My son has been going to speech therapy for quite a few years now.
He attends a group called "talking heads" which is a pragmatics group designed to help children with their social skills and understanding.
I always used to think that speech therapy was just for kids who had a speech impediment, like stuttering, but this is not true. Speech therapy can cover a wide variety of different issues.
The aim of the group that my son attends is to help the children understand emotions and learn to work together in a group. Many of the children who attend the group are autistic, so have a tendency to want to draw into their shell and work alone. the activities in the group are designed to enable the children to work as a team to achieve an objective.
I think my son has really benefited from the group. When he first started nursery, he would not speak to the other children at all and wandered around the classroom in his own bubble. When he walked into the waiting room today, he was greeted by the other kids and got involved straight away in joining in their game. They were all laughing and co-operating and it was really good to see some improvement in his social skills and the way he interacts with others.
Thursday 31 May 2012
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Reacting to a Diagnosis of Autism
It took me a long time to get a diagnosis of autism for my son. He would go to various child development centres and have sessions under various departments, but nobody ever seemed to give me a straight answer about what was wrong with my child.
Of course, having no diagnosis made it awkward for me when people wanted to know what was wrong with my son. "He has learning difficulties" I would say sheepishly, not knowing how to proceed further.
Finally, when I saw a new paediatrician last year, she asked me if I had ever been given a diagnosis. I replied that I had not, but I was very interested in getting one, as I didn't know how to explain his disability to people.
She told me to think long and hard about whether I really wanted to know what was wrong with him. Apparently, some people don't cope well at all once they hear the dreaded words. I had no such hang ups. I knew there was a problem, so for me, having a name for it would enable me to research the condition and connect with others.
After a few diagnostic tests, she gave the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum, likely with Aspergers. I was so happy to finally have a name for the condition!
A few months ago, my cousin contacted me. She was very distressed because her son had been given a diagnosis of autism and she felt like her world had ended. She couldn't stop crying. I tried to encourage her the best as I could, but it just goes to illustrate how people can have vastly different reactions when their child receives a diagnosis of Autism.
Of course, having no diagnosis made it awkward for me when people wanted to know what was wrong with my son. "He has learning difficulties" I would say sheepishly, not knowing how to proceed further.
Finally, when I saw a new paediatrician last year, she asked me if I had ever been given a diagnosis. I replied that I had not, but I was very interested in getting one, as I didn't know how to explain his disability to people.
She told me to think long and hard about whether I really wanted to know what was wrong with him. Apparently, some people don't cope well at all once they hear the dreaded words. I had no such hang ups. I knew there was a problem, so for me, having a name for it would enable me to research the condition and connect with others.
After a few diagnostic tests, she gave the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum, likely with Aspergers. I was so happy to finally have a name for the condition!
A few months ago, my cousin contacted me. She was very distressed because her son had been given a diagnosis of autism and she felt like her world had ended. She couldn't stop crying. I tried to encourage her the best as I could, but it just goes to illustrate how people can have vastly different reactions when their child receives a diagnosis of Autism.
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Trouble With Maths
Although a lot of people presume that children with autism are gifted at maths, this is not true. Children with autism may have an aptitude for a particular subject at school, but they may struggle with other subjects in the curriculum.
My son has a flair for language and is a particularly good reader. however, he really struggles with his maths and cannot grasp even basic concepts.
He is nearly 7 years old and the class are starting to tackle more complex maths problems, such as division and fractions. The classroom assistant gives him a lot of attention, but there are simply not enough staff to give him the one to one attention he really needs. He also gets quite lost during lessons and tends to drift away into his own world when the teacher is talking.
The classroom assistant has kindly offered extra tuition after class, so I go to an extra class once a week to help him with his maths. it is really hard though, to have the patience, when he is struggling to understand the basics and he gets agitated too because he is frustrated.
I really want to persist though, because an understanding of maths is so important in life. We deal with money every day and I don't want anyone to take advantage of him when he is older.
I have a friend who has a grown up son with autism who does not understand about money. He took his son to the shop to buy a piece of electronic equipment and gave him a penny to take to the till to pay for it. The boy complied and took the penny to the till. His dad asked him to remember to ask for change, which he did. This sad experience shows that basic money handling skills can be a real problem for autistic kids and it is important for them to grasp the idea of money in order to be independent in later life.
My son has a flair for language and is a particularly good reader. however, he really struggles with his maths and cannot grasp even basic concepts.
He is nearly 7 years old and the class are starting to tackle more complex maths problems, such as division and fractions. The classroom assistant gives him a lot of attention, but there are simply not enough staff to give him the one to one attention he really needs. He also gets quite lost during lessons and tends to drift away into his own world when the teacher is talking.
