My son has had a variety of compulsive behavious over the years. A behaviour may be something like tapping parts of the body, or shutting doors. The autistic person feels that they HAVE to complete these actions.
My son has started chewing his clothes. I think it is a nervous habit. He chews the sleeves and collars so badly that they get holes in them.
I have told him off a few times, but I'm not sure whether I should because he may not be able to help what he is doing.
I phoned Autism West Midlands and the lady on the helpline suggested that I buy him some special jewelry called "chewelry", which are rubber necklaces and bracelets for children to chew on. She also suggested trying baby teething rings or making him something out of fabric to chew.
She said that maybe the reason he chews is because he is finding it painful now his big teeth are coming through, or maybe it is to do with anxiety.
I am going to try and get some of those fabric sweat bands from the sports shop and some teething rings. I don't want to encourage the behaviour, but i would rather channel it elsewhere than have him chewing holes in his jumpers.
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Monday, 26 March 2012
Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome
I have quite a lot of friends who have kids with AS, ranging from very young kids right through to young adults. One of my friends gave me a book to borrow. It is called "Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome".
The book is written by a 13 year old boy who has Aspergers. He is articulate, humerous and intelligent, and writes in a conversational style to the reader. He writes to give the perspective of a person with AS and explains how it affects him and his family in day to day life, as well as the trials of teenage life.
I found the book really useful, because it gave me an insight on what is going on in the mind of an AS child, why they have compulsions and obsessions and how they feel when people bully them or treat them badly. It also explained why they like video games so much. I loved the part where the boy explains various phrases that we use in everyday life that may confuse an AS child, who will take things literally (e.g. "pull your socks up").
I hope my son can grow up to be like the young author of this book, as I found him engaging and interesting to read about and he must be a real credit to his family.
The book is written by a 13 year old boy who has Aspergers. He is articulate, humerous and intelligent, and writes in a conversational style to the reader. He writes to give the perspective of a person with AS and explains how it affects him and his family in day to day life, as well as the trials of teenage life.
I found the book really useful, because it gave me an insight on what is going on in the mind of an AS child, why they have compulsions and obsessions and how they feel when people bully them or treat them badly. It also explained why they like video games so much. I loved the part where the boy explains various phrases that we use in everyday life that may confuse an AS child, who will take things literally (e.g. "pull your socks up").
I hope my son can grow up to be like the young author of this book, as I found him engaging and interesting to read about and he must be a real credit to his family.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Bike Ride
I took my little boy on a bike ride yesterday.
He still has stabilizers on the bike, but was riding it really well. Coordination can be a problem in AS children, so I think this activity helps him, and it is a lot of fun.
I hope that maybe this summer, we will be able to try the bike without the stabilizers. Although his fine motor skills are quite limited, his gross motor skills are getting better and riding the bike well would give him a big confidence boost.
He still has stabilizers on the bike, but was riding it really well. Coordination can be a problem in AS children, so I think this activity helps him, and it is a lot of fun.
I hope that maybe this summer, we will be able to try the bike without the stabilizers. Although his fine motor skills are quite limited, his gross motor skills are getting better and riding the bike well would give him a big confidence boost.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
The Term "ASD"
Since I started this blog, I have been using the term ASD to describe my son.
However, when I attended a conference on autusm a couple of weeks ago, it changed my perception about the term Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Apparently, many adults with autism do not like the term, as it implies they have a disorder of some sort. To them, autism is not a disorder, just another way of thinking.
Therefore, I have changed the title of my blog to "My child has autism", rather than "My child has ASD", and I will no longer be referring to autism or Aspergers as a disorder out of respect to those who find the term offensive.
However, when I attended a conference on autusm a couple of weeks ago, it changed my perception about the term Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Apparently, many adults with autism do not like the term, as it implies they have a disorder of some sort. To them, autism is not a disorder, just another way of thinking.
Therefore, I have changed the title of my blog to "My child has autism", rather than "My child has ASD", and I will no longer be referring to autism or Aspergers as a disorder out of respect to those who find the term offensive.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Stress Bucket
I went to a conference about Autism and they explained why kids with autism get so worked up about trivial things.
They explained that we all have a "stress bucket", the amount of stress we can handle. With autistic kids, their stress bucket is already full, so anything can tip them over the edge, even tiny amounts of stress.
They explained that we all have a "stress bucket", the amount of stress we can handle. With autistic kids, their stress bucket is already full, so anything can tip them over the edge, even tiny amounts of stress.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
The ASD Child and Video Games
My son loves video games! He has been playing on them since he was tiny, as his big brother has a Playstation. We also have a Wii, some old Nintendo consoles and some DS handheld consoles.
It is common for kids with ASD to become addicted to videogames. I think part of it is the freedom that they get from playing a character in a game. The can do all sorts of things that they cannot do in real life! Whilst I feel it is important to monitor the amount of time my son spends playing these games, I think the benefits can be enormous:
The games help his co-ordination as he learns to use combinations of buttons to achieve his on-screen goals.
The games help him to socialise with others in a multiplayer seting at home and give him a common ground with other children. He has to learn turn taking and sharing with his siblings.He talks about the games with other children at school, which helps his verbal and social skills and helps to break down barriers.
Games help him with maths and reading skills. He plays a Mario game and the character's speech comes up on the screen. He has to use his reading skills to tell what they are saying. This makes reading more fun for him than if he was in a formal school setting. The games also help his maths skills, as you may have a goal to collect a certain amount of objects, so he is making calculations in his head based on that goal.
Video games get a lot of bad press, but the right games, used in the right context, can be an real boost for an ASD child.
It is common for kids with ASD to become addicted to videogames. I think part of it is the freedom that they get from playing a character in a game. The can do all sorts of things that they cannot do in real life! Whilst I feel it is important to monitor the amount of time my son spends playing these games, I think the benefits can be enormous:
The games help his co-ordination as he learns to use combinations of buttons to achieve his on-screen goals.
The games help him to socialise with others in a multiplayer seting at home and give him a common ground with other children. He has to learn turn taking and sharing with his siblings.He talks about the games with other children at school, which helps his verbal and social skills and helps to break down barriers.
Games help him with maths and reading skills. He plays a Mario game and the character's speech comes up on the screen. He has to use his reading skills to tell what they are saying. This makes reading more fun for him than if he was in a formal school setting. The games also help his maths skills, as you may have a goal to collect a certain amount of objects, so he is making calculations in his head based on that goal.
Video games get a lot of bad press, but the right games, used in the right context, can be an real boost for an ASD child.
Friday, 24 February 2012
Shut the Door.
Apopligies for not updating the blog. My son spilled a drink on my computer keyboard!
Asperger's and Autistic children often have obsessions. My son has a new one: shutting doors.
He cannot cope if a door is left open, and if the kitchen cupboard doors are open he has to shut them all.
The other morning, he screamed at his sister because she did not shut the kitchen door after herself.
One of the great things about having a child with ASD, is the amount of funny questions that they ask. This really brightens my day. Yesterday, we were walking back from school, when my son asked:
"Why doesn't Mario have any nostrils?"
Strange but true....
Asperger's and Autistic children often have obsessions. My son has a new one: shutting doors.
He cannot cope if a door is left open, and if the kitchen cupboard doors are open he has to shut them all.
The other morning, he screamed at his sister because she did not shut the kitchen door after herself.
One of the great things about having a child with ASD, is the amount of funny questions that they ask. This really brightens my day. Yesterday, we were walking back from school, when my son asked:
"Why doesn't Mario have any nostrils?"
Strange but true....
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