog.
Now we have our diagnosis, I am overwhelmed with all of the information out there.
It is really hard to know where to start.
I called Autism West Midlands and the lady was really helpful. She pointed me in the right direction and gave me some practical advice how to inform teachers at the school about Asperger Syndrome and also gave me some ideas about good books to buy on the subject.
The doctor who diagnosed my son sent me a big folder full of information and agencies that deal with autism, so I will probably be contacting a few of them over the next few weeks.
Learning about the resources that are available, as well as your rights and entitlements can seem like finding your way in a thick fog. I am lucky to have a good support network of family and friends. Hopefully, the school will be supportive too and I can work with them to ensure that my son has an enjoyable and fulfilling childhood.
It is really hard to know where to start.
I called Autism West Midlands and the lady was really helpful. She pointed me in the right direction and gave me some practical advice how to inform teachers at the school about Asperger Syndrome and also gave me some ideas about good books to buy on the subject.
The doctor who diagnosed my son sent me a big folder full of information and agencies that deal with autism, so I will probably be contacting a few of them over the next few weeks.
Learning about the resources that are available, as well as your rights and entitlements can seem like finding your way in a thick fog. I am lucky to have a good support network of family and friends. Hopefully, the school will be supportive too and I can work with them to ensure that my son has an enjoyable and fulfilling childhood.
My Story
On the 21st of December 2011, I received a letter that I had ben waiting a long time to receive. A letter from a doctor, confirming a diagnosis of ASD, Austistic Spectrum Disorder, for my son. ASD covers a wide variety of learning difficulties, from very severe autism to the higher functioning type, and people with ASD can range from the completely incapacitated through to people who lead normal lives, have families and hold down a regular job.
My son has a high functioning type of autism. He is academically bright, but has many interesting "quirks" in his personality which mark him out as different from other children his age.
I knew there was something different about him when he was about 3. Up until then, he had hit all of his milestones and we had no concerns. When I took him to the local cradle club, however, I noticed that he didn't really want to play with the other children or get involved with the activities. When the children had snack time, he would be very messy and was unable to drink from a cup without spilling it.
Naturally, I wanted to put doubts to the back of my mind. I made an appointment to see the health visitor, but cancelled, reasoning that I was just being silly. Thankfully, however, she called me back and asked me why I cancelled, reasoning that it wouldn't do any harm to take a look at him.
Initial tests showed that age 3 his language skills were highly advanced, yet his cognitive and motor skills were very basic, comparable to that of a baby. Following this initial result, we were referred to other departments, for more detailed analysis and therapy sessions, although we were never asked if we would like a diagnosis.
He started school as normal, but in reception was still struggling with fine motor control skills, despite his high intelligence. He was put on what is called "school action plus" which means that the school class him as having special needs and can access help from outside agencies, although he would not qualify to attend a special school, as academically, he is doing quite well. The biggest problem at school is social. he does not find it easy to interact with other kids, and gets bullied frequently.
Last year, we were referred to a new doctor, who specialises in this area. She was the first person to ask me if I wanted a diagnosis.
OF COURSE I DID!
I was fed up of trying to explain to everyone what was wrong with him, as I didn't have a "label" for his disorder.
After doing a questionnaire with the school SENCO, the result finally cam back that he has ASD, primarily Aspergers.
This, for me, is the start, and the reason I am writing this blog.
*UPDATE I have restarted this blog after discontinuing it for a few years. My son is now a teenager and in a special school that is perfect for his needs. During this time, my daughter was also diagnosed as autistic, so I will hopefully be touching on a variety of new and interesting topics now that the blog is up and running again.
My son has a high functioning type of autism. He is academically bright, but has many interesting "quirks" in his personality which mark him out as different from other children his age.
I knew there was something different about him when he was about 3. Up until then, he had hit all of his milestones and we had no concerns. When I took him to the local cradle club, however, I noticed that he didn't really want to play with the other children or get involved with the activities. When the children had snack time, he would be very messy and was unable to drink from a cup without spilling it.
Naturally, I wanted to put doubts to the back of my mind. I made an appointment to see the health visitor, but cancelled, reasoning that I was just being silly. Thankfully, however, she called me back and asked me why I cancelled, reasoning that it wouldn't do any harm to take a look at him.
Initial tests showed that age 3 his language skills were highly advanced, yet his cognitive and motor skills were very basic, comparable to that of a baby. Following this initial result, we were referred to other departments, for more detailed analysis and therapy sessions, although we were never asked if we would like a diagnosis.
He started school as normal, but in reception was still struggling with fine motor control skills, despite his high intelligence. He was put on what is called "school action plus" which means that the school class him as having special needs and can access help from outside agencies, although he would not qualify to attend a special school, as academically, he is doing quite well. The biggest problem at school is social. he does not find it easy to interact with other kids, and gets bullied frequently.
Last year, we were referred to a new doctor, who specialises in this area. She was the first person to ask me if I wanted a diagnosis.
OF COURSE I DID!
I was fed up of trying to explain to everyone what was wrong with him, as I didn't have a "label" for his disorder.
After doing a questionnaire with the school SENCO, the result finally cam back that he has ASD, primarily Aspergers.
This, for me, is the start, and the reason I am writing this blog.
*UPDATE I have restarted this blog after discontinuing it for a few years. My son is now a teenager and in a special school that is perfect for his needs. During this time, my daughter was also diagnosed as autistic, so I will hopefully be touching on a variety of new and interesting topics now that the blog is up and running again.
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