The classroom assistant has kindly offered extra tuition after class, so I go to an extra class once a week to help him with his maths. it is really hard though, to have the patience, when he is struggling to understand the basics and he gets agitated too because he is frustrated.
I really want to persist though, because an understanding of maths is so important in life. We deal with money every day and I don't want anyone to take advantage of him when he is older.
I have a friend who has a grown up son with autism who does not understand about money. He took his son to the shop to buy a piece of electronic equipment and gave him a penny to take to the till to pay for it. The boy complied and took the penny to the till. His dad asked him to remember to ask for change, which he did. This sad experience shows that basic money handling skills can be a real problem for autistic kids and it is important for them to grasp the idea of money in order to be independent in later life.
Monday 28 May 2012
Virtual Reality
In this modern age of technology, we accept what we see on the TV and in movies. We marvel at the amazing special effects that bring mythical creatures to life and create stunning backdrops. We understand that these effects are created by a combination of computer wizardry, animation and puppetry.
However, to a child with autism, the lines can be blurred. When my son watches Merlin on TV talking to a dragon, he presumes that the dragon must be real because the person on the screen is real. When I try to explain to him that it is special effects, he gets very confused.
The other day we were watching TV when a Sky advert came on. The advert was fairytale-style, with the wicked queen talking to the magic mirror. My son asked me if all mirrors had heads inside them, because it was scary. When I told him that is wasn't real, he said it must be, because the lady talking to the mirror was a real person.
Unfortunately, this can cause quite a few problems. The kids were watching Men in Black on TV and the scene came on where the man pulls his skin tightly upwards over his face. My son started crying and screaming to switch it off because he thought it was real. He wouldn't go to bed by himself because he was so scared about it.
How do you explain to an autistic child about the boundaries between reality and fantasy?
However, to a child with autism, the lines can be blurred. When my son watches Merlin on TV talking to a dragon, he presumes that the dragon must be real because the person on the screen is real. When I try to explain to him that it is special effects, he gets very confused.
The other day we were watching TV when a Sky advert came on. The advert was fairytale-style, with the wicked queen talking to the magic mirror. My son asked me if all mirrors had heads inside them, because it was scary. When I told him that is wasn't real, he said it must be, because the lady talking to the mirror was a real person.
Unfortunately, this can cause quite a few problems. The kids were watching Men in Black on TV and the scene came on where the man pulls his skin tightly upwards over his face. My son started crying and screaming to switch it off because he thought it was real. He wouldn't go to bed by himself because he was so scared about it.
How do you explain to an autistic child about the boundaries between reality and fantasy?
Wednesday 23 May 2012
SNAPS Staffordshire
SNAPS is a very special adventure playground, located in Cannock, Staffordshire.
The playground has been running since 2003.
It is a specially designed play area, adapted to cater for children with different disabilities and special needs. The centre has an outdoor play area, which includes an aerial runway, cycle track with adapted bikes, sandpit with diggers and various pieces of playground equipment, suitable for children in wheelchairs. The slide is especially wide to incorporate a carer, sitting alongside the child.
The indoor area has a sensory room and a ball pit, as well as a craft area.
This wonderful facility makes play accessible to everyone, even the profoundly disabled and is the only facility of its kind in the West Midlands area.
Membership is £5 for the whole year and entitles the disabled child and their family members to unlimited access to SNAPS.
The playground has been running since 2003.
It is a specially designed play area, adapted to cater for children with different disabilities and special needs. The centre has an outdoor play area, which includes an aerial runway, cycle track with adapted bikes, sandpit with diggers and various pieces of playground equipment, suitable for children in wheelchairs. The slide is especially wide to incorporate a carer, sitting alongside the child.
The indoor area has a sensory room and a ball pit, as well as a craft area.
This wonderful facility makes play accessible to everyone, even the profoundly disabled and is the only facility of its kind in the West Midlands area.
Membership is £5 for the whole year and entitles the disabled child and their family members to unlimited access to SNAPS.
Monday 21 May 2012
Merlin's Magic Wand
There are so many wonderful resources out there for parents with disabled children.
My friend, who has a child with ADHD, told me about a website called Merlin's Magic Wand, which provides tickets for days out for some of the major attractions in the UK and other countries.
Merlin Entertainment runs many big attractions including Alton Towers, Sealife centres, Legoland and Warwick Castle.
Parents and carers of disabled children can apply for tickets via the website and fill in a short online form explining why the child would benefit from a day out. The charity provides tickets for all of the family, not just the child, so brothers and sisters can join them on the trip too.
I filled the form in, but had to wait a couple of months for a reply, as the charity is so popular. They agreed to supply me with 5 Alton Towers tickets, as long as I supplied them with document proof of my son's disability. It was a simple case of scanning his diagnosis letter from the doctor and emailing it to the charity. I then received another email letting me know that the tickets will be sent to me in the next few weeks.
I think that this charity is a great idea and will bring a lot of joy to disabled kids and their families. I am really excited about our trip to Alton Towers. I know my little boy will love it.
Thank you Merlin!
My friend, who has a child with ADHD, told me about a website called Merlin's Magic Wand, which provides tickets for days out for some of the major attractions in the UK and other countries.
Merlin Entertainment runs many big attractions including Alton Towers, Sealife centres, Legoland and Warwick Castle.
Parents and carers of disabled children can apply for tickets via the website and fill in a short online form explining why the child would benefit from a day out. The charity provides tickets for all of the family, not just the child, so brothers and sisters can join them on the trip too.
I filled the form in, but had to wait a couple of months for a reply, as the charity is so popular. They agreed to supply me with 5 Alton Towers tickets, as long as I supplied them with document proof of my son's disability. It was a simple case of scanning his diagnosis letter from the doctor and emailing it to the charity. I then received another email letting me know that the tickets will be sent to me in the next few weeks.
I think that this charity is a great idea and will bring a lot of joy to disabled kids and their families. I am really excited about our trip to Alton Towers. I know my little boy will love it.
Thank you Merlin!
Monday 14 May 2012
Autism and Sensitivity to Smell
We went to a garden centre at the weekend. For us, it is a nice, stress free way to spend the afternoon, but for my son, it is something completely different!
Children with autism can be really sensitive to smells and tastes. This means that they can smell things that most other people can't and a small can really bother them. This can be quite embarrassing if we are in a public place, and my son gets a waft of something nasty up his nose:
" I CAN SMELL A TRUMP! WHO HAS TRUMPED?" He will bellow, within hearing range of most people within a mile radius.
We went into the garden centre cafe to have afternoon tea, but my son was fidgety and visibly upset. He said that there was a horrible smell and he wanted to get out. I could detect a slight scent of coffee, but nothing overpowering. Of course, to him, that scent of coffee was magnified, and insulting his nose. I had to take him outside in the end, as he was getting upset.
When going out with an autistic child it is important to consider these things and it may be wise to avoid anywhere that may have a strong odour, like farms. A trip to the sewage plant is definitely out of order!
Children with autism can be really sensitive to smells and tastes. This means that they can smell things that most other people can't and a small can really bother them. This can be quite embarrassing if we are in a public place, and my son gets a waft of something nasty up his nose:
" I CAN SMELL A TRUMP! WHO HAS TRUMPED?" He will bellow, within hearing range of most people within a mile radius.
We went into the garden centre cafe to have afternoon tea, but my son was fidgety and visibly upset. He said that there was a horrible smell and he wanted to get out. I could detect a slight scent of coffee, but nothing overpowering. Of course, to him, that scent of coffee was magnified, and insulting his nose. I had to take him outside in the end, as he was getting upset.
When going out with an autistic child it is important to consider these things and it may be wise to avoid anywhere that may have a strong odour, like farms. A trip to the sewage plant is definitely out of order!
Friday 4 May 2012
Resources at Action For Children
Now my son is registered with the Action For Children Resource Centre, he is able to access the various clubs and activities that they have on offer. He went to his first group last week and really enjoyed it. The club takes on about 15 children per session, although they have 25 children on the books, so places are given on a first come, first served basis, with a booking system in place.
They run after school clubs and weekend clubs, which run for a couple of hours, enough to give me a bit of a break, knowing he is in safe hands, as well as time to spend with my other two kids. The interaction he gets from the groups will help his social skills. and there is a good ratio of staff to children. The clubs have a wide range of activities in each session, from art and cooking to pool and Xbox games. They have an outdoor play area and a soothing sensory room with a ball pool and dimmed lights to calm fretful children.
The centre also runs courses for parents of kids with special needs, groups for siblings and trips during the school holidays. I am grateful for such a fantastic resource, which will be available to my son until he is 18.
They run after school clubs and weekend clubs, which run for a couple of hours, enough to give me a bit of a break, knowing he is in safe hands, as well as time to spend with my other two kids. The interaction he gets from the groups will help his social skills. and there is a good ratio of staff to children. The clubs have a wide range of activities in each session, from art and cooking to pool and Xbox games. They have an outdoor play area and a soothing sensory room with a ball pool and dimmed lights to calm fretful children.
The centre also runs courses for parents of kids with special needs, groups for siblings and trips during the school holidays. I am grateful for such a fantastic resource, which will be available to my son until he is 18.
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